Carrier Command: Gaea Mission
Developer: Bohemia Interactive
Publisher: Bohemia Interactive
Platforms: PC (reviewed), Xbox 360
Release Date: Out Now
Price: $49.99  (Buy Here)

Overview

Carrier Command: Gaea Mission is the reboot/remake of the classic Carrier Command video game from almost 20 years, or so, ago. Bohemia Interactive have really created a game that brings the classic formula into the modern day while still retaining its own image.

Is it a good game though? Read on to find out.

Story

The story in Carrier Command Gaea Mission follows the conquest of a particular soldier as he takes command of a Command Carrier battleship that he must use to conquer a series of islands in an effort to defeat the enemies commander aboard an opposing Command Carrier. The story is told through cutscenes and gameplay, with the cutscenes being more predominant at the start of the game.

I think that I may have remarked on this with my earlier preview, but I felt that the cutscenes didn’t really fit the game too well. I think that the game would have been improved if instead of us having to sit through these scenes, we were instead thrown straight into the game and had to experience these events ourselves, or had to put the pieces back together through a little bit of detective work. However, this is incredibly minor as throughout the rest of the game, you are dealing with the story through gameplay, so it balances out.

In regards to the stories depth, I thought that it was actually quite shallow. This isn’t a fault of the games though, the gameplay doesn’t really lend itself to an overly complex narrative component. The story is there to drive the player forward initially; and it does just that.

Gameplay

This is where the game truly shines. Honestly I can not put into words how much fun I had as a commander and watching my AI units do as I commanded them. But before we go that far into the gameplay, we’ll start at the top. What is the player going to be doing whilst playing Carrier Command?

Well, most predominantly, the player will be shooting at drones, capturing bases and piloting vehicles. Now, for many players, this will sound like fun and really –  it is. Things become especially fun when you’re flying around in a plane-thingy with a couple of other ones formed up on you. Sometimes its cool to just not worry about playing the game and just fly around. Flight is always freeing.

Of course, there are more than flying vehicles, there are also these amphibious tank thingies that can also drive on land. What sucks about these though is that they lose traction when driving on mud. Initially you don’t realise it and then you need to manouever and then you’re bogged down. This is especially bad for combat. Fight on dry land or on sea with this baby.

I feel that the game kind of lacked difficulty in some battles. The enemy drones really felt like they were drones. There were also some issues with the games AI where if you exploit the geometry a little bit, they would try to find the best angle to shoot at you from, rather than actually shoot at you. This made toppling over a rail on a raised platform advantageous in some fights if you could do it without falling off. You could even use this technique to have a wingman fight the enemy while you have its agro.

For those of us that don’t want to play the game with a story mode; there is a strategy mode included in the game where players are able to adjust the winning conditions of the game, as well as the initial conditions. This means that you can essentially play through the game without a storyline. The objective of the game is still the same, defeating the enemy Carrier Commander. But now, instead of starting with nothing, you have a few islands and have to spend the rest of your time capturing your opponents. The game plays exactly the same as in the storyline, but without all the drama.

Overall I loved playing this game, it is a crap-tonne of fun and anyone picking it up will not be disappointed. At least not from a pure gameplay perspective.

Visuals

Carrier Command Gaea Mission will not be winning any awards for its visuals. The game looked more like Doom 3 than it does Battlefield 3. Though, this is not necessarily a bad thing. As gamers, we really need to get out of the “better graphics equals better gameplay” mindset because this will only push developers to make their games pretty but not be very fun from a gameplay perspective. However, whilst Gaea Mission is not the prettiest, it is incredibly fun.

The visuals in the game do their job and some pieces actually have a really good aesthetic behind them. Take the Command Carrier itself, I simply love the design of it. I want a model. On my desk. So I can play with it in the bath.

Seriously though, all the units in the game are designed incredibly well and as long as you’re not a grumpy “hurr, graffix” type, you’ll probably agree with me that everything in the game looks incredibly nice. I particularly love the way the ocean looks as your Carrier flows through it. It’s a stunning view.

Audio

The Audio in this game is pretty well done. There isn’t really all that much music to be heard whilst playing, so you’ll spend most of your time listening to the engines of whatever it is that your currently occupying.

The audio quality on these are excellent and really give you the impression that you’re piloting a piece of military equipment. The engines sound heavy, the weapons sound weapony. It’s all really cool from there.

I only wish that there was more music in the game. Sailing the seas in silence, without pirate tunes or something to guide you can get a bit dull.

Overall

Carrier Command: Gaea Mission is an incredibly fun experience that gamers will enjoy. It offers a strategic method of gameplay that is combined with the personal touch of combat by allowing the player to take the reigns. I would recommend this title heartily.