Total Annihilation

The Good
It's the only real-time strategy game that allows you to control 500 units individually at the same time, and it still manages to be easier to use than games like Command&Conquer.

This game has twice the number of units as all the races in Starcraft, combined. It's great to play a completely new tech tree: you can build 10 different kinds of aircraft, and the number of units only goes up from there. You also gather resources in several different ways (mining, metal-energy conversion, wind power, tidal power, even fusion power), so controlling the metal patches isn't an automatic win. Defense systems are more varied than in any other strategy game, with several different kinds of laser, missile, plasma, scout, etc. turrets. Superweapons really are super-powerful (nukes take out the whole screen, for example), but come with a super-price as well so multiplayer is only enhanced.

This is the first 3D real-time strategy game, and it still boasts a very nice physics engine, which not only allows spectacular explosions but gives another level of realism. Forest fires (which you can start) spread according to wind speed and direction, damage units in their path, and leave burnt trees behind.

TA's most hyped innovation is the Commander, an entirely new way to start playing a strategy game. You start with your Commander, the most powerful unit and fastest builder in the game, but when he dies, he takes everybody else on the screen with him. This totally eliminates the super-early rush (a Commander can take out 10 light tanks easily).

The dramatic orchestral score by Jeremy Soule adds a great touch to the game; I enjoy listening to it on my own as well.

The interface is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition, even 3 years later. Just holding the Shift key down allows you to queue up an unlimited amount of orders to any unit(s) you wish. Want your units to come on a patrol route straight from the factory? No problem!

Cavedog's unparalleled customer support means they released a new unit or map, for free, every week. Want to test out some units from the expansion pack, or completely new stuff like a resurrection bot? Get them from the Web!

The Bad
The sound effects are a bit cheesy, but don't appear that often so they can easily be ignored.

The story leaves a lot to be desired (you could write the plot on a matchbox), but as the first-person genre has proved, you don't really need a story anyway.

The computer is stupid and slow, even on the highest difficulty; since the third-party AIs are very good, it would have been nice to see some effort here.

The Bottom Line
This is the best real-time strategy game ever, bar none.

The sheer number of options (over 120 units without the expansions) means that whatever cool feature came out in the latest RTS, it's likely Total Annihilation had already implemented this, and has epic battles too!

Even Starcraft fans accustomed to an intricate story and simplistic tech tree will enjoy this, especially in multiplayer when the winner is not the one who can click "light tank" the fastest, but the one who can fight with gunships, heavy tanks, and scout mechs at the same time.

The Good
The game has an incredible diverstiy of units, enabling a wide array of different strategies. You can fight full ground, air and sea battles in the course of one game. There is no "running out of resources" here, though the dynamics of your resource gathering will change as you progress up the tech tree or use up scrap metal/organic material.

Strategic elements include real-time physics, line of sight, elevation, as well as many units which have unique capabilities that contribute to the overall strategy mix.

The soundtrack is one of the best ever, a world-class symphonic score worth listening to without the game. The ability to customize the music adds even more playability - put in anything and you can assign tracks to 'battle' or 'build' music. The game also has a vast support community on the web - download more units, more maps, and other features. The latest patch will add some hotkey controls, improve the AI and increase overall playability.

At three years old, TA is still one of the best games around.

The Bad
It could use some menus to see what units you have, where they are and their status. This information is attainable, it's just hard to get it all when you need it. The AI could still be better, but there are plenty of 3rd party AIs that will prove more than a challenge. The AI doesn't matter in multiplayer. Finally, the setting is great, and a '4000 year war that has destroyed a million worlds' is quite dramatic - however the story isn't as dynamic or as involving as Starcraft. Still...that matters little when you're fighting a massive battle with dozens of units, explosions and cannon fire eminating over the blistering score. It just doesn't get much better.

The Bottom Line
Quite possibly the single best real time strategy game ever developed.

The Good
This game was one of the first games I brought totally for myself, a very selfish thing to do yes, but everyone who has played TA will know why. When you've created your base, and got things going it becomes your baby, your child, you watch it grow and over come the bad times, see it develop through the good times, and kick some ass. When you can upgrade and get better planes, bots, vehicles, weapons, you rejoice, and yet you keep the older, more relyable technology, the stuff that has seen off everything the enemy has thrown at you. You know you can rely on it, and it won't let you down. As you progress through the missions, you see your family of colonies grow and kick serious ass, you relish the opportunity to try out your latest weapon in combat, and watch it wipe the floor with any opponant it faces. Playing TA isn't playing a game, you are the commander, watching over the whole invasion of the universe. If you haven't guessed I feel really strongly about this game, anyone who doesn't like this game hasn't played it properly.

The Bad
I didn't like the fact that the game ended, and the fact that TA Kingdoms looked so damn right crap.

The Bottom Line
GO AND GET THIS GAME RIGHT NOW!!! IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, WHY THE HELL NOT???? The possiblitlies with this game are massive, there are loads of bolt-ons for it on the net, and you can play online, what more do you want??