Airland Battle takes European Escalation, makes it more accessible, adds more toys to play with, and is totally awesome.
Note before the scores: I'm a rabid PC gamer. I have played many, if not most, of the PC strategy games that have come out since I played the original Warcraft in the early '90s. This is where I'm coming from in all of my comparisons. I'll also be using Gamespot's grading system - so something in the 8 range is not a 'B' like in school, it means 'Great.'
Graphics: 8.5/10 - Great
Like many RTS games graphics are not the foremost concern - the game certainly can't be compared to say, Crysis 3 - but they're completely different animals. The graphics are still great, with only noticeable annoyances in some terrain variety and textures when zoomed in. The likelihood of spending a lot of time zoomed in to notice, however, is pretty slim. On the whole, this is mostly a nit-pick.
The real complaint I have is one that has been constant with the engine that Eugen is using for these games (RUSE, E.E, and now ALB): the animation and texturing of infantry. When zoomed out this is a relative non-issue, but for those of us who like to take full advantage of the Supreme Commander'esque battlefield zoom feature, the infantry are lackluster. They move in an very old fashioned way that is noticeable up close. It doesn't detract from gameplay by any means, but this is the primary demerit to earn the 8.5 instead of a 9.0 or above.
The UI is minimal and accessible - exactly as it should be. There are no frills and nothing getting in the way of viewing what you need to. Combine this with the strategic zoom (all the way in to the ground, all the way out to the clouds) and you have a game that does everything the way it should be done - and well at that.
On the whole, the game's graphics are excellent - and I have no complaints for any of the vehicles animations or textures. Aircraft are especially well done.
Sound: 8.5 - Great
Music is good but lacks variation. Sound is appropriate; gunshots, missiles, etc. all act as expected. Nothing really stands out from the standard sounds and music.
There is one area that is a nice touch which slips sound into the 'Great' category - and that is the background ambience. Military jargon plays in the background as if you were standing in a command bunker, adding to immersion. While not breathtaking by any stretch of the imagination, it is a little touch with a big impact.
Gameplay: 9.0 - Superb
Gameplay here is simply excellent - for what it is. Strategies are varied, particularly with the deck system, and having to account for fuel, ammunition, and reinforcement territories. For more information on the deck system, there are trailers on YouTube and elsewhere that you can view.
Unlike the lackluster E.E tutorial and campaign, Airland Battle includes both an excellent tutorial and compelling campaign. The campaigns themselves are closer to what you'd expect from a cross of Total War and Risk. The strategic map, which takes place in Scandinavia, is separated into various territories. These territories are fought over by armies that you deploy via battle cards. Commando raids, spying, air cover, naval strikes, etc. all end some variety to your strategy in this layer of the campaign. When two armies collide on the strategic map the game transitions into the main portion of the game: the battle map. This is the RTS component that is primarily graded in this review.
AI in both skirmish and campaign are well done. On occasion they behave in ways that I do not expect which is either a sign of handling tactics and strategies well or acting foolishly. It's difficult to say. The AI is an overall challenge which is all that's desired.
Multiplayer is functional and a delight - if you know what you're doing. This is not a game to embrace your inner newbie in. Play the tutorials and play against AI before venturing online. You need the practice and familiarity with the wide array of units at your disposal. You need to know what is good against what and how yes, some units are cheap AND effective against what you thought were uber tanks or aircraft. The game is balanced and in many cases unforgiving. This is what makes it especially good.
This brings me to the last gameplay point: the game is hard. It isn't as hard as European Escalation, in my opinion, which I found rather inaccessible, but it is difficult in its own right. The AI is competent and challenging in single player (Medium and above, rightfully so) and the sheer number of options to customize a deployment deck make planning for battles a product of careful calculations and a gamble - before skill comes into play on the battlefield. For me, this challenge is 'just right' - and I anticipate for some it is easy; but I'm willing to bet that for most this game is going to start off with difficulty. This is well worth it, though.
If you would rather play something with a relatively low number of units that focuses more on battlefield tactics than a combination of strategy and tactics, I'd recommend staying away from this one. There is no one-sure-road to victory. Each player and each deck is unique, especially when dealing with someone who has a deck that isn't just one of the default nationalities but is unique to his or her play style. Something like StarCraft or even Company of Heroes or Dawn of War have a set number of units that narrow the number of effective tactics and strategies for fast, quick action. Those games accomplish what they do very well. Airland Battle is NOT those games and should not be approached as such. It is a different, more deliberate beast. This is not to say that it cannot be fast paced like the other games, just that they tend to be slower.
FPS analogy: Airland Battle is more like Red Orchestra 2/Rising Storm than Call of Duty or Battlefield.
Replayability: 9.5 - Superb
As mentioned above, the game has no one-sure-road to victory. This variety naturally lends itself to greater replayability.
Single player has both skirmish (albeit limited maps at launch, Eugen is pretty good at releasing more) and campaign modes. Skirmish is exactly what it should be and accomplishes this well. Campaign mode is an objective based sandbox; capture 3 enemy cities but do it however you want, that sort of thing. This also lends to great replayability.
Assuming this style of game is up your alley, with minimal base building (really just the placing of forward supply bases and occupying important buildings) and emphasis on deployment and use of units at your disposal, you should get plenty of bang for your buck. It'll keep you entertained for a long time. If you prefer smaller scale conflicts or focus on fewer units, such as with games like StarCraft or Dawn of War, you may want to pass this one up.
Overall: 8.5 - 9.0 - Great/Superb
I can't give an overall score of one or the other simply due to my own biases. I value the highly replayable gameplay mechanics of the game higher than the sound and graphics and skew the score up. For those who focus more on graphics and audio, it'll be skewed down. To each his own. This is the range I'd give it.
Take a look at let's plays on youtube, check the trailers and if a demo hits, try that. For those who venture in and embrace the initial challenge, I daresay you won't be disappointed.
See you in the game, Commander.