Ground Control Anthology

About

Ground Control Anthology is a strategy game set in 2419 where Earth's mega-corporations fight over colonized planets in a brutal interstellar war. Take command of the Crayven Corporation's ground and air forces in single-player, co-op, or multiplayer modes, and prepare for beautiful game mechanics, pretty visuals, and a good soundtrack. With a good story and engaging gameplay, Ground Control Anthology offers a rich and immersive experience for strategy game enthusiasts.

Genres & Tags

Strategy

Play Modes

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 83 reviews

story12 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Ground Control offers a unique tactical RTS experience with no base building, focusing purely on combat and strategy.
The game features a rich story, engaging voice acting, and a variety of units that allow for deep tactical gameplay.
Despite its age, the game still provides a challenging and rewarding experience, especially for hardcore RTS fans.

The game's age is evident in its outdated graphics, poor pathfinding, and lack of quality-of-life features like in-game saving.
Many missions can become frustratingly difficult, often requiring players to restart lengthy missions after failure due to overwhelming enemy forces.
Controls can be cumbersome, and unit responsiveness is slow, leading to potential issues during intense combat situations.

story
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
73%
8%
The game's story is generally considered decent, with engaging character-driven narratives and well-voiced briefings that enhance the experience. However, players note that the story can become repetitive and is often overshadowed by frustrating gameplay mechanics, such as the lack of a save option and overwhelming mission difficulty. While the campaign offers a lengthy experience with a variety of missions, the overall narrative may feel outdated and less impactful compared to the gameplay itself.
- “The story gets better as you go on.”
- “Furthermore, I really like the way in which characters vocalize themselves in pre- and post-mission briefings, with the respective commanders giving very well voice-acted diary entries after every engagement that gives you some deeper insight into them as people, as well as having terse interactions with their sinister superiors before each new mission, which are really nice little details that showcase excellent writing on the game's part.”
- “The game succeeded wildly in hooking me into the story, through its excellent voice acting and deep gameplay mechanics.”
- “Unfortunately, GC2 lacks this, giving players extremely bland boxes of text to read in-between missions during the loading screen.”
- “The story is decent even if the graphics make it quite dated, but the gameplay itself becomes a slog from the sheer size of most campaign maps to the fact that you're going to watch most shots your units take miss completely.”
- “While the expansion does continue the story, it ends on an even bigger cliffhanger than the base game and the events of it go largely unaddressed in the sequel, which takes place a good two hundred years after the fact.”
graphics
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
48%
14%
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as outdated, reflecting its age, yet many players find them still enjoyable and visually appealing for a title released nearly two decades ago. While comparisons to newer games highlight significant advancements in detail and quality, the game's aesthetic and effects, such as explosions and unit designs, continue to evoke nostalgia and maintain a certain charm. Overall, despite their limitations, the graphics contribute positively to the game's atmosphere and gameplay experience.
- “The graphics were amazing for the time period (compare to C&C Generals which came out the next year; also an amazing game!).”
- “Visuals still hold up, especially considering its age.”
- “The visuals still impress me even today, 15 years later!”
- “Sadly, the game is really outdated in many aspects - graphics, controls, lack of save option during a mission.”
- “Graphically, the first game is of course inferior to the second, with Operation Exodus essentially being a quantum leap in overall looks and detail (compare 144p with 1080p on YouTube and you get the general idea).”
- “This game's graphics and cutscenes are archaic, but this is a time capsule back to the golden age of sci-fi RTS.”
gameplay
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
52%
12%
The gameplay is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its tactical depth and engaging mechanics, while others criticize its dated graphics, slow pace, and frustrating micromanagement during combat. Despite these drawbacks, many still find the gameplay enjoyable and worth experiencing, especially for its time, highlighting its solid mechanics and multiplayer features. Overall, it remains a classic that offers plenty of hours of gameplay, though it may not meet modern standards.
- “Interesting missions and fun gameplay!”
- “Just... an immortal classic that goes to show that, despite the graphics being dated (though workable), solid tactical gameplay mechanics and decent UI design can keep a game going well beyond its heyday.”
- “The game succeeded wildly in hooking me into the story, through its excellent voice acting and deep gameplay mechanics.”
- “Despite being focused on combat, the majority of the gameplay involves moving your units into position.”
- “The gameplay itself becomes a slog due to the sheer size of most campaign maps and the fact that most shots your units take miss completely.”
- “Micromanaging units during intense combat can be frustrating at times due to the game mechanics.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The music in the game is widely praised for its emotional depth and atmospheric quality, with many reviewers highlighting its grim and eldritch tones that enhance the overall experience. The soundtrack is described as outstanding, complementing the story and gameplay effectively, while also being enjoyable and memorable. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's immersive sci-fi atmosphere and engaging campaigns.
- “With regards to the music, I found it to be superior, being far more grim, emotional, and even downright eldritch at times with some of its soundtrack.”
- “The soundtrack is outstanding and complements the story and gameplay very well.”
- “2 long and engaging campaigns, awesome gameplay, kick-ass music, and an all-out fun experience.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers appreciate that the game avoids frustrating friendly-fire incidents, which can detract from the humor, allowing for a more enjoyable experience without the annoyance of comedic mishaps among units.
- “Mercifully, the game lacks this annoying quirk, and none of your units (except for the artillery) will engage in hilarious friendly-fire incidents.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, as missions can be lengthy and often require replaying easier sections due to challenging combat and overwhelming enemy forces, detracting from the overall experience.
- “Missions are long, and with the brutal combat and overwhelming forces, you'll sometimes be forced to redo the easier or tedious parts of a mission to get to a grandiose battle again.”
- “The grinding feels endless, as you often find yourself repeating the same tasks over and over just to progress.”
- “It becomes a chore to level up, as the amount of experience needed increases significantly, making each grind session feel like a slog.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report significant optimization issues, particularly on Windows 8 and 7, with many experiencing stuttering problems that are difficult to resolve. For some, upgrading has rendered the game unplayable, as it fails to start altogether.
- “Windows 8 and 7 already had a lot of problems with stuttering that some people could fix with a few tweaks, but for those who upgraded like me, it's no longer playable; it doesn't even start.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization aspect of the game includes advertisements for other titles in the developer's store, which are present in the initial gameplay but not in the GOG version.
- “When you start the game, there are ads promoting other Rebellion games in their store, which I don't see in the GOG version.”
- “The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without being constantly bombarded by prompts to spend more money.”
- “It's frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, forcing players to either grind endlessly or open their wallets.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game has been reported to have stability issues, including bugs that prevent missions from completing and loss of campaign progress upon exiting. These problems can lead to frustrating experiences, requiring players to replay missions.
- “Also kind of buggy, with missions that sometimes arbitrarily seem not to finish or progress, forcing you to replay them, and with dark conspiracy forgetting my campaign progress when I exit.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to enjoy the experience without constant interruptions.”
- “I encountered several glitches that caused the game to freeze, requiring me to restart my console multiple times.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, particularly for its captivating sci-fi elements, rich lore, impressive graphics, and an engaging soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- “I loved the atmosphere; I've always been a fan of sci-fi. The lore, soundtrack, and graphics were amazing, especially in Ground Control 2.”
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the world and making every moment feel significant.”
- “The combination of haunting music and stunning visuals creates an unforgettable atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”