Here we go: Another bunch of reasons why the Gamespot Review is off course like the Titanic in Lake Geneva.
Brett Todd, Gamespot Reviewer, does not seem to fall into this category.
Let's start out by dissecting the "The Bad" section of this Review:
Of course there is not too much variation in the tactical game maps! There wasn't either in UFO 1 and 2, when the whole playfield consisted of a small number of rectangular structures randomly put together.
It was even worse in Apocalypse or JA2, you won't even believe it: You'll see the very same maps whenever you start a new game!
Seriously: Limited map numbers plus random enemy placement, fog of war and selectable landing sites for your soldiers offers about as much replayabilty as the random map options in Civ4.
What else? Ah, "prone to crashes". Patched, quite stable as in one crash per i don't know... 30, maybe 50 hours of gameplay.
"problems with the interface". Sorry Brett, you didn't mention any in your Review. Wishful thinking?
"mostly ugly graphics". OK, matter of taste. That's why we got screenshots here.
"missions unbalanced and extremely hard". Now we are talking!
Missions can be quite hard because of two reasons:
For one you might face an opponent different compared to what you experienced before: No more strolls in the park, those bad guys are wearing armor now!
Some may even employ tactics like you do, like a Sniper picking your troops off one by one.
And the second reason: You're not playing out your best cards in a situation like that. Soldiers can be trained to become more efficient, learning special moves or the ability to use new gear.
And now, finally, that's my real criticism towards Brett: I believe he played the game as if he was waiting for it to show him the next moves, the next steps to take.
No Sir, in Aftershock you need to think all for yourself in order to survive.
Got a mission to bring back a stranded ally back to friendly territory, not knowing where that guy is located for example, surrounded by enemies?
Go in low and slow, take a Scout or a Commando or even a Psyonic to find him, backed up by a Sniper with a silenced rifle on high ground.
This is just one way to solve that mission. I could think of several others without making my head smoke, and i still enjoy finding new and creative ways to deal with the situation.
Nah Brett, really: Not every game is made for every guy, and when you say things like "Research isn't laid out in a standard RTS tech tree, so there it lacks a clear, linked system of prerequisites that makes every decision crucial." it looks as if you should stay with the games you really enjoy.
I repeat, "standard RTS tech tree" and "clear, linked system" yet demanding more variation in the tactical maps. Hm, i lack to see common sense here.
No offense though. I just suggest you should try to avoid writing a Review about a gaming genre you're obviously not familiar with next time.
Throwing a donut at your boss while readying your pocket knife and a glass of grapefruit juice to distract him might do the job. Got me? ;)