Supreme Commander

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Supreme Commander is a multiplayer real-time strategy game with warfare and science fiction themes. It was developed by Gas Powered Games and was released on September 28, 2011. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Supreme Commander is a real-time strategy game set in a futuristic world. Players command one of three factions, each with unique units, structures, and abilities, in large-scale battles involving land, air, and sea units. The game features a strategic zoom feature, allowing players to oversee the entire battlefield and manage resources, production, and research. Emphasis is placed on strategic planning, resource management, and large-scale combat.

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,677 reviews

story70 positive mentions

stability17 negative mentions

Supreme Commander offers massive scale battles with hundreds of units, providing a unique and engaging RTS experience.
The game features a deep resource management system and strategic gameplay that rewards careful planning and execution.
The ability to zoom in and out seamlessly allows for both detailed tactical control and a broad strategic overview.

The game suffers from poor unit pathfinding, causing units to get stuck and move inefficiently during battles.
Campaign missions can be excessively long and tedious, often requiring significant time investment to complete.
The AI can be predictable and lacks adaptability, making some encounters feel less challenging.

story
299 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
72%
5%
The story in "Supreme Commander" features three distinct campaigns, each representing a different faction, allowing players to experience the overarching conflict from multiple perspectives. While the narrative is generally considered engaging, it is often described as basic and serves primarily as a framework for the gameplay, with lengthy missions that can feel repetitive. Despite some criticisms regarding pacing and mission design, many players appreciate the depth of the factions and the immersive world-building, making it a noteworthy aspect of the game, especially when considering its expansion, "Forged Alliance."
- “The story allows you to witness the conflict and the various battles between these three factions from the perspective of each of them, with three unique endings depending on the faction that you choose.”
- “The campaign spans six missions per faction on ever-expanding battlefields, making the missions fluid and requiring you to adapt to new situations on the fly.”
- “The story is well written and the voice acting is up to standard, with engaging plot lines for each of the main faction campaigns.”
- “The story is forgettable; each faction has some kind of super weapon that will win the war, which one you play as gets said super weapon done and wins the day.”
- “The story is somewhat shallow and is really just a hook to guide you from world to world, ultimately leading to that all-important end-game battle, but you didn’t come here for the story, did you?”
- “To get through a mission you need to create a bunch of units and a basic task just takes a whole lot of time... between one and two hours per mission is just too much and the story just isn't worth it.”
graphics
144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
52%
8%
The graphics of the game are generally considered dated but still hold up reasonably well for its age, with many players appreciating the clean and functional design that prioritizes clarity over flashiness. While some reviews highlight issues with pathfinding and clunky UI, others praise the impressive scale of battles and detailed unit designs that enhance the gameplay experience. Overall, the visuals are seen as a nostalgic nod to classic RTS games, with a mix of opinions on their impact on modern gaming standards.
- “While not the flashiest game by today’s standards, its clean, functional graphics prioritize clarity—vital for managing hundreds of units at once—and the explosion effects and unit designs have a satisfying heft.”
- “The graphics are great, even still today.”
- “Graphically, while it may not be cutting-edge by today’s standards, the game’s visuals are still impressive for its time, and the detailed unit models and large-scale explosions never fail to impress.”
- “The pathfinding is horrible (the worst I have ever seen), the graphics and looks are extremely outdated and ugly to the point where it impacts gameplay.”
- “The graphics are so old looking it is killing the game for me.”
- “Ugly, outdated graphics that are ugly by 2007 standards top off this poor attempt at a RTS.”
gameplay
136 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
61%
4%
The gameplay of Supreme Commander is characterized by its deep strategic mechanics, unique unit interactions, and expansive maps that encourage resource management and base building. While the game offers a rich variety of factions and gameplay styles, it suffers from significant pathfinding issues and outdated graphics that can detract from the experience. Despite these drawbacks, many players find the gameplay engaging and rewarding, particularly for those who appreciate complex strategy and large-scale battles.
- “Supreme Commander offers deep and strategic gameplay, shining particularly brightly thanks to its vast maps and resource management.”
- “The gameplay is solid.”
- “The pathfinding is horrible (the worst I have ever seen), the graphics and looks are extremely outdated and ugly to the point where it impacts gameplay. It takes way too long for something to be built and for some army to get built, only to see them get obliterated because of bad pathfinding.”
- “However, the pathfinding has such significant impact on moment-to-moment gameplay that it’s just too difficult to overlook.”
- “The gameplay itself is frustrating, and the first mission against the Aeon faction (playing as the UEF) was where I completely lost patience.”
music
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
40%
9%
The music in the game is widely praised for its epic and atmospheric quality, often enhancing the gameplay experience with a masterful orchestral score by Jeremy Soule. While many players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to create tension and immersion, some have noted issues with repetitiveness and audio playback problems. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The soundtrack complements the gameplay with an epic and atmospheric score that enhances the tension and grandeur of each engagement.”
- “The audio-visual work is top notch across the board, and Jeremy Soule’s soundtrack is typically excellent.”
- “By far the best strategy game I ever played, the learning curve is great so not recommended for beginners in the RTS genre, the soundtrack is pure awesomeness, very military-like and very eerie creating a unique grave atmosphere!!”
- “This game usually just provides a black screen and some background music with no controls or choice of music. Sometimes I see a THQ logo; other than that, I can get much greater audio/visuals from a Steam game or YouTube.”
- “Audio wouldn't play for any voices, any sound at all in cinematics, or music during levels - and I wasn't able to fix this by any of the usual methods (game files verified, Nahimic was already disabled, etc.). Sadly, compatibility is a concern as games grow older, and so I would recommend something much newer rather than spend $13 on a game that might not even work properly.”
- “Oh, and music gets samey and repetitive very quickly.”
stability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
