Sudden Strike 2 Gold
- May 21, 2017
- Fireglow
Get on Steam"Sudden Strike 2 Gold" is a real-time strategy game set in World War 2, where players can command German, Russian, British, American, and Imperial Japanese armies. This re-release includes new units, maps, and campaigns, as well as the addition of a dynamic weather system and individual crew commands for mechanized units. With the Pacific theater now included, players can engage in massive battleship and airfield operations.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Still considered one of the best war strategy games, offering a nostalgic experience for fans of the genre.
- The gameplay emphasizes tactical decision-making and unit management, providing a challenging and rewarding experience.
- The game features a variety of units and campaigns, with many custom missions available from the community.
- The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including crashes, sound problems, and poor pathfinding.
- Graphics and user interface are outdated, making it difficult to distinguish units and navigate the game effectively.
- Lack of tutorials and vague mission objectives can frustrate new players, leading to a steep learning curve.
- story58 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 86 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story is centered around strategic military missions where players assume the role of a general, but it suffers from poorly designed mission briefings and vague objectives, leading to inconsistent gameplay experiences. Players are limited to using units provided at the start of each mission, with reinforcements only available at certain points, which can create frustrating scenarios, such as searching for hidden enemies or facing overwhelming odds. While the game offers a wealth of custom missions and a mission editor, technical issues and a lack of engaging narrative elements detract from the overall experience.
“There are thousands of custom missions available, with new missions still being produced by the community (as I write this, the newest maps are from November 2022) next to the long list of campaign and single missions.”
“Some of these missions can last you hours, doing so feels akin to huge projects you meticulously try to complete, like 10,000 piece puzzles or miniature ship building.”
“The game makes you choose a different approach; you have to make good use of what you're given. In some missions, you don't even get reinforcements; you fight with what you have or with what you have left from your previous mission.”
“This game has some of the worst mission briefings and mission designs I have ever seen.”
“Bad controls paired with even worse AI and almost painfully vague mission objectives and lackluster mission design result in an extremely inconsistent overall difficulty of the game.”
“Even on the easiest difficulty setting, the game was so unfair that I simply could not beat the mission even after hours of trying.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the Sudden Strike series are generally considered dated, with the first two games being more visually appealing in their 2D format compared to the 3D graphics of the third installment. While the aesthetic and art style are appreciated for their atmosphere, the games lack support for modern widescreen resolutions and have limited graphical options. Overall, players acknowledge the graphics may not be impressive by today's standards, but they still find enjoyment in the gameplay.
“Sudden Strike still holds its weight; the graphics have an extremely pleasant aesthetic, but it is the gameplay that had me purchase this game for the third time in my life just to have it on Steam.”
“The art style is very nice and adds to the atmosphere of the game.”
“+ Graphics, 2D art looks amazing (even in 2017).”
“First, the graphics: without mods, the games do not support modern widescreen resolutions higher than 1024x768.”
“The soundtrack is pretty good, while it does run on Windows 10 it isn't the smoothest of games and there is a lack of options in terms of graphics. There is no hiding that the game has not aged well; however, SS1 and SS2 look so much better as a 2D game than what SS3 looks like as a 3D game.”
“Graphics are kind of dated.”
- gameplay28 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Sudden Strike is characterized by its tactical elements and classic RTS mechanics, featuring clear mission objectives and a nostalgic appeal that many players appreciate. However, it is marred by frustrating trial-and-error experiences, poor AI, and control issues, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. Despite these drawbacks, some players find the gameplay challenging and rewarding, with certain mechanics enhancing the experience.
“It has good nostalgia and the gameplay is very nice, still holds up today.”
“Sudden Strike still holds its weight; the graphics have an extremely pleasant aesthetic, but it is the gameplay that had me purchase this game for the third time in my life just to have it on Steam.”
“10/10 gameplay and fun factor.”
“The gameplay is quite tactical at times, but mostly involves extremely tedious, dragging, frustrating trial and error.”
“A big chunk of difficulty does not actually come from the gameplay itself, but the extremely bad AI and controls.”
“That wouldn’t be that bad, if the simplistic graphics did not actually affect the gameplay.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed feedback, with some players appreciating the soundtrack while others report technical issues, such as music not functioning at all or being too quiet. Overall, there are calls for improvements and patches to enhance the audio experience, as the game's sound design appears to be lacking.
“The soundtrack is pretty good.”
“While it does run on Windows 10, it isn't the smoothest of games.”
“There is a lack of options in terms of graphics.”
“Music did not work on my system and even the basic sound effects were extremely quiet during gameplay.”
“This game could use some patches to fix the sound; there is no music.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be largely tedious and frustrating, often characterized by trial and error. While the tactical gameplay can be engaging, the overall experience is marred by the repetitive nature of grinding, particularly when learning to use the mission editor.
“The gameplay is quite tactical at times, but mostly involves extremely tedious, dragging, frustrating trial and error.”
- stability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is inconsistent, with users reporting numerous bugs and game-breaking glitches, particularly in the add-on "Resource War." While most of the game is relatively bug-free, specific issues such as campaign failures, score retention problems, and pathfinding errors significantly detract from the experience.
“I also stopped the add-on resource war, not because of the difficulty, but because of dozens of bugs and game-breaking glitches.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is noted for its attention to detail, with units speaking in their native languages, enhancing immersion. However, the overall performance of the voice actors is considered mediocre, detracting from the experience.
“The performance of the voice actors is mediocre at best, despite every unit speaking in their native language, with Germans speaking German and Russians speaking Russian.”
“The optimization of the game is severely lacking, leading to frequent performance issues that detract from the overall experience.”
“I encountered numerous bugs and glitches that made the game unplayable at times, highlighting a significant need for better optimization.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's art style is consistently praised for enhancing its overall atmosphere, contributing significantly to the immersive experience.
“The art style is very nice and adds to the atmosphere of the game.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players find the game highly playable despite minor flaws, with the inclusion of an editor feature significantly enhancing its replayability.
“Even with its small flaws, it's very playable, and the editor increases replay value.”
