Space War Commander
Score: 85% ESRB: Not Rated Publisher: Dreamspike Developer: Dreamspike Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Graphics & Sound: Space War Commander treads an odd line. On one hand, it takes a casual approach to the traditional RTS setup. It doesn't waste time forcing you to micromanage bases or clinb through sprawling tech trees in search of some super weapon that will allow you to crush your opponent. On the other hand, gameplay mines the same strategic depths as more hardcore strategy games. At first glance, Dreamspike's Space War Commander doesn't look like much. The resolution is low and most of the story sequences look like they were pulled out of a 90's PC game. But, what SWC lacks in graphical glitz and pizzazz, it makes up with function and form. It is incredibly easy to tell what's going on at any time and what your enemy is throwing at you. The ability to see the entire map at one time adds to the strategic depth. If something doesn't look right, you'll know right away and can adjust your strategy accordingly. Audio pushes this concept further; a chime or some sort of audio cue signals everything. It takes a few matches to figure out what everything means, but it is a big help. The only disappointment is the lack of combat sounds, but considering how important sound is to gameplay, the inclusion would probably add more confusion.
Gameplay: Most of Space War Commander's gameplay is built on the concept of income rates. Each planet has a set resource value, which is earned by having the only ships near a planet. You can further your income by sending freighters between planets. Money is used to buy ships to attack your opponent with. The interesting hitch to the entire structure is the introduction of time. In order to avoid the hours-long tedium found in most strategy games, your main space station suffers from decay every turn. This adds a sense of urgency to each game, particularly when opposing ships attack your base, bringing it even closer to total destruction. Ship decay transforms an otherwise ho-hum strategy game into something much more interesting. There's a certain puzzle element running throughout the game that makes each match its own challenge. Unlike other strategy games where you can assign a set "path to victory,", there's a variety of ways to tackle each mission. You can try and rush a bunch of smaller fighters into the galaxy in a mad land grab or go for a defensive trade-based game. Campaign Mode shepherds you through a series of missions, though the underlying story is more of an afterthought. There's only one semi-interesting twist, while the rest is mostly forgettable. Beyond Campaign, SWC also includes a series of random battles in Gauntlet Mode.
Difficulty: The A.I. is challenging, though it tends to stick with the same base set of tactics. It does a great job at managing its resources, but doesn't do much to capitalize on any advantages. At one point, the A.I. was able to amass an armada capable of crushing anything I could muster in defense, yet it decided that sending smaller, easily defeatable groups was a better tactic. At one point, I was convinced the A.I. was just toying with me, then I realized it was simply the "default" strategy and was able to create a counter-strategy. Despite its reliance on predictable strategies, Space War Commander is still incredibly challenging. If you're the type of player who constantly refers to strategy guides for the "correct way" to tackle a game, SWC isn't for you. The quicker battle pace requires quick thinking and the ability to jump between strategies on the fly. In other words, if you dig chess, you'll love what SWC offers.
Game Mechanics: Space War Commander limits the number of ships at your disposal, but does a great job of making sure that everything is useful. For instance, Interceptors are cheap, nimble units, which makes them great for planet-grab strategies. However, they'll also crash and burn when matched against other combat ships. Late game options include Assassins, small ships that deal a lot of damage or Bombers, which are great for attacking bases, but their inability to attack anything else makes them a strategic liability. The wide range of limitations gives SWC a depth that never amounts to anything more than a bullet point on the back of most strategy game's boxes. There's no way to load up on one ship and cruise to victory; you have to consider everything in your armada. Another cool strategic element is the ability to pull ships off the frontline. When pulled back, ships can still engage the enemy, but are protected from damage until the frontline is destroyed. The strategic trade-off is that pulling ships back gives your opponent fewer targets, so your frontline will take more damage. This is where it pays to know every ship's advantages and disadvantages. Aside from a few minor issues, the only major detriment is the difficulty level. Space War Commander may not look the part, but is compelling enough that strategy players should at least hop on over to Dreamspike's website and check out the demo version.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
Minimum System Requirements: Any version of Windows and 80MB of hard drive space   Test System: Windows Vista; 1.6 GHz Dual-Core processor; 2 Gig RAM; DVD drive; 120 GB HDD; GeForce Go7600
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