Supreme Commander

Tuesday 27 June 2006
Being able to zoom out really, really far is the most important thing to happen to strategy games since they decided to go real-time. It's the biggest reason why Supreme Commander is a monstrously important game.

It may also be why it can look a little bit rubbish in screenshots, and why you may not be that excited yet. You really need to see it in action, and we can help you with that over here.

So what is Supreme Commander? At the most basic level, it's a strategy game in which robots fight. You control armies across continents, building them up before sending them off to war.

The variety of weaponry is staggering: there are simple infantry bots and giant spider tanks. There's air support, including drop-ships, bombers and fighters. There are battleships, destroyers and attack boats. There's a type of submarine with legs. And, in the words of its main man, Chris Taylor, it has "a nuke for every occasion".

But it's not about the units. It's about the way you use them. The levels aren't just big. They're continental. Setting out to attack your opponents means marshalling your forces, then marching them off to war.