Another RTS staple that’s absent from Ground Control II is a tech tree. You do not need to spend time doing research in order to have access to the most powerful units – every unit is available from the get-go, although the campaign missions often make you do with a subset of the units available in the game. AP cost and the number of dropship slots required to deliver the unit are the only considerations when looking to bring in powerful units as opposed to the need to worry about which intermediate units you need to research before you can bring in the big guns.

A well-defended victory location.

While the limiting factors on unit acquisition require you to make strategic choices on which units to bring in and when, you’ll still be able to do a lot with the units that you have because the units in Ground Control II are pretty versatile. Every unit has a secondary mode that makes it a lot more flexible in the field. For example, Alliance infantry can switch to an anti-vehicle missile mode. Viron units have an additional capability that lets two units of the same type “meld” together to form a new unit. In addition, the melded units can be broken back down into the original two units at any time. Your army is quite dynamic and as a result games of Ground Control II tend to be dynamic as well, often requiring you to adjust your tactics on the fly. This is the stuff that makes real-time strategy warriors giddy.

The battles in Ground Control II take place on gorgeous 3D maps that provide a variety of terrain types from swamps and woodlands to urban combat zones. The map topographies are detailed and varied and range from mountaintops to deep gorges with rivers cutting through them. The elevation range is not just for looks – units with a height advantage enjoy a combat advantage as well and land features can obstruct unit visibility. It can be particularly satisfying to catch an enemy column unawares as they move right past your ambushing troops lying in wait in the shadow of a bluff.

Other map features have an effect on the game as well. Forests present obstructions to vehicles, but infantry can enter woods to use for cover and protection from enemy fire. While there is no base-building in the game, maps include pre-existing bunkers, towers, and buildings that troops can use for protection and defense. You can even specify which side of a building troops will fire from. Some maps also include static gun emplacements. These guns come in anti-air, anti-tank, and anti-personnel varieties, and must be manned by infantry to be used. The gun emplacements are permanent – you can knock them out of commission and then repair them with an engineer unit so that you can take over a gun for your side.

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