Written by Brian Beck, 12/18/2007
Played on:
PSP
Games set in the Warhammer 40K universe are, save for the Dawn of War series, typically forgettable. Sure, they might be neat for a bit, and might last longer for fanboys of the 40K universe, but fall by the wayside for most gamers. The announcement of 40K Squad Command, then, for the PSP and DS, was met with some skepticism. Would the game be able to have any sort of success where most others fail? Would it be fun to play and not tedious?
The answer is a definite yes. Warhammer 40K: Squad Command puts you in the shoes of the famous Space Marines, and tasks you with 15 missions to take your guys through. You'll get to command multiple units from the Space Marine arsenal, from the regular grunt scouts to the bigger tanks. The nice thing is that you'll actually get to customize these units, giving them different guns to carry into battle and even altering their ammo count at the cost of action points.
In each of these missions, these action points are going to determine just how much you can do during a fight. Note that this is a gridless strategy system, so you can move in 360 degrees. Moving a certain length will cost an action point, and you can move up to the maximum points you currently have. Firing guns requires a varying amount of these points, with the ability to swap between two guns and also to pump more points into the firing of a gun to increase accuracy.
What really makes this system fun, though, is that most of the environment can be blown to bits. Sure, you can move your guys behind cover, but that cover isn't always going to be there. An enemy can shoot a rocket at the wall you're hiding behind, cause some damage to you and destroy the wall in the process, leaving you open for his buddies to finish off. This actually adds a lot to the strategic element of the game - you can decide to leave your guys in the open if you want, but will get show up easier. Or, you can try to hide behind cover and do less damage, but also take less from the enemy. Squad Command is one of the few games in recent memory with the strategy moniker that actually deserves it.
You're going to need to use every bit of strategy you can come up with for these fights, too - they get really hard after the first couple of missions. This isn't the type of game where you can send in an overwhelming number of troops and just destroy the enemy - you're limited in what you bring to every battle. The design works really well, as it makes you carefully consider each individual soldier's loadout, and makes you protect the ones carrying heavy weapons and such. You can actually do that, too - if you throw your heavy weapon carrier behind a few soldiers, the enemy can't shoot past your one guy standing there to get Mr. Heavy Weapon - they'll have to take out the troop blocking him first. Note, though that you also aren't able to shoot through your own men. The idea of using a sort of formation, or jockeying to get line of sight really adds to the game.
The most fun to be had in this game, though, is online. Yes, the game has a legitimate, online mode - not just local multiplayer. You can go online and play against a friend or in a ranked match. Either way, the objective is pretty clear - blow the crap out of your opponent before they can blow the crap out of you. The premise seems simple, sure, but it is still a ton of fun.
Of course, Squad Command isn't without its problems. The biggest one comes into play with the camera. See, Squad Command takes place in a sort of 3d world, and you'd think there would be an isometric camera. Things control well enough with the D-Pad, sure, and the camera controls are on the analog nub. However, there's one issue here - you can only move the camera a tiny bit with the nub. Why in the heck can I not move the camera 360 degrees around me? Why can't I get to a ground perspective as opposed to the more isometric one? It would definitely help with figuring out line of sight and such. Also, the game's story isn't too terribly approachable to those unfamiliar with the Warhammer 40K universe. The vocalizations from you and the enemies can get on your nerves a bit, too.
Overall, Squad Command is an excellent pickup for a strategy fan. You get a nice and difficult campaign to play through with a wide variety of weapons to rain destruction upon your enemies. You get to jump into a universe that, while not well-explained in the game, is pretty damn deep otherwise (seriously, search for 40K books on Amazon and you'll find a ton). And, thankfully, you can take the game online and play against a buddy that doesn't happen to be in the immediate vicinity. If you're a fan of turn-based strategy games and have an urge to blow up some bad guys (and tons of the environment around them), Squad Command is a great pickup and well worth your money.
