SuperPower 2 Steam Edition
- April 18, 2014
- GolemLabs
- 2h median play time
"SuperPower 2 Steam Edition is a geopolitical simulation game where players control and manage any of the 193 realistic countries in three major areas: political, economic, and military. Experience real-time 3D environment and sophisticated AI for a challenging and immersive experience. Utilize various strategies, such as economic sanctions, political alliances, and military actions, to influence the world and achieve dominance."
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and detailed geopolitical simulation experience, allowing players to control any country and manage its economy, military, and politics.
- Players can design their own military units and engage in complex diplomatic relations, making for a highly customizable gameplay experience.
- Despite its age, the game remains engaging and fun, especially with the addition of mods that update the game to modern standards.
- The game is plagued by frequent crashes and bugs, making it frustrating to play, especially on modern systems.
- The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, leading to difficulties in managing units and navigating menus.
- The AI behavior can be unrealistic, with countries making nonsensical decisions that detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay54 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Superpower 2 is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of economic, military, and political mechanics that offer depth but also suffer from outdated design and simplistic combat. While some players appreciate the strategic options and modding potential, many criticize the slow pace, cumbersome mechanics, and a steep learning curve, suggesting that the game could greatly benefit from a modern remake or sequel. Overall, it provides a unique experience for those who enjoy geopolitical simulations, despite its flaws.
“With three gameplay pillars—economic, military, and political—this game has a lot of depth.”
“Despite desperately needing a patch to stop whatever is causing it to crash after an hour or two, the game itself is awesome and delivers a depth of gameplay I haven't seen in games for a long time.”
“Great gameplay for a political simulation game which extends to combat, politics, and economy, which can diversify depending on the nation you play as.”
“Especially the military side, where there are no logistics and mechanics tend to favor amassing huge single swaths of troops rather than smaller army groups.”
“The mechanics are nonsense and you can cheese some mechanics to such a ridiculous extent that you can easily conquer the world as a tiny African country if you know what you're doing.”
“The graphics are outdated, the gameplay is very limited and even the sounds are not comparable with modern game sounds.”
- stability36 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- -6 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, leading many players to describe it as a "buggy mess" or "buggy nightmare." While some users find it enjoyable despite these issues, the overall consensus is that the game's stability is lacking, with frequent crashes and unreliable mechanics detracting from the experience. Improvements have been noted in the Steam version, but many still feel it is an unfinished product that requires significant fixes.
“I just can't find something that runs great and plays as well as this game.”
“The stability of this game is impressive; I rarely encounter any crashes or bugs.”
“I've played for hours without any issues, which really enhances the overall experience.”
“The game is very buggy.”
“This game is hopelessly buggy.”
“Overall I would give the game a 6/10 and it should have been a lot higher; it's just too buggy and feels like an unfinished product.”
- graphics35 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users noting that they are outdated and reminiscent of early 2000s titles, yet they serve the game's strategic purpose well. While some players appreciate the detailed infographic-style maps and the game's depth, others feel that the visuals detract from the experience, particularly due to limitations like fixed resolution and lack of modern graphical features. Overall, the consensus is that while the graphics may not be impressive, they do not significantly hinder the gameplay for those who prioritize strategy over aesthetics.
“The graphics in this game have aged incredibly well, and the soundtrack is beautiful but sometimes it can get very repetitive.”
“The number of options, the good graphics for the globe and almost limitless gameplay adds up to a game that is worthy of United Nations attention.”
“I really recommend this game, it has great strategic gameplay, graphics are what you'd expect of a 2004 game but it doesn't need better graphics anyway, and it really has a lot of options for the advanced player.”
“I haven't tried many features as I was put off almost immediately due to graphics - the screen cannot be enlarged in any way (it is fixed to 1024x768 inside a screen window on my large monitor).”
“Graphics are outdated, the gameplay is very limited, and even the sounds are not comparable with modern game sounds.”
“The graphics in this game have aged incredibly well, but sometimes it can get very repetitive.”
