Nintendo DS

Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command

Lovers of reaction-testing action and visually sumptuous titles tread carefully- Squad Command is deliberately (necessarily) slow paced and revels in doing the basics well whilst never comes across as a flashy technical achievement. Because of this it is unlikely to attract a huge audience, and certainly isn’t flawless, but I found it to be a fun and addictive addition to a genre I’ve always enjoyed. For that, it has to be worth an 8.

For Warhammer 40K fans, this game's a no brainer but even if you're unfamiliar with the franchise, Squad Command is a quality turn-based strategy game that deserves serious consideration.

Der Gesamteindruck von Squad Command für den DS ist leider etwas durchwachsen. Freunde der Zinnfiguren kommen eher auf ihre Kosten, als Materieneulinge. Wer eine PSP besitzt, dem sei geraten, sich lieber die Version für Sonys Hand-Held zu besorgen, da sie sich einfach flüssiger spielen lässt und der größere Bildschirm eine bessere Übersicht verschafft.

All in all, Squad Command is something of a mixed bag. Yes, there are some significant problems. The lack of a grid is probably the biggest pull-down for this game; if it had been a bit more structured, it could have really been great. But that problem doesn't negate all the good things about this game. It's still addictive, and it's still fun. Squad Command may not be the best strategy game out there, but it's by no means the worst.

It's competent enough to invest a week in, including a few rounds of multiplayer. Yet its lack of modes, characters and ultimate depth means it won't sustain for long.

There's some addicting gameplay to be found in Squad Command, particularly for Warhammer 40,000 fans, but you've got to be willing to put up with the game's flaws and annoyances.

Squad Command n'est clairement pas le jeu du siècle, mais il réussit cependant à apporter un peu de fraîcheur à la ludothèque de la portable. Jouable malgré quelques petits soucis de lisibilité et des saccades récurrentes, tactique mais cependant accessible, parfaitement calibré pour de courtes sessions de jeu, le soft saura satisfaire la plupart des joueurs, même ceux que la stratégie au tour par tour aurait tendance à rebuter. Dommage cependant qu'il ne profite pas plus de la richesse de la licence qu'il met en scène et qu'il coure ainsi le risque de décevoir les fans les plus acharnés.

Squad Command is far from perfect, but it is also the closest thing to playing actual Warhammer 40K on a videogame system. Turn-based strategy enthusiasts will definitely want to check this game out, and if you are a Warhammer fan then it is really a no-brainer.

Looking past all the problematic gameplay twitches in Squad Command you’ll find a fun, turned-based strategy game on the Nintendo DS. Warhammer 40K isn’t perfect and you’ll gather that in the first few missions, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth a look. I found Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command to be an alternative to all the other DS games I’ve been playing lately making it a fresh alternative choice in my library of games. Warhammer nuts, well, you probably will pick this up regardless, everyone else I’d go ahead and recommend Warhammer 40,000 Squad Commander if you have a DS and enjoy turn-based games.

Squad Commander is fun, but it’s not without issues. Each mission of Squad Commander is discrete and, while there is a build up to a final showdown, there’s little continuity from mission to mission. Combine that with the fact that units are anonymous and are rotated in and out, and there’s not really a sense that you are commanding a squad. I can only image how much more I would have enjoyed this game, if it followed six unique squad members with their own personalities.

I was hoping for more in a title like this and although I admit there is some fun in there, the real deal is that the game is lacking a lot of the qualities that make the Warhammer license.

This is a difficult one, the missions look and play extremely well so this should score highly, but due to the sheer lack of substance outside of those missions means you'll struggle to build an emotional attachment to the game and without a solid scenarios to drive you onto the next level you'll put it down as quickly as you pick it up. I've had the game for three months and it's taken me this long to write the review purely because I couldn't be bothered to play the game for any substantial length of time. Pick it up cheap or not at all.

The result is a title that gives a tactical experience leaving a lot to be desired. There are just too many issues to recommend it to people who just want a deep tactical game, even for fans of the genre. Those who’ve enjoyed the Warhammer 40k tabletop game won’t find too much to enjoy here either, since all the lore has been scrapped for a stripped-down story and generic, faceless units. Ultimately a tactical title set in the Warhammer universe has a lot of potential, and one may come up that rises up to meet it. As it is, Squad Command is just simply not that game.

In each of these cases, there is only one kind of game, with only two objectives: kill all enemies or occupy all HQ’s for one whole turn. Differences with the singleplayer are for instance the limited amount of time to finish a turn and the possibility to call in reinforcements.

I would like to think that I'm a patient person, Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command pushes the limits of doing nothing without any gameplay. Unless you really, really love the tabletop game and the Warhammer universe to the point where you won't change out of your life-sized imperial guard costume, then I cannot recommend this game for you. More than anything else, it feels like fan service that just heaps on more narrative to an already novel-filled universe. I suppose I have to give credit to THQ for not flogging the dead DoW horse on the handheld, but I can't help but think that it would have been much better if they had. Squad Commander is a fundamentally flawed title; avoid it if you can.

Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command has a few strong features and can, occasionally, be fun, but we're extremely hesitant to recommend it because there are so many mechanical issues at hand. These problems are further complicated by the technical flaws of the DS version which interfere with the gameplay. If you own both a PSP and DS, you should definitely snag the PSP version. Although, you may be better off skipping this one entirely.

There really isn’t much else to say about the game. It is a mind-numbing experience that will leave you with a sour taste in your mouth. If you’re a fan of the tabletop game, stick with that. You don’t want Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command to ruin your views of the universe.

The point of a strategy game is to creatively use the tools you are given to overcome an obstacle. With Squad Command, THQ mistakenly assumed that I would bother using cover to my advantage, employ slow-and-steady tactics, and treat secondary weapons as just that. If Overwatch had been removed and greater restrictions placed upon the secondary weapons, Squad Command might have been a simple but competent strategy game. As it stands, let’s just call it turn-based run-n-gun.