The best turn based strategy game since X-Com. Fully destructible environments and realistic physics, great graphics...
User Rating: 9.5 | Silent Storm PC
Silent Storm shows us that turn based strategy games can still be great fun and are here to stay. The gameplay is very similar to X-Com and Jagged Alliance. Silent Storm takes these type of games to the next level with incredible physics, fully destructible environments, detailed graphics, rpg elements and addictive gameplay. Graphics: The graphics are great for a strategy game. Extremely detailed environments and characters. You can zoom in very close and see all the fine detail in the game. The buildings and any structures in the game are done very well and can are all destructible. The special effects for weapons and explosions are done very well. This game engine is a little demanding so you may need a midrange to high end PC to play it in all its glory. Sound: There are many different weapons and they all have original and realisitc sounds for each one. The music is well done as are the explosion sounds. The only drawback in the sound is the average voice over work, although there is a different voice for every possible character in the game and some of the things they say are funny but some are annoying. Gameplay: Silent Storm plays out like Jagged Alliance did. You have turn points for each of your characters that you get to use to move or fire your weapons or any other number of activities you can do during your turn. After you are finished with your turn, usually after you used up all of your move points, you end your turn and the enemy will take its turn in the same manner. The enemy AI is excellent in Silent Storn and will give you quite a challenge. Some of the better parts of the game come into play with the destructible environments, you can blow up entire building, cars, telephone polls or any single thing you can see in the game. It makes the world very realistic. The physics in the game make for some great ragdoll death animations, for example you can give a headshot to an enemy soldier hiding out on a roof and watch get shot backwards and fall off the roof tumbling to his death. The game is also very graphic as you can really bloody up your enemy. There are also RPG type elements to the game. As your characters get more experience in the field you can level them up in quite a few areas, for example you can make your character see better at night or make them more stealthy, better doctors, better snipers it is endless how you can progress your characters. There are a few character types you can reqruit for your team such as Medics, Snipers, Soldiers, Engineers and Scouts. Each character type can help you in different ways through out the game. It is a good idea to comprise your team with a variety of classes. When you start the game you can play other as the Allies or Axis side in this WW2 era story. The story is well done and fairly long. It should take you around 30 hours to play either side. Some people don't like the Sci-Fi element added to the story which enters the story around 70% through. They are called Panzerkliens and basically they are some secret researched walking robot suits which are very powerful. You will get to use them in the game as does the enemy. There are mods out there that allow you to take this element out of the game if you dont enjoy it. Another complaint is the time it takes for the enemy to take its turn, there is also a mod out to speed up enemy turns if you find that it takes to long for your tastes. Besides these two fixable setbacks to the game, SIlent Storm is definetaly the best TBS game to come out since X-Com or Jagged Alliance. The gameplay is just as addictive and the modern graphics and physics take it to the next level in TBS games. Any strategy fan should add this to thier collection.
