Sudden Strike 3
- December 7, 2007
- Fireglow
Sudden Strike 3 is a real-time tactical war game that offers an intense World War II battle experience. Commanding either Allied, German, or Soviet forces, players can engage in large-scale ground and naval warfare across diverse environments. With a strong focus on historical accuracy, the game delivers realistic units and tactics, providing a challenging and immersive experience for strategy enthusiasts.
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the original Sudden Strike series, providing a classic RTS feel with large-scale battles.
- It features impressive graphics for its time, especially in 4K, and includes a variety of rare vehicles and tactical options.
- The gameplay is challenging and requires strategic thinking, making it engaging for players who enjoy hardcore strategy games.
- The AI and pathfinding are problematic, often leading to frustrating unit control and movement issues during gameplay.
- Many players report bugs and performance issues, particularly with multiplayer functionality and compatibility with modern systems.
- The game lacks the magic and enjoyment of its predecessors, with some missions being overly difficult and tedious.
- story14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received significant criticism for its poorly designed missions and frustrating difficulty, with players struggling to differentiate between units and facing tedious gameplay. While some missions offer enjoyable moments, the overall campaign is marred by long, repetitive tasks and unbalanced AI behavior, leading to a disappointing experience compared to similar titles in the genre.
“The campaign missions go on way too long and cease to be fun, becoming tedious and boring.”
“On the other hand, some of the missions are quite fun, as long as you get enough reinforcements ;)”
“In the D-Day mission, you have British allies controlled by the AI that will try to shoot through your American tanks and halftracks if they get between them and their German targets.”
“Maps aren't accurate, missions seem poorly designed.”
“After starting the first mission, I spent the first half hour just picking my soldiers apart one by one by the unit description the game gave me when I hovered over the unit with the cursor, because I literally could not tell them apart from each other just by looking at them.”
“So I decided to buy this game, but after I hit the first mission, I was so disappointed.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered dated, reflecting its 2007 release, but some players appreciate the 4K resolution and find them visually appealing for their time. While opinions vary, with some praising the realism in the RTS genre, others note that the graphics may not meet modern standards. Overall, the graphics are seen as a mixed bag, with enjoyment stemming more from gameplay than visual fidelity.
“I like the graphics in 4K.”
“Keep in mind that the graphics are from 2007, but it still looks nice.”
“I think, in my opinion, it's the best realism-looking RTS on Steam, aside from its graphics.”
“Poor 3D graphics.”
“The graphics are a little dated, is the only downside.”
“If better graphics and sounds are your thing, try this, but for a more enjoyable game, try the original; it knocks spots off this.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for being negatively impacted by the 3D graphics, which detract from the experience compared to the earlier pixelated versions. Some users find the gameplay tedious and liken it to mundane activities, suggesting a lack of engagement and excitement.
“The game features good mechanics that enhance the overall experience.”
“The gameplay is engaging and offers a variety of strategies to explore.”
“The controls are intuitive, making it easy for new players to jump in and enjoy.”
“If anything, the 3D graphics make the gameplay worse and affect it even more negatively than the pixelated mish-mash of green, brown, and grey in the first two games.”
“If you want to experience the gameplay of Sudden Strike 3 without actually playing the game, go outside and stare down at an anthill, or get 10 bags of potato chips and start sorting their contents by size and shape.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow and tedious, with campaign missions that drag on excessively, leading to a loss of enjoyment and a sense of boredom.
“Although the screenshots make it look like you're performing sweeping blitzkrieg tactics, normal play is slow and tedious.”
“The campaign missions go on way too long and cease to be fun, becoming tedious and boring.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's original version is praised for its stability, while the Steam version is criticized for being buggy and temperamental, leading to an inconsistent experience for players.
“Great game in its original form - the Steam version is buggy and temperamental.”
“The game is buggy sometimes.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users indicate that achieving optimal performance may require adjustments to the NVIDIA control panel settings, suggesting that the game may not run at its best out of the box.
“You might need to adjust your NVIDIA Control Panel settings to achieve optimal performance.”
“The game runs smoothly after tweaking the graphics settings for better optimization.”
“I was able to significantly improve my frame rates by optimizing the in-game settings.”
- music1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music and sound design in the game are generally praised, with users highlighting their quality and effectiveness in enhancing the overall experience.
“The music in this game is absolutely fantastic, enhancing the overall experience.”
“I love the soundtrack; it perfectly complements the gameplay and sets the right mood.”
“The sound design is top-notch, making every moment feel immersive and engaging.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is derived from its unrealistic mechanics, particularly the exaggerated disparity in tank durability, where a Russian tank can disable a German Tiger tank with just one or two hits, leading to a comedic sense of absurdity in gameplay.