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Starcraft meets AOE and Command and Conquer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: December 18, 1999
Author: Amazon User

I recently got this game and wasn't expecting much, boy was I surprised! This game is the best of Starcraft, Age Of Empires, and Command and Conquer. The HUGE selection of units allows for an incredible amount of gameplay. With all the units out there you can't defend yourself well enough because when you defend from sea, air attacks, and vice versa. Missions are available for those single players out there, as well as a skirmish mode capable of holding up to 9 AI and yourself. This game has extensive internet support and between all of these has an incredible replay value. This game is addictive for the serious and the once in awhile players. Good for the young and old. For adults and kids. Anybody who wants to have a great time with a strategy game will need this one. IT'S A MUST HAVE!

Starcraft N00bs! Prepare for Annihilation!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: October 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have been playing TA for several years now and despite technological advances in the realm of PC gaming, TA still has yet to be surpassed in several fields, primarily in expandability.

TA has several elements that several RTS games did not have at the time, and still do not have, or rarely have. Here are a few.
1: Realistic ballistics in projectiles and counter-tactics thereof. You can dodge the weapons, in Starcraft it becomes a battle of attrition as it does in several other RTS games. Not to mention you can set up support fire and indirect fire from either fire teams or artillery. The artillery can actually fire for effect and you can even lead a target into a shot, something you never seen in games.
2: Complete expandability. You can create not just your own maps and campaigns, but units and weapons, which completely turn the tide and tactics of war. It becomes realistic in the way of real war where it becomes a technology race, you build one weapon and they build a counter for it and so forth. I have my units modified to be actual military units like the F14, the British Aircraft Carrier Arc Royale, XM-29 Joint Fighers, B52s and so forth.
3: Actual recon and patrol. If you know how to use your stealth units right, you can actually set up patrols and recon pickets that can sneak behind enemy lines. The difference between this and the Starcraft Ghosts is that in Starcraft, you can just walk up to anything and almost not be spotted... that's no fun. In TA you actually have to plot routes and what not to sneak behind enemy lines and gather terrain intel. Hell, I have U2 and SR71 spyplanes do aerial recon from high altitudes.
3: Balanced units. In Starcraft, a single marine can take out a battlecruiser... that's stupid. In TA, starships can spell certain doom if you don't handle them right, there are doomsday machines, however, they are usually quite balanced when it comes to how to build them and so forth.

The only downside is that people can make super silly doomsday weapons that can be build in seconds. Just watch out for those and TA will be one hell of an experience.

Oh yeah, the soundtrack is INCREDIBLE! I've never heard a soundtrack so beautifully made as this one.

Get TA! It's worth it!

I think this is the best game of all time!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 15
Date: January 11, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game came out in 1997 and since then I have not seen any other games come even close to comparing with it, not even Starcraft! The range in units is terrific, the graphics are stunning (I especially like the 3D terrain and units and the fact that units can face 32 directions instead of just 8), but its best aspect is the gameplay, which is indescribeable!

I've been told the campaigns aren't very good but I never bothered playing them, I'm too busy playing skirmishes (and yes, the A.I. IS a worthy opponent).

I love it!

Cavedog's finest achievement so far.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: November 04, 2000
Author: Amazon User

When this title came out a few years ago, it was among the best at that time. Years after its release, it's still one of the better games around.

The game's graphics are good - 3D environments, terrains etc - but what makes Annihilation so good is its gameplay. There is a huge variety of units available and with the expansion packs (included in this product) amount to over 200 units.

Basically, what you have to do in this game is to accumulate resources and churn out units and overpower your enemy who's trying to do the same, although in the campaigns there are different goals.

Resource gathering is slightly different than in other real time strategy games. Instead of building harvesters and collecting resources, you now build a structure which gives you an infinite amount of a resource (either metal or energy). However, the rate at which the resource is generated usually exceeds the rate at which you spend, eg. a metal extractor on a rich metal deposit will give you around 3.0 metals per second forever, but contantly building units will use up much more than 3 metals per second, so unlimited resource does not mean that you can build infinite units.

Annihilation's huge number of units will most likely keep you playing this for quite a while. I've been playing this game on and off for 3 years and still have not gotten tired of it. If your're not quite sure whether this game is for you, you can always try out the demo, but it's better to save the download time and just buy this straight away.

Unquestionably the best RTS game ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: May 20, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game, although over 6 years old as of now, is using quite old technology as of today, however, when it was first released in 1996, it was using revolutionary technology that allowed for gameplay so smooth and realistic that it was unbelivable. Starcraft, another RTS game that was made at this time, was also very popular, but although in terms of artistic achievement and popularity, it was better than TA, it's technology was old, outdated, and simply was not as realistic.

Total Annihilation offers complete, realistic, 3-Dimensional weapons trajectories. The units and buildings are completely rendered in 3-D as well. This was a huge improvement over old games because it allowed more freedom of movement. In games like Starcraft, all the units were sprites (little pictures that were pre-rendered, and displayed at the right place, right time), which made the game unflexable, where the units were restricted to a limited move pattern (16 directional movement). Starcraft was not realistic at all. The units could only perform certain moves, battle tactics (where HOW you command your forces REALLY matters) were nonexistant, and the aircraft, whew, I cannot BEGIN to say how cruddy the aircraft were in Starcraft (They just parked next to their target and began to shoot). The aircraft in TA, on the other hand, are wonderful because they act more like real aircraft, with their barrel rolls, immelmans, bank turns, and they also have the ability to land.

