Publisher: cdv SoftwareDeveloper: Fireglow
Genre: Historic Real-Time Strategy
Release Date: Nov 9, 2004
ESRB: TEEN
ESRB Descriptors: Violence, Animated Blood
Connectivity: Local Area Network
Offline Modes: Competitive
Online Modes: Competitive
Number of Players: 1-4
The Sudden Strike series of Real Time Strategies have been about now for several years, and I have to say I’ve been a fan of them. Now there is another addition to the ranks, Sudden Strike: Resource War, using the same engine as Sudden Strike 2, is this a title too far? Or is the addition of the resource angle enough to grab a victory from defeat.
If you have played any of the previous versions of Sudden Strike you will immediately feel at home with Resource War, the game engine is identical and as the menu system goes that isn’t so bad, since there was nothing really wrong with any of the previous versions. Controls are also the same, using the keyboard shortcuts for the unit orders is still the best way to keep units under control. The major changes aren’t all that visible, to be honest, the additions to Resource War are not cosmetic.
The resource side of this Sudden Strike: Resource War is where things get interesting, occupying certain buildings will supply added units and troops plus more emphasis is placed upon fuel supply and depots etc. throughout the game. This does add an interesting twist to the usual RTS theme. Another plus is that you aren’t in charge of the whole picture, there are units outside of your control, you are only a small cog in the war machine and that will take time to grasp.
There are also some additional units for the game, plus some added abilities for the older ones. This added dimension for the Sudden Strike series though doesn’t do much to hide the improvement in graphics in the gaming world, indeed just in the RTS area. One aspect of the Sudden Strike series is the recon side, the difficulty in finding the enemy without just blundering into them.
The use of binoculars to increase range was a clever addition along the way, but the enemy seems to have better vision then your troops and you will find yourself losing more then a few troops finding them.The graphics aren’t bad, but with CDV’s other RTS titles out now it does make you wonder why they are still following up the Sudden Strike series without totally overhauling the engine. Perhaps the total number of units onscreen at any one time is the answer here, although here is another stumbling block, since most people with higher end graphics cards will find some vehicles zipping around screen rather faster then they should.
Sounds are as you would expect from the genre, although vehicle effects aren’t as individual as in other RTS’. Weapons fire makes up the bulk of any sounds available and are good, as in all the other Sudden Strike’s.
All told Sudden Strike: Resource War is a solid Real Time Strategy title from the masters of the genre, CDV. But if this is a title for you is another question, the fact that it plays well on slower systems is probably a plus to some. It must be said though that there are much better RTS’ out there, many from the same publisher and some thought should be given before digging into your pocket. One for the Sudden Strike fans is probably the best statement to make; I’ll stick to Blitzkrieg and Codename Panzers.
MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
- P2 333 MHz
- 64 MB of RAM
- 8 MB of VRAM
RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
- P3 500 MHz or higher
- at least 128 MB of RAM
- at least 16 MB of VRAM
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