Planetary Annihilation

 PC
User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 418 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 188 out of 418
  2. Mixed: 64 out of 418
  3. Negative: 166 out of 418
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  1. kwopper
    Jun 28, 2014
    10
    Fantastic RTS with gorgeous yet simplistic graphics and gameplay mechanics, this is innovation done right. Very few bugs and easy to understand controls, as well as a large amount of content, and this game is still in early development. We will likely see much more content added in the future, not that it is necessary. Get it now during the steam summer sales.
  2. cody112
    Jul 2, 2014
    10
    Planetary Annihilation is still in development and has bugs, performance issues, etc. Do not participate in the early access unless you understand what in development means as well as the issues that could arise. Currently has a release date of sometime in 2014. Release date could be changed at any time. I will not write a review until Planetary Annihilation is released.
  3. Andweeb
    Oct 2, 2014
    10
    I think this game deserves better ratings than what it's currently got. I would think it's at 6 right now because of all the early adopters writing reviews before the game was even finished. It's come a long way and unlike many other eary access games the developers have been consistent and updated the game regularily - they have not left us in the dark. I am a TA and FA player and II think this game deserves better ratings than what it's currently got. I would think it's at 6 right now because of all the early adopters writing reviews before the game was even finished. It's come a long way and unlike many other eary access games the developers have been consistent and updated the game regularily - they have not left us in the dark. I am a TA and FA player and I really, really enjoy this game. It's more polished than people have been giving it credit for. It's fun, fast and exciting gameplay. The AI is intelligent and provide a challenging game. Multiplayer is addicting and being able to launch into space and smash planets ect. is the icing on the cake. There are many innovations in this game also, it's not just a copy of the originals with a few extras as people have suggested. There's a 4th dimension to this game that's absent from the originals (which only contain land, water, and air units)... now we have SPACE. Graphics are really nice with realistic day/night planet rotation effects. I'm really glad I bought in early on this game and I now can't wat until I play my next game of PA... I'm at work at the moment damnit!… Expand
  4. TrophySystem
    Sep 10, 2014
    10
    TL;DR This game is an 8, but I will submit a 10 sheerly because I had to downvote 9 0's that just didn't make sense. What follows is a comphrehensive overview, pros, and cons. If it's biased, it is at least factually supported points.

    About P.A.: It is an RTS, build a base and an army and attack an enemy that does the same. It has been in development little over 2 years now, in total,    TL;DR This game is an 8, but I will submit a 10 sheerly because I had to downvote 9 0's that just didn't make sense. What follows is a comphrehensive overview, pros, and cons. If it's biased, it is at least factually supported points.

    About P.A.: It is an RTS, build a base and an army and attack an enemy that does the same. It has been in development little over 2 years now, in total, and to compare, Starcraft and Supcom were 5 year games with completely behind the curtains development for 90% of it so you didn't have any details until it was just about done. In 2 years time, I don't claim that PA is at the same progress point as Supcom. I do claim it is a solid foundation. Such is par for an indie kickstarter title.

    It is mostly webscript built, run on OpenGL, UI is a Coherent overlay, supported on Win/Mac/Linux. It does not have a playerside offline or server available, it is in development still although the game is released, and there are server mods via the server pulling the mod for the duration of a game. For that matter, the game also has a great clientside mod support. The game also is still actively developed and updated. Games generally need special troubleshooting to ensure best operation when they run on OpenGL and Coherent especially, keep that in mind that it may require a tweak to run for you as it usually ends up the case.

    The game is fun to play, different than other RTS, can be somewhat complex, it relies on it's macro high-volume scale. You don't build a powerplant and a factory and a laboratory. You build a factory, and then engineers, who you have spread across a map building powerplants and metal extractors and more factories. To play right, your structures must cover the face of a map, and you should have 20 factories because without metal/energy storage you simply "store" your metal and energy in a standing army or an expensive missile launcher. This leads to hundreds of units clashing into bases constantly burned to the ground and rebuilt time after time until somebody kills a leader unit, a vulnerable "Commander". These maps where the game takes place, are also planets. Spheres orbiting a star, and one can achieve orbital technology to travel between the spheres. In extreme games, one can invade with thousand unit armies through a teleporter, one can launch interplanetary nuclear missiles and the plural is important because it can take many nukes to land an effective blow, one can build jet engines on a small planetoid and launch it crashing into an enemy planet, one can use orbital laser satellites to launch precision strikes, or even transport heavily armored point blank vanguard tanks via air or orbit directly onto an enemy.

