Sudden Strike 4 is a real time strategy (RTS) game that focuses heavily on the various WWII campaigns. It includes eleven campaigns stretched across the core game, and bonus DLC including various axis & ally perspectives. Through voiced narration, historic video clips, and added textual facts the game takes the player through the war from different fronts as they command troops, and units to see the battle through as they would have seen it done, but with guided mission objectives, and rewards for completing the tasks at hand accounted for. You'll fight as the Germans, the Soviets, and the Allies among others as you use the doctrines of historical commanders, and tweak said skill based doctrines to your benefit. There are over 45 missions in total within the complete collection. The DLC campaigns included. Each with an obtainable 3 star rankings based on objective performance, and your ability to come out of the set battle victorious. Using user friendly commands tied to face buttons, shoulder buttons, thumbsticks, and the DPad you will be able to fast track combat as you point, and click troops, and units from point to point on the mini or main map. The troops, and units being like their real world counterparts in that they feature functions, and abilities that can be used to aid other troops and units as they make their way to areas of interest, and do as directed.
Along with the core Sudden Strike 4 campaign you'll find in place, and immediately ready to use, the "Road to Dunkirk", "Finland - Winter Storm", "Africa - Desert Storm", and "The Pacific War" DLC campaigns. Added WWII campaigns that include new maps, new skirmishes, and new commander doctrines as well as new troops/units. Everything included can be accessed, and played in any order including the bonus missions, and the online multiplayer that are accessed through the game's main menu listing. The multiplayer itself features basic matchmaking options including listed and available player servers as well as a "Quick Match" feature. Supposing you can't find anyone playing you can choose to battle it out with the AI on a variety of different themed maps with "Domination" or "Classic" rules at play. As with the main campaigns the focus of multiplayer will be in occupying, and defending key points as well as capturing, and destroying key targets.
The Campaigns ...
Gameplay in the main campaign is a tedious affair of time consuming tasks required, and the fulfillment thereof. You'll be highlighting troops or units with "X", and the "Left Thumbstick" highlighter as you opt to send them off to marked locations via "CIRCLE" with the thought in mind that enemy troops/units will be in waiting. Advancing, occupying buildings, using cover, and making use of trenches and other vantage points will be necessary to keep your troops alive, and ready for the next mission objective. Troops, and vehicular units are of course limited in number, and in variety themselves. Using their functions such as healing, repair, refueling, stocking, and other tasks are vital to success. Hovering over, and highlighting units or troops while pressing "R2" will bring up an alternate command menu with a dial of directives that can help in doing such things as building bridges, exiting vehicles, or peeking out of tanks for a better view. While in the R2 alternate menu you'll also be able to command actions as you use the DPad to set the actions to "Fire At Will", "Defend" or other manually inclusive actions that will effect how the troops approach a situation. The "Fire At Will" command, in particular, will have troops automated in their attacks, and will not require you to micro-manage them via the other three DPad action options.
Navigating the maps in each given campaign is done by noticing the encircled targets marked with a dotted blue outline, and paying attention to the check mark inclusive objectives that clue you into where you need to be, and what you need to be doing. Nothing I've seen in-game in regards to mission objectives or tasks are overly complicated. The only challenge comes from minding the enemy, and strategically advancing your troops to occupy areas, and in capturing or destroying key targets. With the UI, and operation HUD being on display, and in view it's easy to use the various tools at hand to meet the objectives so long as you do not rush ahead, and lead your army to their untimely demise. It should be noted that when starting any campaign you'll be selecting a doctrine which details a real world commander's approach to strategy as well as their available skill tree which will come in handy as it effects the type of troops and units that will be at your disposal when playing through the chosen campaign. Along with the main campaign objectives there will also be side challenges, and medals to be earned for completing things in certain ways. The side challenges unlock after completing all 3 stars in any of the campaign's skirmishes, and will be a limited ammo challenge. Medals, on the other hand, are similar to Battlefield's, and are earned for in-game feats of prowess, and perfection.
The Multiplayer ...
Whether you choose to go to war with an online opponent or an AI opponent you'll find a decent array of options related to map theme, and game type within the multiplayer menu. The game includes an online multiplayer with "Quick Match", and server based lobby style matchmaking. As of this review I found no one playing online though. Supposing you run into the same online ghost town I did you can take on some AI skirmishes via the "Skirmish" sub-menu option. Skirmishes include all core, and DLC maps along with the "Domination" or "Classic"game type selection. Two different ways to play that involve capture points, and using allotted troops/units to destroy the opponent's troops and units. Multiplayer is a 2 - 4 player experience with players placed on opposite sides, and key targets somewhere between. It's basically a side option for when you've perfected your main campaign playthroughs, and want something different without the narrations, and guided gameplay to bother with.
