Supreme Commander review

In fact, it’s easy to “turtle.” Resource production is both infinite and fixed: you don’t have to leave your base, and you can still be swimming in energy. For some players, that’s the perfect excuse to turn their entire economy over to defense, investing in gun emplacements, bubble shields, even walls.

To crack that shell, you’re going to need quite the tactical hammer. Welcome to tier four: experimental units.

SupCom ’s greatest victory is in the sharply defined feel of each side. Despite the fact they have mostly similar units - boats, tanks, planes - they feel distinct. That’s partly down to form: the Cybran forces are dark, scurrying, eight-legged robotic insects. The Aeon are sleek futurists; all molded edges and slick metal. The UEF are bulky, brutish and belligerent: robots with a Rambo complex. But the feel is also a product of function. Take the tier one artillery. The Cybrans just lob shells that may or may not hit their target. No matter; a direct hit is devastating. The UEF have a similar idea - but their shells air-burst into four cluster-bombs. Any army caught in a sustained barrage will be in real trouble. The Aeon’s artillery isour favorite, with its accurate slingshots of laser blue energy: a real fireworks display.