Ground Control 2000

Released: May 31, 2000
Genres: Real Time Strategy (RTS) · Strategy
Platform: PC
Developer: Massive Entertainment
Publisher: Sierra Entertainment
More info: IGDB

Where to buy

On sale: $0.62 $4.99 -88% as Ground Control Anthology on Fanatical More deals on Fanatical, and in Strategy
Digital: GOG Fanatical Steam
Physical: Search on Amazon

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Is it still worth playing?

Two factions fight over a planet and a series of alien artifacts on its surface. It is a real time tactics game for Windows from 2000, and you act as an officer for each, using futuristic troops, terrain and careful planning. The camera is fully free, from a bird's-eye view to the perspective of a unit at ground level. There is no resource management or base building, so success comes from using the units available. Before a mission the player picks which squads to bring and loads them onto orbital dropships, up to three depending on progress, and no reinforcements can be called during the mission. Troop choice matters so much that each battle rewards planning, as it does for anyone who plays now.