The Presentation ...
Sudden Strike 4, and it's many campaigns and features are depicted in a sort of top-down 3D perspective with added environmental, and special effects that accent the nature, and theme of the game quite nicely. Around the screen you'll find in place the various command displays including troop icons, controller functionality, health/ammo/fuel details that will help you better gauge what needs to be done with what troop/unit/vehicle. All troops, and units come with a health bar, and will showcase various indicators when they are in need of attention/aid or if they are currently performing certain actions. Hovering above, and highlighting troops, units, enemies, and even buildings will give an overall stat breakdown allowing you to tend to that thing if your troops, or units are involved. A huge part of gameplay comes with micro-managing troops, units, and vehicles. Tending to such things as health, fuel, ammo stock, and repairs as needed is greatly important. The game does a good job in displaying things the way it does from the HUD to the UI dials and pop-up menus you'll find that things aren't too obscured or confusing. This is a noteworthy feat, especially in an RTS game of this caliber.
Extras ...
Along with a handful of bonus missions you'll find some tweakable options pertaining to language, narration, and the various displays, and indicators you'll be watching as you mind your army. This is all made available at the main menu via the "Options" menu, and is altered through sliders, and multiple choices. You'll also find videos that you can unlock through gameplay which contain historical footage among other things. There's definitely a great attention to detail, and backstory when it comes to Sudden Strike 4. Thankfully you can experience it as you see fit.
The Verdict ...
Life doesn't allow me to spend a lot of time on RTS games, but I do like them. They feature battles unlike any other genre. Battles that take place in real time, and with a super heavy emphasis on strategy. Sudden Strike 4 does this competently, and efficiently. In my opinion Sudden Strike 4 is a nice introduction to the world of RTS, and is truly rich in content. The tutorial is good enough, and while it doesn't giveaway the proper approach to each campaign it gives the player the tools needed to figure things out. I particularly liked the ease of access afforded to me as a player of the game. The quick access menus, and easy to use functions made things much less tedious than they could have been. With the controls shown in the lower right hand display it helped to keep me from getting confused, and helped me to focus more on the objectives, and my given army.
The game is also visually pleasing. It features maps, and troops that look like they belong to the era they represent. The developer even went out of their way to include voice acting that portrayed people of that bygone era well. Generals, and commanders sounded as you'd expect them to. In fact the overall feel of the game, from the sound to the visual design, maintains a WWII atmosphere while being as realistic as it functionally can for such an experience. I find it a shame that the online lobbies were void of players, and that AI skirmishes were the only available multiplayer option. That being said there's enough here including the additional DLC to make it worth a purchase, especially for the wartime enthusiasts out there. All in all it gets my approval. I think Sudden Strike 4 is competently done RTS with lots to offer.
Along with the core Sudden Strike 4 campaign you'll find in place, and immediately ready to use, the "Road to Dunkirk", "Finland - Winter Storm", "Africa - Desert Storm", and "The Pacific War" DLC campaigns. Added WWII campaigns that include new maps, new skirmishes, and new commander doctrines as well as new troops/units. Everything included can be accessed, and played in any order including the bonus missions, and the online multiplayer that are accessed through the game's main menu listing. The multiplayer itself features basic matchmaking options including listed and available player servers as well as a "Quick Match" feature. Supposing you can't find anyone playing you can choose to battle it out with the AI on a variety of different themed maps with "Domination" or "Classic" rules at play. As with the main campaigns the focus of multiplayer will be in occupying, and defending key points as well as capturing, and destroying key targets.
The Campaigns ...
Gameplay in the main campaign is a tedious affair of time consuming tasks required, and the fulfillment thereof. You'll be highlighting troops or units with "X", and the "Left Thumbstick" highlighter as you opt to send them off to marked locations via "CIRCLE" with the thought in mind that enemy troops/units will be in waiting. Advancing, occupying buildings, using cover, and making use of trenches and other vantage points will be necessary to keep your troops alive, and ready for the next mission objective. Troops, and vehicular units are of course limited in number, and in variety themselves. Using their functions such as healing, repair, refueling, stocking, and other tasks are vital to success. Hovering over, and highlighting units or troops while pressing "R2" will bring up an alternate command menu with a dial of directives that can help in doing such things as building bridges, exiting vehicles, or peeking out of tanks for a better view. While in the R2 alternate menu you'll also be able to command actions as you use the DPad to set the actions to "Fire At Will", "Defend" or other manually inclusive actions that will effect how the troops approach a situation. The "Fire At Will" command, in particular, will have troops automated in their attacks, and will not require you to micro-manage them via the other three DPad action options.
