Review by maximummaker

"Way ahead of its time, Total Anihilation delivers the first 3d RTS title, while not forgeting to deliver the rest."

It's been so long since this title was developed, and yet I find it still meeting some of today's standards for strategy games. In the heart of this stellar title lies the feel of Warcraft II, but without copying anything from the game. It's got everything you could ask for, amazing graphics, enormous battles, great control, intelligent team AI, as well as opponent AI, many maps to choose from, and a campaign mode that is generally all around fun. Don't get me started with the battles, this is with out a doubt the feature that carries this game into greatness; since you're allowed to control as many units as you want at once, these battles are already the most hectic I've ever seen, but all the different amount of punishing units you can build also makes battles all the more action oriented. The energy and metal system that Total Annihilation uses for you to build units, also allows you to build by the masses sometimes; see, you build units and buildings out of energy and metal, so you just need to build plenty of solar panels, and other energy collecting devices to keep the energy raking in; metal is a different story, you need to find metal spots in the maps to place metal extractors, so you can keep your metal supply in check. Spending this constant supply of metal and energy can go quickly, since you can assign more than one builder to help you make buildings, and to construct units.

Everything the game offers puts the battles together with finesse, with weapons that fire ridiculously fast, explosions that shake the screen, bomber planes that fly through, and much more. This is no joke, there will literately be hundreds upon hundreds of bullets flying around the screen while engaged in combat; there's really nothing like it when you patiently await your enemies' attack for your first time, you'll feel a rush as your enemies intertwine, exchanging bullets, rockets, and bombs like there's no tomorrow (there really is no tomorrow for these machines), even the first air raid you unleash will give you an extreme rush, just imagine your opponent's base getting stormed by 70 some odd jets and bombers flying through, reeking serious havoc as they pass by, and then turning around and pass by again. The sound is a superb work of art, as it is comprised of symphony music, and will constantly change depending on the situation at the moment. The explosions are not short changed here, and there are tons of different gun fire sound effects to keep the battles from getting annoying.

The only gripe I have with Total Annihilation is the campaign mode, it isn't horrible, but the skirmish matches offer way more maps that you can choose from, with your own rules, and however many enemies you want, with as many allies you want too, the campaign just doesn't always capitalize on the game's amazing battles, which took me away from the campaign often. I believe the game is online too, but I'm certain that's over, because there wasn't many people to experience this game in the first place.

You've most likely never experienced anything like Total Annihilation, it's still not too old to miss this PC legend, should have been a legend at least, everyone was just busy being consumed by Warcraft II, which was released a couple years earlier, and showed no signs of slowing down until 5 years after its release.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10 | Originally Posted: 12/08/04

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