TA is a better simulated wargame because of the fact that battle tactics DO matter. How you command your forces, where you make them move, dodge enemy fire, and such, as well as holding high ground. The mechanics of the game are simply superb. Most RTS games are designed to where the player has only a handful of units avaliable at their disposal, and the units have have intentionally limited abilities (this unit can't shoot air, this unit isn't against killing this one, etc.) TA is different, where there are more types of units than Pokemon (I'm not kidding), and how you command the units is your guess. There are no cheap tactics. You must use your ability to command your forces quickly and efficently in order to succeed.

The only thing that is not so good about Total Annihilation is the Artifical Intelligence. It's kinda weak, it's predictable, and not too smart, but this is EASILY compensated for because of the HUGE amounts of third-party patches and additions to TA. Due to TA's completely external and 'open' systems, it is possible to upgrade the AI, add new units, new weapons, new maps (of course), and some people have even made huge modifications to TA, called Total Conversions, which make Total Annihilation a whole new game (Like Star Wars Total Annihilation, Total Annihilation: Dark Suns; The list goes on).

Clearly, the realisticity of battle, the revolutionary new technology (unparalleled to this date by ANY other RTS game), and the high potential for expansion of Total Annihilation makes it an excellent game. Purchase this game. You will NOT be dissapointed.

Gameplay comes first.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: October 06, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The reason Total Annihilation was so utterly superior to all competition at the time of its release, and remains one of my facourite games today, it because of the resource model. Yes, it has enormous scope and variety. Yes, it really does require a little bit of three dimensional tactical thought. But most of all, it has really very good gameplay.

Like a good book or good film, this game absorbs you, creating a total and willing suspension of disbelief. The resources, energy and metal are utterly plausible requirements for a military campaign - no glowing tiberium or vespene gas here. The energy comes from equally plausible sources: solar power, wind power, geothermal, tidal, and fusion power plants will litter your bases. Construction of these buildings is well thought out. Not for us, the C&C model of 'pay everything now, receive in 6 minutes time'. Rather, buildings cost a fixed amount, but the rate at which this amount is removed from your treasury is dependant on the number of builders you assign to the project. This policy of combining building attempts extends to units. It is not uncommon to have four of five construction vehicles gathered around a factory-type building, adding their power. Even the technology involved is justified in the glossary at the back of the manual, wherein scientific explanations for how it is possible to fire plasma shells are given.

The continuous accumulation model, where the number of collectors you have affects the rate at which you gain a resource, is another great strength. Rather than just a number of resource units to consider, here you also have rate of gain and rate of spending. For example, in a mission, you might find yourself with 3000 energy, gaining at a rate of +42 per second, but losing at a rate of -81 per second. A quick calculation tells you that your suppies will be running out very shortly, so you shut down a few minor facilities like your radar towers and tell the repair teams patrolling your base to stand down. Quickly, your finances will be back on the rise.

What finally makes Total Annihilation stand head and shoulders above the competition is the total attention to detail. See that little robot unsling his rifle from across his shoulder? See the individual recoil on the tank's gun barrels? Notice the fact that they have not the usual 8 facings, but infinitely many? All of it just adds to the effect.

And it is good.

Fantastic initial impressions give way to despair...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 14 / 23
Date: January 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Ok, maybe not despair.

Total Annihilation was one of the first Real Time Strategy (RTS) games to use a true 3D environment. It looks and plays wonderfully! There's a lot of variety to units and the game can be truly engrossing. The strength to TA, however, is in multiplayer in human vs. human combat.

The single player campaign in the game is adequate but not compelling -- the story line is just enough to make playing the game seem worthwhile without really getting you to buy into it and suspend your disbelief. Unfortunately this lackluster storyline is hampered by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) that's really none too bright. Once you learn how to use a couple key units and buildings the computer simply has no ability to be a serious threat. Heaven forbid you should try multiplayer cooperative against the AI... you'll be disappointed.

Overall, it's a decent game but if you're not the type of person to match witch against other people, then you may want to consider another RTS title with a stronger AI.

Warning, not compatible with OS X!!!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: April 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I love this game. It is one of the all-time best in its genre. Unfortunately, if you have a newer Mac like a Powerbook G4, it will not work. The OS 9 Classic software on the OS X system does not help matters either. As soon as you load a cd, the computer reads it as 2 seperate discs. About a third of the time can you actually get through to a mission, but when you do, the mac keyboard is not compatible with the game's command keys. If you have an outdated mac, good great. But if you have a brand new system, well, I wouldn't waste my time on it unless you enjoy reprogramming your entire system for the sake of 1 game.

WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 15
Date: September 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I'm with "A Gamer" on this one.

WWWWWWHHHHHYYYYY!!!!
THIS IS EVIL!!!!!
WE DEMAND TA GOLD FOR PC!
or AT LEAST A RE-RELEASE OF TA:CC!!!
Whoever released TA GOLD for MAC...
You are EVIL!!! Why torment those who use PC!?!?

Best RTS game including realism

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: October 12, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is the father of modern day RTS, real time strategies. This game adds realism into the naval units, air units, vehicle, and infantry units. The detailing of land and a variety of weapons and structures is a major plus while a bad storyline is a small minus. The battles make up for the poor storyline. All the narrator says that the Core and Arm have been at war for ages and destroyed a mess load of lands. Big deal. Now there is a turning point of somesort and you (the player) shall lead them! Whoopdie flippin do. Now, the interactive music makes you feel as it is a major motion picture because whenever there is a battle, battle music plays. whenever there is no battle, similar music plays. A somewhat "oooh what's gonna happen next" music. I got this game as a B-day present 2 years ago and I still play the skirmishes. No matter what anyone says, games like Homeworld (1999 game of the year by PC gamer and Computer Gaming world), Starcraft (1998 game of the year), and Command and Conquer series originated and emulated the intricate concept of Total Annihilation. Just what the heck am I trying to say!? Buy this game!!!!!!!!

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