I just finished downloading and playing through the first 3 levels of Supreme Commander 2. It's really awesome so far. Although I'm only 3 levels in I think I can give you all a good "heads up" on what to expect if you plan on picking this up. First off lets talk about the changes between the first game and this one.

Graphics: 7 out of 10

When they made the first game, even though it got great reviews, some people knocked the game because of it's rather steep running requirements. When it came time to make the sequel they wanted it to run on a wider range of systems and they wanted it to run smooth. They made some pretty drastic changes to the engine to improve performance on slower rigs and it shows. Of course you can turn up all the options, increase resolution, change the detail levels of the water and shadows and terrain detail. Even on the highest settings though for some reason (to me at least) it doesn't seem as "crisp" as the first one. They were actually able to increase the polygon count on the models AND the amount of units you will see on screen at once. That in its-self is quite a accomplishment considering the already epic scale of the first game, however this came at a cost of less detailed textures on the models themselves. They also made the colors much brighter and more "cartoony". I don't like this much either. In the first game the units looked "plausible". Sure they were futuristic, but for the most part the colors were realistic and not over-powering. In this game it feels more like you're commanding a army of vehicles from a Saturday morning cartoon show. They still look cool, but they should have kept the colors toned down like they were in the first game. The cut scenes are well done but again the coloration used makes the characters look cartoony, but "realistically cartoony" if you get my meaning.

I'm all for making games that run on a wider range of systems, BUT, it's really not worth it if it comes at the cost of making the game Look Worse then the first game in the series. (You should be taking notes there, Brad, "Mr. I want it to run on my Notepad" ) . Personally I think making the game look worse so it can run on more systems is a BAD idea.

Performance: 9 out of 10

This game runs Smooth as Glass. The tweaks they made to the engine definitely shine here. Before I started my current campaign I played a Skirmish match just to see what I was getting into. Mainly I just started spamming my basic tank unit and getting resources. I waited until the yellow player went after the green player then I joined the battle and took them both on. There must have been 600 units on the screen and not once did it slow down or hiccup or glitch. Granted I've got a powerhouse gaming rig, but I imagine the result would have been the same even on a slower rig. I may install this on my wife's system as well just to test that theory.

Sound: 10 out of 10

There's not a lot you can say about the sound in the game other then to say it sounds good and fits the game perfectly. The explosions and gun-fire sound crisp, the music some-how is able to be subtle and epic at the same time which isn't something that can be accomplished easily. The voice acting is done well and you get the sense that the actors enjoyed their lines.

UI: 9 out of 10

The User Interface for Sup Com 2 is pretty well done. It's not obtrusive at all, it doesn't get in the way, and it provides plenty of info to get the job done. It's sleek and pretty intuitive. They completely revamped the research system and the way units are upgraded and the UI makes it really easy to use.

Game-play: 8 out of 10

If you are a RTS fan and enjoyed the first game you'll love the sequel. They changed the research system and upgrade system and it fits really well into game-play. There are some negative aspects though such as the fact they incorporated some of the larger factories directly into the map its-self. This means you often don't have a choice in where to build your bases. Resources are placed and grouped in more centralized locations and there aren't as many of them on a map as in the first game, again limiting where you're going to build your bases. All the maps I've played so far have been fun, and there are plenty of HUGE maps as in the first game, but, even so some of them seem limiting and some-what predictable.

There are lots of new Experimental units to play with, some of which have very specialized abilities. This means these units can be great for very specific tasks but otherwise complete scrap metal waiting to happen for other tasks. Some of them can be a real dual edged sword because you may make too many of one and not enough of another and you can't make any more in time to save your ass. Others of them are exactly how you expect and they are massive killing machines which are devastating and fun to use. I can see already there are going to be a lot of subtle strategies to use in on-line matches.

Over all, if not for the minor step down in graphics and some of the maps being limiting, this would be the Perfect RTS game. I probably won't get into multiplayer action with this one. The only RTS I really enjoyed multiplayer are Starcraft and the Star Trek: Armada series. Supreme Commander 2 can definitely give Starcraft 2 a "run for the money" for top RTS game. I think Starcraft has the lead in fan base because it's out a lot longer, but Sup Com 2 could be just as huge given enough time. The factions are well balanced against each other and play evenly though with different abilities. They each have a unique flavor while keeping basic game-play elements the same.

If you liked the first one you'll really enjoy this one. You shouldn't pass it up if you have a little spare cash and like a good RTS.

Ending Score: 8 out of 10