Cortex Command

 PC
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 138 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 89 out of 138
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 138
  3. Negative: 28 out of 138

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  1. Remainz
    Nov 15, 2012
    3
    I bought this game six or seven years ago but I haven't played it for the last five or six years so when I saw it on steam I figured I would start it up and see whats new. Besides a barely functional campaign the answer is nothing. This game can be a lot of fun at times but $20 on steam is a joke. If you are thinking about purchasing this game I would suggest finding an old demoI bought this game six or seven years ago but I haven't played it for the last five or six years so when I saw it on steam I figured I would start it up and see whats new. Besides a barely functional campaign the answer is nothing. This game can be a lot of fun at times but $20 on steam is a joke. If you are thinking about purchasing this game I would suggest finding an old demo version first as it will most likely be nearly identical to what you would be buying. I have given my money to many indie games while they were still in development and this is the only time I have been disappointed with the outcome. If the developer was as committed to the game as he is to replying to every critic on steam with bs excuses this game could have been finished years ago.… Expand
  2. Ian277
    Apr 15, 2013
    3
    It was a cool concept, but the interface it just annoying. i find it unplayable. building the base is the only part i enjoyed. the rest of it im an not impressed with. i normally don't buy games with these types of ratings but i went out on a limb to buy it because it looked very cool. but trust me if you want to spend hours mastering a unfriendly interface and tedious combat and mining,It was a cool concept, but the interface it just annoying. i find it unplayable. building the base is the only part i enjoyed. the rest of it im an not impressed with. i normally don't buy games with these types of ratings but i went out on a limb to buy it because it looked very cool. but trust me if you want to spend hours mastering a unfriendly interface and tedious combat and mining, go ahead. it is not for me if you have the patience you may be interested. so yeah... that is all.… Expand
  3. Mk2
    Oct 30, 2012
    0
    This release of the game, albeit advertised as "1.0", is quite broken. "11 years in the making" but still the engine doesn't manage to run without constant hickups on a modern machine. The only good thing i can say about Cortex Command is it's interesting premise
  4. thebob288
    Dec 26, 2012
    0
    Its a great concept and I see where its trying to go, but the a.i and controls are bad to the point that it's unplayable. That's not even mentioning the glitches and the complete lack of any story mode or multiplayer.
    Just....don't pay for it
  5. bmg1985
    Nov 9, 2012
    0
    Buggy as hell. Not worth the asking price on Steam. Plays like an alpha, a lot of features missing. Developer claims that "updates will come", and has now disappeared.

    Also, the developer interacts very badly with the community, his reaction to criticism is actually saying "cool story, bro" to a customer.
  6. YazzleDazzle
    Dec 8, 2012
    2
    Confusing, repetitive and shallow. This game disapointed on every front. The interface is un-intuitive and does little to help the player navigate through the many options. The controls feel clunky and take some time to get used to. The AI is... quite simple and unimaginative. It took a couple hours to get the hang of the game and after that, only a couple more hours to figure out anConfusing, repetitive and shallow. This game disapointed on every front. The interface is un-intuitive and does little to help the player navigate through the many options. The controls feel clunky and take some time to get used to. The AI is... quite simple and unimaginative. It took a couple hours to get the hang of the game and after that, only a couple more hours to figure out an infallible strategy. At that point, I had no interest in playing anymore. On the other hand, the concept of the game is incredible. The amount of work gone into it must have been staggering and the physics engine it's so proud of is quite fun at times. The different factions are varied enough to make it fun to switch although it might benefit to add some higher tiered units on all factions. Overall, the concept is wonderful but it fails to deliver and create a positive lasting experience. This game seemed to me more like a proof-of-concept that this could be a game someday. Not worth the money or the time the way it is now.… Expand
  7. wizegamer
    Aug 5, 2013
    2
    You have been permanently banned from all Cortex Command discussions.
    You were banned by a Cortex Command developer.
    Reason: "Trolling" truth is this game is fun but has horrible game breaking bugs that the developer refuses to discuss or talk about. i bought this game just like everyone else but when i went to the discussion area to talk about how proper game ending code was missing,    You have been permanently banned from all Cortex Command discussions.
    You were banned by a Cortex Command developer.
    Reason: "Trolling"

