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Ground control

“A genre-defining relic that time has made genuinely difficult to love”

balance MIXED VERDICT

Check $35.98 on Amazon open_in_new

6.2

Inside Scoop Score

Mixed · 6.2 / 10

auto_awesome INSIDE SCOOP

The Inside Scoop

THE VERDICT

Ground Control (2000) is a historically significant RTS that ditched base-building for pure tactical combat on maps that were jaw-dropping for their era. The streamlined unit management and combined-arms gameplay still offer real satisfaction, but brutal pathfinding, no mid-mission saves, and a story that fizzles before it pays off make this a frustrating experience as much as a rewarding one. At $3.99 on GOG or Steam, the price is right, but you are buying a piece of history, not a polished modern game.

Anchored by Salokin's review

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Massive, genuinely impressive maps

The fully 3D terrain spanning tundras, marshlands, and deserts was extraordinary for 2000 and still makes combined-arms maneuvering feel grand and spatial in a way few RTS games attempted.

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Pure tactical combat, no busywork

Stripping out base-building and resource gathering keeps every decision focused on unit positioning, loadout planning, and battlefield execution, a design choice that influenced Company of Heroes and World in Conflict.

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Strong voice acting and presentation

Jennifer Hale and Greg Berger anchor a cast that delivers genuine unit banter and mission briefings that make the battlefield feel alive even when the overarching story underdelivers.

Owner Reception

Verified owner data

shopping_cart Amazon 3,100 ratings

85% loved 7% critical

Critical reviews ≈ 217

warning WATCH OUTS

Before You Buy — What Nobody Tells You

Most owners are happy — only 7% of 3,100 Amazon ratings are 1–2★. These are the specific gripes worth weighing before you buy:

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No mid-mission saves, ever

Missions run 30 to 40 minutes and there is no checkpoint system, so a single pathfinding disaster or lost command APC can force you to restart the entire level from scratch.

— from top reviewer Salokin

lightbulb Play on the second-lowest difficulty and keep your command APC surrounded and stationary as much as possible to avoid the instant game-over condition.
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UI locked at 1024x768 by default

The game caps its native resolution at a tiny 1024 by 768, making menus and UI elements nearly unreadable on modern monitors without a fan-made executable tweak.

— from top reviewer Salokin

lightbulb Download the community fan-made exe fix to force 1920x1080, but accept that the UI will render very small as a trade-off.
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Artillery breaks the whole game

Once you realize artillery has massive range, great AOE, fast refire, and unlimited ammunition, it becomes the dominant strategy for almost every mission, collapsing the intended rock-paper-scissors unit design.

— from top reviewer Salokin

groups VERDICT

Who it's for

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Best For

RTS history buffs and fans of Company of Heroes or World in Conflict who want to trace the genre evolution and can tolerate late-1990s jank at a throwaway price.

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Skip If

Anyone expecting a polished modern experience or who has low tolerance for dated pathfinding, forced restarts, and a story that never lands its ending.

forum REDDIT

Voices of Reddit

korean combat film hand historical video traditional korea silent modern ground striking system footage movements proto technical master structure sports ministry archive throws karate control period japanese wrestling actual translation original opponent cultural heritage colonial been materials speed style subak pound systems grappling clinch films topknot grabbing parts records included

Praised Criticized Mentioned · Drawn from 3 threads · 4 comments

smart_display VIDEO REVIEWS

Video reviews

10:31

person

Ground Control Review: Truly Massive

Salokin • 16158

"In the 2000s, Ground Control was the cutting edge RTS title with colossal maps, fully 3D graphics and a very story driven ..."

14:32

person

Ground Control Review - Forgotten, but Charming

Echoist From Old • 14811

"GroundControl, #RTS, #RTS_Review #GroundControlReview Ground Control is the first game made by Massive, which is now a ..."

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