Solid sci-fi strategy fun
Rather unusually, this science fiction strategy game takes its inspiration from a 1970s Russian novel and makes for an intriguing, if not entirely successful, entry into an arena where titles like Master of Orion or Dune rule the roost. The game finds players thrust into the midst of a planet-spanning war, with four distinct factions each vying for control. Each faction plays differently, with their own unique units and strengths and weaknesses, and which helps adds some replay value to the game. There isn't a whole heap of story to get bogged down in, which is good is you prefer just to get stuck in to the nitty gritty of wargaming. Here, battles play out in turn-based fashion across a number of familiar environments including desert, forest and polar, while there is the expected range of differing unit types to experiment with. You really have to think about the environment to succeed, as you can take cover in heavy woods, dig trenches, build bridges and take over buildings as part of your strategy. You have access to things like air units, which can transport troops, and heavy artillery, while you also need to factor in things like the day/night cycle and varying weather conditions. Galactic Assault is a solid entry into turn-based wargaming and provides plenty of satisfying tactical combat. It's got pretty much everything you could hope for in such a game, with a good variety of units and factions, some nice environments to fight over and decent graphics. It's quite accessible too and features an intuitive control system, and it's only major flaw is that it's all been seen before.