    truth is this game is fun but has horrible game breaking bugs that the developer refuses to discuss or talk about. i bought this game just like everyone else but when i went to the discussion area to talk about how proper game ending code was missing, i was banned and refused the right to talk about the game i had bought. i am pretty sure there is freedom of speech bull i could bring up BUT THE TRUTH IS I JUST WANT THE GAME TO BE GREAT but sadly it inst. i give it a 2 for 4 hours of game fun but no prolong-able enjoyment.    … Expand
  8. Evecque
    Oct 7, 2012
    0
    While this game has a good concept, it has been terribly executed. It is laughable to think of this game as complete even after 11 years. Be wary, as this is not mentioned on Steam store page. In addition to its unfinished state and numerous gamebreaking bugs (such as random unit explosions and various screen issues) there are fundamental flaws in the game that will most certainly neverWhile this game has a good concept, it has been terribly executed. It is laughable to think of this game as complete even after 11 years. Be wary, as this is not mentioned on Steam store page. In addition to its unfinished state and numerous gamebreaking bugs (such as random unit explosions and various screen issues) there are fundamental flaws in the game that will most certainly never be fixed, such as inability to incorporate online multiplayer and an engine that taxes a single core of the processor so badly that as the battles get longer, the game gets slower. This game is sloppy in many areas and is in NO way worth the $20 asking price. Stay away.… Expand
  9. los_majklos
    Oct 9, 2012
    3
    Its a quality indie game, very refreshing for a moment... The problem is, that after few hours, it gets repetitive as hell. And also it has a fair number of technical issues. The graphic is freezing on my 4core computer with graphic card, which can render the most complex games in stable 60 fps... :D Thats why I would never buy it again. It was foolish of me and if it should be worthIts a quality indie game, very refreshing for a moment... The problem is, that after few hours, it gets repetitive as hell. And also it has a fair number of technical issues. The graphic is freezing on my 4core computer with graphic card, which can render the most complex games in stable 60 fps... :D Thats why I would never buy it again. It was foolish of me and if it should be worth buying, the price would have to be somewhere around 1 or maximally 2 euros! Dont buy it.… Expand
  10. Freez
    Oct 20, 2012
    3
    I bought this off Steam for 20 bucks...seriously? this is like some beta game even i could make....The potential is great. This game could be really awsome, but as is its garbage.. woulda rather spent my 20 bucks on a case of beer for the night than this. Maybe if they actually spent a bit of time on the tutorial and campaign woulda made the game better, feels to unfinished....Its likeI bought this off Steam for 20 bucks...seriously? this is like some beta game even i could make....The potential is great. This game could be really awsome, but as is its garbage.. woulda rather spent my 20 bucks on a case of beer for the night than this. Maybe if they actually spent a bit of time on the tutorial and campaign woulda made the game better, feels to unfinished....Its like they started making a great game then just gave up half way through and went and walked their dog or something and never came back....a shame... and 20 bucks for this? shame on you devs...ill change this review if u ever come back and put some thought into this, sh*t its not like 20 bucks is alot, but to just flush it down the toilet isnt cool either... atleast watching the bill spin down the toilet for 3 seconds woulda been more entertaining......................................… Expand
  11. ChunkySaurus
    Sep 29, 2012
    4
    I find the premise of this game very interesting. Build a bunker to defend your brain and control several "bots" to defend, mine and attack. I want to like it a lot more but the game is far from a polished product. The new campaign button will even warn you that the game lacks polish. Too bad the developer didn't tell people that before taking their money.

    The game play itself is    I find the premise of this game very interesting. Build a bunker to defend your brain and control several "bots" to defend, mine and attack. I want to like it a lot more but the game is far from a polished product. The new campaign button will even warn you that the game lacks polish. Too bad the developer didn't tell people that before taking their money.

    The game play itself is painfully slow. I am a patient person, but the speed at which bots move is unbearably slow. It becomes almost painful to hold down the key/button to make your bot walk all the way across your bunker. Most of what you do is make the bots walk to where they need to be so this is a real problem. Bot movement is very goofy. I am still not sure if this was an intentional design choice as you are supposed to remote controlling these bots. The physics were just off in a lot of situations. Several of my bots stuck to walls or fell off the edge of the map, never to be seen again.

    I have heard that the developer is still working on the game actively. If there are improvements made this score could jump higher. But as-is this is not worth $20. There are so many better indie games out there for a lot less. I would wait until the developer has made an effort to fix this mess before trying it.    … Expand
  12. Scritty
    Oct 9, 2012
    1
    Maybe the 1 is for the sense of disappointment after the concept promised so much, the fanbase seemed so bouyant and the 11 year production cycle seemed to hint at a "labour or love". The game is bugged, the AI is stupid the tutorial "isn't". A game that should blend customization and strategy with a bit of control and shooting yourself becomes a real micromangement chore very quickly.Maybe the 1 is for the sense of disappointment after the concept promised so much, the fanbase seemed so bouyant and the 11 year production cycle seemed to hint at a "labour or love". The game is bugged, the AI is stupid the tutorial "isn't". A game that should blend customization and strategy with a bit of control and shooting yourself becomes a real micromangement chore very quickly. Normally this sort of game is exactly my cup of tea, but this really isn't very good at all.… Expand
  13. Scorcher24
    Feb 8, 2014
    0
    The game was releases unfinished. It was under the promise that it will be finished. Since over one year, there has not been a single patch or even a word from the developer. He took the money and ran.

    The game has numerous game breaking bugs that can be classified as show stoppers. Given the price of 20$ for this game, this is simply unacceptable.
  14. Vas
    Jun 29, 2014
    2
    This game had potential, but it is still full of bugs and exploits. There are quite a few things which can kill you and lose the game if you just slightly accidentally step the wrong way. It also seems to be incredibly easy with the expoits. The game recently updated which seemed to made it slightly more stable, so my score is going up, just a bit. I also found a great mod for it, soThis game had potential, but it is still full of bugs and exploits. There are quite a few things which can kill you and lose the game if you just slightly accidentally step the wrong way. It also seems to be incredibly easy with the expoits. The game recently updated which seemed to made it slightly more stable, so my score is going up, just a bit. I also found a great mod for it, so that helped too. Games that support modding tend to go up on my list. I still wouldn't say this game is -that- worth it, so it all depends on how faithful you are. I might have rated it higher, if the dev didn't have fan boys coming here to rig the user score by posting fake 9-10 ratings.… Expand
  15. Tabbou
    Jul 8, 2021
    4
    Contrôles pas intuitifs, j'ai même pas eu envie de découvrir tout ce que le jeu avait à offrir

Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
92
#92 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
44

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 7
  3. Negative: 3 out of 7
  1. SpazioGames
    Dec 4, 2012
    65
    Despite some issues with the price and the struggling about understanding the mechanics behind it, Cortex Command is simply a good retro-looking game.
    Read full review
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Dec 2, 2012
    30
    An unfinished game that requires much more attention before it can realise its incredible promise. [Dec 2012, p.82]
  3. PC Gamer
    Nov 15, 2012
    40
    Occasionally entertaining, but plagued by AI bugs and hamstrung by a clunky user interface. Less than the sum of its parts.
    Read full review
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