Ground Control II: Operation Exodus Review

Ground Control II: Operation Exodus is an aptly named game because it is all about controlling territory. There is no base-building in the game and no resource gathering – instead the action is focused on controlling strategic points on the map and “special drop zones” used to bring in reinforcements. The result is a real-time strategy game that is very tactics-focused and that delivers fast-paced, and at times frantic, action.

In Ground Control II, the Northern Star Alliance of worlds is fighting for its survival against the oppressive forces of the Terran Empire. It seems that the Terran Empire does not look kindly on former colonies getting ideas about independence and so has sent their military to quash the Alliance. When the Alliance proves to be a troublesome opponent, the Terran Empire brings in an alien race to do their dirty work. This plan backfires on the Terrans, though, as the Virons and their biotech weapons switch sides during the conflict and make things even harder on the Terrans’ plans of empire. This storyline is played out over two twelve mission campaigns where you’ll get to play first as the Northern Star Alliance and later as the alien Virons – sorry, but those of you who like playing from the dark side are out of luck.

As mentioned above, there is no base building in Ground Control II. Instead the maps have special spots designated as drop zones which are used to bring in reinforcements from off-map bases. Instead of requiring you to gather resources and spend time building an economy, Ground Control II starts you off with a set number of Acquisition Points (AP) which serves as your currency for purchasing units. You AP total will slowly accumulate on its own, but you can quicken this pace by capturing special victory locations.

While it may seem that this resource scheme will let you flood the map with units there are actually a couple constraints that prevent you from doing so, at least initially. The first is that units in the field draw their upkeep from the AP pool. If you have too many units in the field, then you will generate AP at a slower and slower pace until eventually it stops. At this point you won’t be able to generate AP to buy new units until some of the units already in the field are destroyed. The second limiting factor is your dropship – you get only one and it has a limited cargo capacity. Once it drops off a load of new units, you need to wait for it to return to its base and then make its way back to the dropzone before additional units are delivered. As an aside I’d like to point out that there is a cool feature with the dropships in that they carry a pretty powerful laser cannon. As it makes its way to the dropzone, a dropship will take potshots at any enemies it encounters and will aim a more steady stream of fire at any enemies near the dropzone. You can even order the dropship to hang around the dropzone for a short period of time to act as a powerful defensive unit – although you won’t be able to bring in any reinforcements while your dropship is so occupied.

Another RTS staple that’s absent from Ground Control II is a tech tree. You do not need to spend time doing research in order to have access to the most powerful units – every unit is available from the get-go, although the campaign missions often make you do with a subset of the units available in the game. AP cost and the number of dropship slots required to deliver the unit are the only considerations when looking to bring in powerful units as opposed to the need to worry about which intermediate units you need to research before you can bring in the big guns.

While the limiting factors on unit acquisition require you to make strategic choices on which units to bring in and when, you’ll still be able to do a lot with the units that you have because the units in Ground Control II are pretty versatile. Every unit has a secondary mode that makes it a lot more flexible in the field. For example, Alliance infantry can switch to an anti-vehicle missile mode. Viron units have an additional capability that lets two units of the same type “meld” together to form a new unit. In addition, the melded units can be broken back down into the original two units at any time. Your army is quite dynamic and as a result games of Ground Control II tend to be dynamic as well, often requiring you to adjust your tactics on the fly. This is the stuff that makes real-time strategy warriors giddy.

The battles in Ground Control II take place on gorgeous 3D maps that provide a variety of terrain types from swamps and woodlands to urban combat zones. The map topographies are detailed and varied and range from mountaintops to deep gorges with rivers cutting through them. The elevation range is not just for looks – units with a height advantage enjoy a combat advantage as well and land features can obstruct unit visibility. It can be particularly satisfying to catch an enemy column unawares as they move right past your ambushing troops lying in wait in the shadow of a bluff.

Other map features have an effect on the game as well. Forests present obstructions to vehicles, but infantry can enter woods to use for cover and protection from enemy fire. While there is no base-building in the game, maps include pre-existing bunkers, towers, and buildings that troops can use for protection and defense. You can even specify which side of a building troops will fire from. Some maps also include static gun emplacements. These guns come in anti-air, anti-tank, and anti-personnel varieties, and must be manned by infantry to be used. The gun emplacements are permanent – you can knock them out of commission and then repair them with an engineer unit so that you can take over a gun for your side.