VideoGame Generals: An OP Unit Actually Increases The Fun
C&C Generals: Zero Hour is a great game, with good graphics and some pretty excellent combat mechanics. The micro-management is bad, but almost any RTS has it so I guess I can't complain. The campaign feels epic as you build toward a cinematic final battle.
However, there is one thing that I must bring up: a balance issue revolving around one OP tank.
The Overlord tank can be upgraded to have a Gatling gun, which mows down infantry and aircraft (the only units aside from other tanks that can counter them) murderous effect. Completely breaking the balance of the game, it doesn't stop there. It has the most health of any buildable unit in the game, has two powerful cannons to blast any other vehicles or buildings to pieces, is large enough to crush other vehicles, and can also automatically heal at higher experience levels (which it gets to very quickly). It is, in short, the most powerful unit in the game. And though it's slow, that merely means your enemy's defeat comes later.
But is one OP unit enough to ruin a game? No, in fact, this OP unit is what made the game fun for me. I've never been a good RTS player. I tend to forget things and can't process situations quickly, so I can't micromanage. I'm simply not the kind of person who can go at tactical fencing for ten minutes straight. Using the Overlord Tank upgraded with a Gatling gun was akin to using a cheat code or exploiting a glitch, and a great one at that.
To sum up my happiness, here's a horrible song:
Oh, Overlord Tank
So big and bright
You bring victory to the losers of the fight
With two cannons and a Gatling gun to boot
Enemies die before you even shoot
So overpowered, that's what makes you fun
All opponents just simply run
Enemy Aircraft and rocket infantry are now on the go
Oh No!
But with your healing factor, large health and high DPS
You can easily go toe-to-toe
Cheap too,
I can build so many of you
One is truly an opponent so rough
But a group in terms of Dakka has 'enuff
Not tanks, nor kill sats, nor nukes, nor infantry, nor ground attack aircraft, nor hero units, nor nothing can even hope to defeat
The Overlord Tank
It just can be beat
All you need is one and the whole world will now before your feet
hail Overlord!
VideoGame Command and Conquer: Generals
All over this wiki and a few other sites, I've heard that the game Command and Conquer: Generals is not well liked, mostly because it had little to nothing to do with the rest of the series. I played the game back in 2004, and continue playing it to this day. In my opinion, it is a much better game than people give it credit for. The factions are pretty well balanced out (although the US has a little bit of an advantage with its commanches), and, for the time, the graphics were superb. It is surprisingly detailed, and the explosions are quite satisfying, even to this day. The gameplay is simple yet fun, and many times, you'll feel like you are actually commanding a real army. Now, I do have some complaints. The Super weapon general in Zero Hour is overpowered, and US raptors are pretty underpowered in Generals, since any AA defense can shoot them down, (zero hour fixed this with the "counter measures" upgrade and even a whole new general who's main strength is specially designed raptors), and infantry get a little useless, as every vehicle can run them over. I also did not like the ending. Maybe I'm too much of a patriot, but I don't like the concept of "America is humiliated and China occupies Europe, taking the place as the world power". Maybe it was to portray China positively so China would un-ban Zero Hour, but that failed anyway. I don't know, just rubs me the wrong way. Regardless, this game is loads of fun. This is the only C and C game I have ever played however, so I was not pissed off about the changes to it, but I imagine die hard fans would be. I say, forget about these flaws and just enjoy a good game.