Supreme Commander 2 Review
A reduction in the massive scale means less travel times and quicker matches. Multiplayer can be quite enjoyable but the campaign misses the mark.
For multiplayer it’s fairly easy to get a game against ranked and unranked opponents. The game will search using Steam for players of similar skill level and the process is very smooth. Interestingly enough you start with a neutral rank of 1500 and will lose rank points for losing matches against other opponents. The problem is the game lets you play against higher ranks with the click of a button if no matches can be found. In this way it can be even more demoralizing to keep losing because your points will just go down. Theoretically you should start playing against players of similar skill level but more often than not the good players tend to stick around, not the bad ones. Multiplayer maps, like the single player campaign, are small and usually very open some taken from the campaign. Defending your base with point defences wasn’t viable when units can be constructed so quickly. I came up against a few particular tactics that worked well pummelling me into the ground after I had set up a base.
Multiplayer - an ACU tries to run but finds a water hazard
Quickly capturing and controlling mass resource locations around the map became fairly crucial to success early. Combine this with the need to push your base forward make turtling hard to pull off. In one situation I set my defences up well enough to stop many attacks only to have my opposition set up dozens of long range artillery buildings to slowly destroy my base from way across the map. Unranked matches pit you against a player of any skill level but there seemed to be fewer players using that system. There is no 2v2 matchmaking at the moment so you’ll need to learn the skills on your own to move up or down the ranks.
The barrier of entry is very high and skills learnt during the campaign will barely help you during online battles. Occasionally finding a match may take a bit longer but load times and connections were pretty good. Naturally a progression of skirmish without predictable AI the multiplayer can provide a good time sink for those good enough to compete. For those afraid to play online by yourself you can always join a match set up by others. I found this much more enjoyable because it felt like a fairer playing field and when you mix the various factions it started to become rather enjoyable. Match length varied from five to sixty minutes really depending on play style. Games with higher player counts had a tendency to lag causing intermittent pauses that made things difficult.
The reduction in the tremendous scale of the original and the simplification of some things is ultimately a negative for the sequel. The uniqueness is reduced and the shorter campaign takes a good while to become enjoyable. The game gets points from me simply because it has base building and feels a bit more like the RTS games of old. I still enjoyed powering my huge Darkenoid saucer over an enemy base while aircraft circled around it for protection. Walking some Monolith bots through a base with shield units and anti-air for protection as red lasers cut the buildings to pieces was pretty awesome. If you don’t really enjoy new non-base building RTS games then Supreme Commander 2 may provide some fun. It does take a while to get into gear and at times playing it may feel like a chore.
Needs more lasers!
It’s unfortunate that the multiplayer is difficult to get into due to the skill difference but co-operative modes are enjoyable. Online matches do seem to be the focus for the game and a good amount of work has been put into making sure it works. The multiplayer will offer you some extended playtime as the matches can last quite a while depending on the tactics employed. Supreme Commander 2 lacks a certain amount of soul the first game seemed to capture and exploit. The campaign is certainly poorer than the original but the multiplayer and skirmishes are worth checking out.
Our ratings for Supreme Commander 2 on PC out of 100 (Ratings FAQ)
Performance
(Show PC Specs)
CPU: AMD Phenom II 955 @ 3.2GHz
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 1GB
RAM: 4GB DDR3
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 1GB
RAM: 4GB DDR3
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
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Apr 13, 2010 11:02:01 (Apr 13, 2010 11:02)
