System

When I say “system”, I mean the amalgamation of the RTS’s tech tree, build system, resource-gathering system; basically it’s anything that makes the game clicks. Rather than needlessly spreading the list, let’s just lump it up into one neat little section.

Supreme Commander 2: For all of its grandeur, Supreme Commander 2 is taking the backbone of Command & Conquer and sticking to it. Hell, it does a better job at being C&C than C&C4 ever did. It’s the research tree system and units that help set this apart.

Research trees come in different branches: some focus on beefing up your Armored Command Unit, while others beef up your air forces, and so forth. You get Research Points over time and while the battle rages on, you allocate it to any part of the tree you’re focusing on. The choices are then present; do you focus more on beefing up land units to get all the way to the huge-as-heck experimental units, or spread the points out evenly?

Balance-wise, the game could use a little more work. For the majority of my single-player and online skirmishes, I found that the Illuminates are better at bringing their units out faster since their early land units are amphibious.

While the base combat and army-commanding isn’t original, it works well alongside the research tree. Plus, who wouldn’t want to command an army of mechanized dinosaurs and metallic saucers? (B)

Command & Conquer 4: The game’s system works, for the most part. From the new Crawler system where all your units are pumped out from your mobile all-in-one building to how fast your units come out even after a wipepout, it all leads up to team-based matches and skirmishes ala World in Conflict. A destroyed Crawler isn’t the end of the world; you can just summon an extra one in a few seconds provided your forces aren’t wiped out.

Each of C&C4’s classes have their own weaknesses and strengths, and they have to rely on another player in a match to either  cover for them or make their own contribution. Playing solo in this game, while manageable, is akin to playing a team-based FPS by your lone self: you’ll get some fun out of it, but you’ll feel like you’re missing something vital in the experience.

Of course, there’s that one big problem that’s listed down below another category. But at face value, you can get some enjoyment out of the game, especially if you’re new to the RTS genre. Just make sure you have good RTS-loving friends to cover your back. (B)

Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising: Think Company of Heroes but in space, and you’ve summed up Dawn of War II in a nutshell. The expansion pack adds in the Corruption and Redemption system: making your squad either pure or corrupted yield different micro-managing options. You might want one character to turn evil to gain access to Subjugate, but you also want another squad member to remain pure so that he can use the powerful Terminator armor. It’s like a mini-RPG customizing system amidst all of the directing and issuing orders to my minions.

DoW II-CR is all about micro-managing your own units and using their skill sets in the current warzone situation properly . Don’t expect drawn-out battles and hour-long skirmishes, but do expect short-but-sweet mini battles between brick s***house-packed units against other assorted alien races. (A)

Starcraft 2 Multi-Player Beta: The game still uses the same economical system as before: you harvest minerals and gas to build units and structures, while you take into consideration the tech tree to figure out which path compliments your strategy. It’s the speed of mining that has changed. Gas runs out faster than you think, making quick expansions onto other parts of the map a must.

New units of the game introduce more strategies while mainstays like the Terran Marines and Zerg Mutalisks have their stats tweaked. Veterans will have to relearn a few new tricks with the new units for each faction, but for the most part, they’ll slip right into skirmishes easily.

In short, veterans who played Starcraft 1 past its prime will jump onto this train when they have a chance. Playing it multiple times made me realize why I love RTSs in the first place (A)

Verdict: Gauging on my personal preference, I’m the kind of guy who focuses more on managing my units, so Dawn of War II- Chaos Rising gets my nod of approval. For the rest of the world who prefers managing the whole gamut, Starcraft 2 gets the nod because it still makes a 10-year old model of a game bloody fun and invigorating again.

Multi-Player & Online

All RTSs live and die at how they perform on the online scene. Be it server stability, and the mechanics and features that contribute to the online experience, a good RTS considers all of these factors.

Supreme Commander 2:Unfortunately, all I know is that the closest servers we get to use on our side are the ones located in Europe. Even with a good ping rate, a lot of forum users have brought out complaints about lag. Worst of all, the latest patch of Supreme Commander 2 made the game crash a lot more than usual. It’s a pity that a promising game somehow got screwed from the online side of things. (D)

Command & Conquer 4: What is Modern Warfare’s level-up system doing in my RTS? While a noble endeavor in trying to stand out from the rest, it doesn’t work. Where a majority of RTSs let you play with all of your  units and buildings from the get-go, C&C4’s choices are limited to about a fifth of the available content. It doesn’t help that leveling up is a slow process and that you have to keep playing online even on single-player mode. Good luck to those whose connection levels aren’t stable.

Connection-wise, it seems to play fine, though that’s to be expected from a company with a high profile. The rest of the online bits feel like they weren’t well implemented (not that many modes to play as, constant internet connection). If you thought farming for gold/exp in an MMO/RPG is tedious, wait until you try that same concept on an RTS. (D)

Dawn of War 2 + Chaos Rising: Online has been given a bit of a boost. The community’s already busy getting the new Chaos Sorcerer and Tyranid Hive Tyrant, and Last Stand (think Horde mode but on an RTS) is still a popular gameplay mode. Chaos Sorcerer seems to be popular online. As the game is getting a lot of online play, connection’s pretty stable for a majority of the matches I’ve been on. Overall, it’s serviceable. (B)

Starcraft 2 Multi-Player Beta: Lord, the game isn’t even complete yet and already it’s getting a lot of love from the online side of things. There are already mini-tournaments held among the elite players in the beta pool. The connection is very stable for all matches; this is impressive considering that the current server is housed in the US. You also get the chance to record your own matches automatically and save the ones you wish to learn from.

However, until the rest of the world can actually get in (beta keys, while still distributed at this point in time, are few and far between), it’s hard to gauge how the matchmaking system will turn out. For now, I really don’t want to be fighting APB-savvy players who can wipe me out after 5 minutes every time I log in. That’s pretty much my scenario right there; I will always fight someone beyond my puny skill level.

All in all, it’s what diehard fans of the series want, but you might want to wait for the retail game if you’re the type who play skirmishes at a medium pace. (A)

Verdict: Starcraft 2 wins hands-down, even if it’s just half a game at the moment.

So who emerges a winner here? Let’s take a look at the grades:

Supreme Commander 2: A, B, B, D

Command & Conquer 4: C, B, B, D

Dawn of War II-Chaos Rising: B, A, A, B

Starcraft 2 Multi-Player Beta: B, C, A, A

It’s a very close battle, but Dawn of War II- Chaos Rising is our current top choice for people who want to get their RTS fix on quick and easy. It’s available now, it’s easy to pick up, and it’s fun to play.