- music12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its immersive and fitting quality, enhancing the gameplay experience with a beautiful and dynamic soundtrack that adapts to different situations. However, some players find it repetitive and annoying after extended playtime, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. Despite these mixed feelings, the soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere and is often described as engaging and well-composed.
“I quite like the music, which fits the gameplay's mood just fine.”
“It is extremely immersive, and an engaging musical score really adds to the feeling of playing.”
“There are many things that really make this game addictively fun--the environment is very well made with excellent music.”
“The music is so annoying after a few hours; the soundtrack is just the same thing over and over. I hate it now. Saying all that, it is fun to build up an economy and work on new designs for vehicles and prepare for the next attack.”
“The music is way creepier too, than Hearts of Iron.”
- story9 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is minimal, as it primarily offers a sandbox experience where players create their own narratives rather than following a deep, structured storyline. While players can engage in various paths like world domination or diplomacy, their actions have little impact on the overall story or characters, leading to a lack of meaningful interaction. Overall, the narrative is considered weak and not a focal point of the gameplay.
“Still a better love story than Defcon.”
“Don't expect deep story-driven scenarios because, in line with its sandbox design, Superpower 2 gives the tools and allows the player to craft their own narrative of world domination, economic revolution, or a diplomatic path to world peace (which is almost impossible).”
“You don't get more interaction, so this game gets 0.10/10 because none of these actions influence the story or characters (or your graphics) in the game, except for the fullscreen option where you can choose to have a big black box for 1/2 seconds or a smaller black box.”
“Moral of the story?”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it both deep and complex, often describing it as "fucking hilarious." The comedic elements, including absurd scenarios like "nuking Macedonia," contribute to a consistently entertaining multiplayer experience that evokes nostalgia for films like "WarGames."
“A great game, deep, complex, funny, and realistic.”
“Multiplayer is hilarious too.”
“It reminds me of the movie WarGames, and you know what's funny?”
- replayability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it extensive and enjoy the sandbox mode that offers endless possibilities, others feel that predictable AI can diminish the overall replay value. However, modifications and personal adjustments can enhance the experience for some users.
“Extensive replayability.”
“Amazing replayability; 100% sandbox mode.”
“When played right, it is an excellent game with endless amounts of replay value.”
“The predictable AI diminishes the replay value.”
“I've played a few more games, messed with some of the files, and made the game much more playable.”
“The game lacks extensive replayability.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game provides extensive optimization options, allowing players to fine-tune various aspects of gameplay, including military and diplomatic strategies. However, it is noted to be somewhat glitchy and not fully optimized for modern computers, though it generally runs well on standard laptops. Overall, while it offers detailed customization, some users may experience performance issues.
“It offers lots of optimization and detail.”
“Many unit types are customizable for better battle performance and outcomes for the selected state.”
“Somewhat glitchy and poorly optimized for today's computers, but it works for the most part.”
“This game will run at maximum performance on your common everyday laptop, so there is really no reason to not get it unless you are simply uninterested in the topic of the game.”
“Superpower 2 offers the ability to fine-tune each country's performance, from creating or breaking treaties to making tactical decisions in particular military conflicts.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be extremely tedious, particularly due to the lack of indicators for tracking progress, such as the number of nukes sent or their locations. This has led to a frustrating experience that feels overly time-consuming.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The most tedious part of this nuking feature is that there is no indicator of how many nukes have been sent to what territory, and there is no indicator of where the nukes are located.”
“Makes this really tedious.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for prioritizing profit over quality, with accusations of a quick cash grab through re-releases and misleading advertising. Additionally, there are concerns about the sale of hacks at varying prices, further detracting from the overall playability and integrity of the game.
“What changed my mind about the playability of this game was not the developer, who re-released this game for a quick cash grab on Steam without fixing major issues.”
“The advertising pictures are all misleading!”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers praise the game's atmosphere, noting that the developers have invested significant effort into creating a compelling and well-designed environment.
“The developers clearly put their efforts into it: the atmosphere and general design are impressive.”
“The game's atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into its world from the very first moment.”
“Every detail contributes to a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that keeps you engaged throughout the experience.”