Navigating the maps in each given campaign is done by noticing the encircled targets marked with a dotted blue outline, and paying attention to the check mark inclusive objectives that clue you into where you need to be, and what you need to be doing. Nothing I've seen in-game in regards to mission objectives or tasks are overly complicated. The only challenge comes from minding the enemy, and strategically advancing your troops to occupy areas, and in capturing or destroying key targets. With the UI, and operation HUD being on display, and in view it's easy to use the various tools at hand to meet the objectives so long as you do not rush ahead, and lead your army to their untimely demise. It should be noted that when starting any campaign you'll be selecting a doctrine which details a real world commander's approach to strategy as well as their available skill tree which will come in handy as it effects the type of troops and units that will be at your disposal when playing through the chosen campaign. Along with the main campaign objectives there will also be side challenges, and medals to be earned for completing things in certain ways. The side challenges unlock after completing all 3 stars in any of the campaign's skirmishes, and will be a limited ammo challenge. Medals, on the other hand, are similar to Battlefield's, and are earned for in-game feats of prowess, and perfection.
The Multiplayer ...
Whether you choose to go to war with an online opponent or an AI opponent you'll find a decent array of options related to map theme, and game type within the multiplayer menu. The game includes an online multiplayer with "Quick Match", and server based lobby style matchmaking. As of this review I found no one playing online though. Supposing you run into the same online ghost town I did you can take on some AI skirmishes via the "Skirmish" sub-menu option. Skirmishes include all core, and DLC maps along with the "Domination" or "Classic"game type selection. Two different ways to play that involve capture points, and using allotted troops/units to destroy the opponent's troops and units. Multiplayer is a 2 - 4 player experience with players placed on opposite sides, and key targets somewhere between. It's basically a side option for when you've perfected your main campaign playthroughs, and want something different without the narrations, and guided gameplay to bother with.
The Presentation ...
Sudden Strike 4, and it's many campaigns and features are depicted in a sort of top-down 3D perspective with added environmental, and special effects that accent the nature, and theme of the game quite nicely. Around the screen you'll find in place the various command displays including troop icons, controller functionality, health/ammo/fuel details that will help you better gauge what needs to be done with what troop/unit/vehicle. All troops, and units come with a health bar, and will showcase various indicators when they are in need of attention/aid or if they are currently performing certain actions. Hovering above, and highlighting troops, units, enemies, and even buildings will give an overall stat breakdown allowing you to tend to that thing if your troops, or units are involved. A huge part of gameplay comes with micro-managing troops, units, and vehicles. Tending to such things as health, fuel, ammo stock, and repairs as needed is greatly important. The game does a good job in displaying things the way it does from the HUD to the UI dials and pop-up menus you'll find that things aren't too obscured or confusing. This is a noteworthy feat, especially in an RTS game of this caliber.
Extras ...
Along with a handful of bonus missions you'll find some tweakable options pertaining to language, narration, and the various displays, and indicators you'll be watching as you mind your army. This is all made available at the main menu via the "Options" menu, and is altered through sliders, and multiple choices. You'll also find videos that you can unlock through gameplay which contain historical footage among other things. There's definitely a great attention to detail, and backstory when it comes to Sudden Strike 4. Thankfully you can experience it as you see fit.
The Verdict ...
Life doesn't allow me to spend a lot of time on RTS games, but I do like them. They feature battles unlike any other genre. Battles that take place in real time, and with a super heavy emphasis on strategy. Sudden Strike 4 does this competently, and efficiently. In my opinion Sudden Strike 4 is a nice introduction to the world of RTS, and is truly rich in content. The tutorial is good enough, and while it doesn't giveaway the proper approach to each campaign it gives the player the tools needed to figure things out. I particularly liked the ease of access afforded to me as a player of the game. The quick access menus, and easy to use functions made things much less tedious than they could have been. With the controls shown in the lower right hand display it helped to keep me from getting confused, and helped me to focus more on the objectives, and my given army.
The game is also visually pleasing. It features maps, and troops that look like they belong to the era they represent. The developer even went out of their way to include voice acting that portrayed people of that bygone era well. Generals, and commanders sounded as you'd expect them to. In fact the overall feel of the game, from the sound to the visual design, maintains a WWII atmosphere while being as realistic as it functionally can for such an experience. I find it a shame that the online lobbies were void of players, and that AI skirmishes were the only available multiplayer option. That being said there's enough here including the additional DLC to make it worth a purchase, especially for the wartime enthusiasts out there. All in all it gets my approval. I think Sudden Strike 4 is competently done RTS with lots to offer.
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