    Facts:
    -1 faction
    -2 tiers
    -4 units per basic, 4 units per advanced
    -Systems of a star with playing fields being the planets orbiting it and each other
    -Earthen (tropical, desert, ice, water), tropical, desert, ice, lava, lunar, and metal planets and biomes
    -Orbitals such as transports, builders, radars, anti-orbitals, defense platforms, laser strike satellite, as well as interplanetary teleporters once a builder establishes one on each location via standard travel
    -Superweapons, such as nuclear missiles, laser platforms, planet launching jet engines, and metal planet anti-planet-lasers
    -macro scale, requires construction of hundreds of structures across the face of a planet and hundreds or thousands of attack units
    -AI, can be very difficult, 4 difficulties and an economic handicap, best when eco handicap used as that controls it's "speed of expansion", and when playing multiple AI with less eco.
    -Skirmish is a match set up from a lobby, can add up to 10 seperate players, can be AI or human.
    -Galactic War Campaign is mildly storybased if at all, just a general back story, instead it is procedurally generated starmap with 4 factions, you start off with a select tech and battle star after star to unlock more tech and locate enemy faction leaders to defeat them wholesale. A loss is a game over, saves between matches but not in-match, can avoid a loss by alt-f4 closing game and restart at beginning of match as "retry".
    -"System Editor" is a map generator, it generates planets based on sliders and seeds, no hand-made editors yet
    -Active community, with mods both clientside and serverside
    -Active development post-release
    -7 different appearances of commander, multiple more purchased seperately, some available on retail purchase or from early access.
    -Online only upon release, servers in development for offline player use and player hosted multplayer at a later date
    -In-game recording that can be accessed in-game as well as stored after the game for watching.
    -No in-match save game, development in progress for loading a game from "replay", any point in time from a game's recorded match.
    -May require troubleshooting to run, unless you have used other OpenGL games or games using Coherent prior.
    -Bugs do exist but from a personal experience are not too frequent.    … Expand
  5. EricNeoMatrix
    Sep 9, 2014
    10
    While the game is not perfect (late-game balances issues, some technical problems), the game itself is incredibly deep and smashing moons into each other never gets old.

    The only reason I'm giving it a 10 is to balance some of the vitriol from the steam crowd, my actual score would be an 8.
  6. Bouter
    Sep 8, 2014
    10
    This is an awesome game, but only if you are open to appreciate it and like complex RTS games. The developers have done a wonderful job of taking the technology behind RTS games to a new level, but it will be years before the actual potential of their achievements will be unlocked through updates, mods en much more. Until this time, I enjoy being part of a new technological generation :)
  7. FWordFizz
    Mar 7, 2015
    10
    It's cheap, has pretty fun multiplayer and robot designs and lets you fulfill your dream of being a robot overlord beating the crap out of planets. What more can you ask for? Well probably alot, but because of my personal robot overlord fetish I'm willing to let this one slide. 10/10 A+
  8. telefoonboek
    Sep 13, 2014
    10
    Planetary Annihilation is an awesome game! If you like competetive multiplayer RTS games. Has the potential for huge battlefields on multiple planets. Get defeated on 1 planet? No worry u can still own another planet to fight back. By launches nukes, moons, planets at eachtothers base. Or ultimately with a death star.

    Command huge army's that get bigger and bigger. If you are good at    Planetary Annihilation is an awesome game! If you like competetive multiplayer RTS games. Has the potential for huge battlefields on multiple planets. Get defeated on 1 planet? No worry u can still own another planet to fight back. By launches nukes, moons, planets at eachtothers base. Or ultimately with a death star.

    Command huge army's that get bigger and bigger. If you are good at multitasking and like competetive rts, this will be your game.

    If you looking for a good singeplayer, this game has galactic war, but its just a prep for multiplayer and doesnt offer you much.    … Expand
  9. BSlGuru
    Jun 27, 2014
    10
    This is a lovely game. As it comes not finished, it's still in development yet, but its good to play. Some little bugs, but great gameplay sessions. With the galactic war update you can conquer the galaxy.

    Build up the base, protect by towers, walls, build units expand and fight. This game isn't limited by its environment. You can build up strong forces an than start the "total    This is a lovely game. As it comes not finished, it's still in development yet, but its good to play. Some little bugs, but great gameplay sessions. With the galactic war update you can conquer the galaxy.

