Supreme Commander 2's hype is rather interesting. Rather than focusing on the scale of battles and the strategic element of the game, the developers have decided to take a very different approach. All of the elements that make Supreme Commander 2 drastically different from its predecessor are being highlighted, while mechanics that make a return are being mentioned in passing. All of these changes could be potentially disastrous for returning fans of the series, so let's take a deeper examination of Supreme Commander 2's gameplay and see if we can't make some sense of it.

The first change that immediately comes to attention is the inclusion of a research system. The closest thing Supreme Commander had to research was upgrading the tiers of your factories and applying new components to your commander, and Total Annihilation had a similar system of upgrading your forces (Commander builds Tier 1, Tier 1 builds Tier 2, etc). However, Supreme Commander 2 takes a research tree and twistes it into something resembling the skill tree from Demigod. You gain research points by either spending money at a research center or engaging in battle, and research points are spent to upgrade existing units and unlock new units. We're interested to see how this plays out, but it's a distinctly different approach compared to the first two games. It seemingly emphasizes tactics and combat more than grand strategy, and grand strategy is what Supreme Commander is known for.

Another change in Supreme Commander 2 is the economy system. Unlike Total Annihilation and the first game, you can no longer crash your economy by consuming more energy and metal than what you produce. This simplification, although seemingly inconsequential, has drastic implications. Part of the strategy of Supreme Commander was figuring out just how over-consumption worked, and rapid expansion in early game was a common (and winning) strategy, even though it often drained your resources beyond the point of usability for a while. The balance of resource production and unit production was a precarious one, and it's disappointing to see the strategy behind it go away.

One of the most mentioned changes is in the storyline. Unlike the first game, which focused primarily on grand conflicts, Supreme Commander 2 aims to center the drama of war with a solid cast of characters. This, we feel, is definitely the influence of Square Enix on Chris Taylor, and we are quite worried. Grounding a epic war title in a few pivotal members is alright as a literary device (Lord of the Rings does so, for example), but it has to be careful in implementation or the story goes from being about the hardships of massive conflict to a banal personal drama. Given Square Enix's tendency towards the latter, it's a gamble whether or not Supreme Commander 2 will succeed in its interpretation or fall on its face.

Supreme Commander 2 looks to be much more playable than its predecessor, this much is certain. The hype around Supreme Commander 2 makes the game appear easier and more user friendly, but it's concerning whether or not the game will become too simplified and too pedestrian. After all, Gas Powered Games has made such a misstep before (Space Siege, anybody?). Still, the final verdict will be out come Tuesday, and we wait with bated breath to see just how the game turns out. You can try the demo on Steam if you want a first-hand experience for yourself.