94%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with many users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various glitches, particularly on Windows 11. While some players note improvements over time and a less buggy experience compared to previous titles, the overall consensus is that the game remains unplayable for many due to its persistent technical issues. Troubleshooting is often required, and players have expressed frustration with the lack of optimization and reliability.
- “No glitches, and the game has definitely aged well in my opinion.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes, making for a seamless experience.”
- “I've played for hours without encountering any bugs or issues, which is impressive.”
- “This game is insanely buggy!”
- “It constantly crashes and freezes all the time whenever I launch it, making it practically unplayable.”
- “Don't buy this garbage unless you want to spend hours on Google attempting to fix the game because it constantly crashes or freezes.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
22%
21%
The game offers significant replayability due to its diverse factions—each with unique playstyles and technologies—allowing for varied strategies and experiences. While the campaigns are relatively short, the ability to play through them with different factions, alongside robust multiplayer options, enhances the game's longevity and replay value. Overall, players find it endlessly engaging, with many noting its unique appeal in the RTS genre.
- “While the campaigns are short (6 missions per campaign), they certainly have good replay value.”
- “The campaign is refreshing too, since it can be played from 3 differing factions, giving a nod to the original Dune 2, and the multiplayer options just add limitless replay value.”
- “The campaign is refreshing too, since it can be played from three differing factions, giving a nod to the original Dune 2, and the multiplayer options just add limitless replay value.”
- “The game’s factions—the United Earth Federation (UEF), Cybran Nation, Aeon Illuminate, and the Seraphim—each offer distinct playstyles and technologies, which adds strategic variety and replayability.”
- “Replayability (different campaigns as different factions, co-op, multiplayer, maps)”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
42%
33%
The optimization of the game is a mixed bag; while some users report smooth performance on modern systems, others experience significant stuttering, bugs, and crashes, particularly with the older version. The remade "Forged Alliance" is noted for its improved stability, but the original game struggles with single-core performance and various graphical and sound issues. Overall, while it can run well on certain setups, many players face frustrating optimization challenges that require troubleshooting.
- “Bonus: an older game that can run smoothly on most modern laptops.”
- “I was dreading that I would have issues, but no, I was lucky. The game worked out of the box with no issues, buttery smooth performance, plays well, looks great, and doesn't need any remasters/remakes other than for stability/compatibility fixes.”
- “For an old game, it still runs well and was one of the few games (even today) to be optimized for four cores.”
- “Units are painfully slow (not slow as in low PC performance), but it literally took 20 minutes for a unit to capture a building.”
- “Sadly, this game lacks performance and is only using a single core of your PC.”
- “A game that found success during its time and was well-received, bar its performance issues.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while the process of building and managing armies can be tedious and time-consuming, the engaging strategy and AI help mitigate some of the frustration. Despite the lengthy and repetitive nature of gameplay, many still enjoy the challenge of defending against various threats and appreciate the focus on strategy over micro-management. Overall, the game strikes a balance between grind and enjoyment, though it can feel redundant at times.
- “The problem I was having is once you've built them, which already takes a long time even with plenty of factories constantly producing, actually moving them into place is a tedious nightmare.”
- “It feels slow, tedious, and the overall design just doesn’t click.”
- “Without any kind of aid, managing your army is a tedious chore.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is significantly enhanced by its epic and atmospheric soundtrack, which adds tension and grandeur to gameplay. While some users feel that other RTS games create more memorable locations and moods, the unique military and eerie tone of the music contributes to a distinct and immersive experience. Overall, the game's atmosphere is praised for its depth and effectiveness in complementing the strategic elements.
- “The soundtrack complements the gameplay with an epic and atmospheric score that enhances the tension and grandeur of each engagement.”
- “By far the best strategy game I have ever played, the learning curve is great so not recommended for beginners in the RTS genre. The soundtrack is pure awesomeness, very military-like and very eerie, creating a unique grave atmosphere!”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is viewed positively, with some users appreciating it as a well-crafted experience that justifies its price, especially in contrast to other titles in the genre that are criticized as cash grabs or uninspired clones. Overall, it stands out as a rare example of quality in a market often dominated by exploitative practices.
- “Fast forward to now, EA is a mess, Blizzard couldn't even remaster their own game, and the only other RTS games are either franchised slop, soulless cash grabs on pretty engines, or uninteresting clones of better games that add nothing new or worse, strip out what made their originators better.”
- “This game feels like a cash grab rather than a genuine effort to create something worthwhile.”
- “The monetization strategy is frustrating and detracts from the overall experience of the game.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of irreverent jokes and absurd scenarios, such as cheeky prompts related to player choices and unexpected comedic messages during gameplay. However, some players find the frequent reminders and nagging features to be annoying, detracting from the overall comedic experience.
- “It's funny.”
- “Skipping objectives sometimes triggers funny messages like: -enemy commander explodes- 'Enemy commander presence on island was confirmed.'”
- “The most annoying feature are reminders, so expect nagging every few minutes, but it can lead to some humorous moments.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development in the game is enhanced by a surprisingly engaging story set in a classic cyberpunk aesthetic, complemented by detailed unit command systems that allow for strategic gameplay. Players appreciate the depth of character interactions amidst the backdrop of intense action involving lasers, mechs, and explosions.
- “The character development is incredibly deep, allowing players to shape their heroes in unique ways that reflect their personal playstyle.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, with meaningful choices that impact their growth and relationships.”
- “The backstories and motivations of each character are well-crafted, making them feel real and relatable as they progress through the story.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report a deep emotional connection to the game, often feeling moved to the point of genuine emotion while engaging with its narrative and characters.
- “I'm genuinely getting emotional from writing this out.”