Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command
Encyclopedia
Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command is a turn-based tactics
game set in the Warhammer 40,000
universe, released on November 16, 2007, for the PlayStation Portable
and Nintendo DS
. It was developed by RedLynx
. The game features three Space Marine Chapters pitted against three Legions of Chaos (two and two for the DS) battling it out on the planet of Ruhr III. The game features units from the tabletop wargame.
The DS version has a versus download play option, featuring four different chapters to choose from.
Squad Command uses Hit Points (HP) and Action Points (AP). Hit Points are used to calculate damage to a unit. When a unit's HP is reduced to zero they are removed from the battle as a casualty. Action Points represent the time a unit has to act in a round, and are expended when the unit moves or uses a weapon. Movement uses up varying amounts of AP depending on the distance moved, whereas weapons have a minimum amount allowable. The player can use more APs to aim a shot to increase accuracy. This is depicted by a band of fluctuating color, which tightens and darkens as more APs are spent. Terrain is destructible, allowing for sufficiently powerful weapons to destroy an object and simultaneously damage enemies taking cover behind it.
If a unit ends its turn with enough AP to fire their weapon they enter "Overwatch" mode during the enemy's turn. In Overwatch the first enemy unit that enters the Overwatch unit's line-of-sight is fired upon.
Some heavy weapons lower the amount of AP a unit may use in a turn, to simulate their weight and complexity.
, and the DS version scoring 57%. EuroGamer gave it 7/10 and commented that "It could and should achieve so much more - but frankly it achieves enough by making a specialist subject matter and a specialist genre as fun and accessible as it does". Jolt complained about the game's "interface issues", and IT Reviews also criticised the "inflexible camera operation that severely limits your strategic planning".
Turn-based tactics
Turn-based tactics , or tactical turn-based , is a computer and video game genre of strategy video games that through stop-action simulates the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics in generally small-scale confrontations as opposed to more strategic...
game set in the Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
universe, released on November 16, 2007, for the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
and Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
. It was developed by RedLynx
RedLynx
RedLynx Ltd. is a multi-platform Finnish video game developer and publisher based in Helsinki, Finland and founded in 2000. Since its founding in 2000, it has developed and published more than 100 games on many platforms, including Xbox LIVE Arcade, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Sony PSP, Apple...
. The game features three Space Marine Chapters pitted against three Legions of Chaos (two and two for the DS) battling it out on the planet of Ruhr III. The game features units from the tabletop wargame.
Single player
The single-player campaign follows the Imperium's Ultramarines over the course of 15 missions as they fend off an incursion by the Word Bearers Legion of Chaos on the planet Ruhr III.Multiplayer
The multiplayer function can support up to eight players on local wireless connection or globally via Wi-Fi. There are nine different maps and players choose between three Space Marine chapters or three Chaos Legions to side with and battle against.The DS version has a versus download play option, featuring four different chapters to choose from.
Features
Squad Command uses a turn-based gameplay system to mimic the play of the tabletop wargame. It features destructible 3D environments and over 20 weapons.Squad Command uses Hit Points (HP) and Action Points (AP). Hit Points are used to calculate damage to a unit. When a unit's HP is reduced to zero they are removed from the battle as a casualty. Action Points represent the time a unit has to act in a round, and are expended when the unit moves or uses a weapon. Movement uses up varying amounts of AP depending on the distance moved, whereas weapons have a minimum amount allowable. The player can use more APs to aim a shot to increase accuracy. This is depicted by a band of fluctuating color, which tightens and darkens as more APs are spent. Terrain is destructible, allowing for sufficiently powerful weapons to destroy an object and simultaneously damage enemies taking cover behind it.
If a unit ends its turn with enough AP to fire their weapon they enter "Overwatch" mode during the enemy's turn. In Overwatch the first enemy unit that enters the Overwatch unit's line-of-sight is fired upon.
Some heavy weapons lower the amount of AP a unit may use in a turn, to simulate their weight and complexity.
Reception
Both the PSP and Nintendo DS versions received mixed reviews, with the PSP version scoring 67% on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, and the DS version scoring 57%. EuroGamer gave it 7/10 and commented that "It could and should achieve so much more - but frankly it achieves enough by making a specialist subject matter and a specialist genre as fun and accessible as it does". Jolt complained about the game's "interface issues", and IT Reviews also criticised the "inflexible camera operation that severely limits your strategic planning".