Total Annihilation

The Good
Well, first the feel. From the spacious outdoor landscapes with towering heights and vast bodies of water to the stirring orchestral score, Total Annihilation feels great to play. As well, the great number and variety of units (and cool units at that) is a definite plus. And the graphics and effects are simply beautiful. But it all comes together when the mayhem starts and that is when Total Annihilation truly shines. I have never had an RTS experience like seeing my TA forces roll over the hills and crevices of the beautifully sculpted terrain and meet the enemy on the field of battle. It's inspiring.

The Bad
There are a few niggles. The biggest is that, despite the epic feel, there isn't really an epic plot to go with it. Certainly, there is a plot and the devistation of humanity (or whatever race this is, it's never clear) is a dramatic setting. But there is nothing that allows you to relate to either side or wish them to win. It is simply a matter of personal glory, which really isn't all that inspiring. Other niggles are negligable indeed. The only other one I feel I should mention is that it's hard to control when you get a lot of units.

The Bottom Line
Despite flaws, one of the greatest RTS experiences available.

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??

The Good
This was the most fun I've ever had with any strategy game. It has a ridiculously large number of preset units for you to explore at your leisure not to mention the host of online 3rd party sites that churn out incredibly detailed creations on a daily basis.

This game brings longevity to a previously unknown level with its online and skirmish capabilities and with so many units, telling the difference between good and poor strategies is made very transparent.

Don't get me wrong, this game is still incredibly easy to just pick up and play, the campaign mode gently eases you into this incredible world and makes you itch for more with every breath you take.

Graphically its probably was the best RTS of its time, the closest competitor was Dark Reign but the almost 3D renderings of TA (if a little blocky) blew away all competition.

The soundtrack is just as appealing, with themes to fit every situation.

What I loved most about this game was the degree of customization available, you didn't have to stick to any set rules, if you wanted to try some new strategy like bunching 20 Adv. Construction Aircraft to repair a Krogoth on a rampage, just do it, nothing to stop you!! The diversity this game offered is unheard of in previous games of this genre and set trends that all later game would well to follow.

The Bad
It would have been faster to leave this entry blank but I didn't want readers to think I missed it. Suffice to say, this game was as close to perfect as technology allowed at the time.

The Bottom Line
A MUST BUY, and once you get it, make sure to never let it go!!!