    Build up the base, protect by towers, walls, build units expand and fight. This game isn't limited by its environment. You can build up strong forces an than start the "total annihilation" :-)
    The best is the Multiplayer. I love it!    … Expand
  10. brianpurkiss
    Jul 1, 2014
    10
    Planetary Annihilation is simply an awesome, "epic scale" Real Time Strategy Game. Notice I said "epic scale," not "large scale." After all, multi planet gameplay, planet smashing, thousands of units, and 40 player matches can be described as nothing less than "epic scale."

    Planetary Annihilation introduces a number of genre changing mechanics. Primarily, the randomly generated    Planetary Annihilation is simply an awesome, "epic scale" Real Time Strategy Game. Notice I said "epic scale," not "large scale." After all, multi planet gameplay, planet smashing, thousands of units, and 40 player matches can be described as nothing less than "epic scale."

    Planetary Annihilation introduces a number of genre changing mechanics. Primarily, the randomly generated spherical planets and the ability to fight on multiple planets simply hasn't been done before. Not to mention features like Planet Smashing, Galactic War (randomized campaign), and the ChronoCam. The ChronoCam allows players to rewind and fastforward gameplay in the middle of a match to watch events that they may have missed.

    On top of that, Planetary Annihilation's gameplay is fast paced, exciting, and strategy intensive. It's very possible for players to out maneuver their larger opponents, or exploit weaknesses and beat someone with a much larger army.

    If you are a fan of RTS games, I highly recommend Planetary Annihilation.    … Expand
  11. ellister
    Jul 1, 2014
    10
    Best RTS game ever made! Other developers shouldn't even try to compete. Game Over. Go home.

    This game has not disappointed me at all. The battles are enormous and span multiple planets and asteroids. There's an endless amount of ways you can finish off your opponents. Overrun them with bots and tanks, snipe them from space, attack from a distance with artillery units, nuke them from    Best RTS game ever made! Other developers shouldn't even try to compete. Game Over. Go home.

    This game has not disappointed me at all. The battles are enormous and span multiple planets and asteroids. There's an endless amount of ways you can finish off your opponents. Overrun them with bots and tanks, snipe them from space, attack from a distance with artillery units, nuke them from any planet, bombard their coastline with naval units, roast them from the air with bombers and gunships, devastate them with crawling bombs, burn their base to the ground with armored flame tanks, or accelerate an asteroid into their planet and flatten every machine that lived there. The game has several features, like Area Commands, Squads, and Screen Anchors that make it easy to keep up with the fight!    … Expand
  12. LoganFrost
    Jul 1, 2014
    10
    For the game being STILL NOT FINISHED it is fantastic. It will bring a huge breath of fresh air to the RTS genre. The game has its bugs, but that's why it is early access so we can get those bugs out. The game will take place on an incredible scale across an entire solar system. I enjoy it now and cannot wait for the full release!
  13. aggie2016
    Jul 2, 2014
    10
    It's only when you become a programmer yourself, do you begin to appreciate the complexity and thought that when into making this addictive RTS. I've put over 300 hours into this game (which is currently in development; a fact that some of the aggressive reviewers seem to have ignored). It currently has a wide feature set with a large laundry list of exciting features still in the works.It's only when you become a programmer yourself, do you begin to appreciate the complexity and thought that when into making this addictive RTS. I've put over 300 hours into this game (which is currently in development; a fact that some of the aggressive reviewers seem to have ignored). It currently has a wide feature set with a large laundry list of exciting features still in the works. Uber Entertainment has a winner in Planetary Annihilation and I would recommend anyone interested in large scale strategic wars (or previous fans of TA, Sup Com, or AOE) purchase this game and see for yourself just how amazing it is!!

    P.S. Ignore posters giving the game a 0/10 (like Cyliann). I get an average of 60 FPS in-game. The only time the frame rate drops is late game (which has already seen MASSIVE improvements in multi-threading to minimize this). Additionally, because this IN DEVELOPMENT game requires constant download of new features/content via updates (and continual reporting of server/client bugs) a fairly decent internet connection is required for now (between 1 - 2 MBps). After this game is shipped (version 1.0), Uber intends to provide all owners with the server files for offline play.    … Expand
  14. elvisior
    Jul 1, 2014
    10
    I love this game. The game is still being developed but I've enjoyed playing it since alpha. I had held off until recently to recommend this game to friends but it's now at a point where I think less hard core gamers can enjoy it.
    If you RTS games then in my opinion, this is the best one.
    I participated in a tournament a few weeks back and that was probably one of my favourite gaming    I love this game. The game is still being developed but I've enjoyed playing it since alpha. I had held off until recently to recommend this game to friends but it's now at a point where I think less hard core gamers can enjoy it.
    If you RTS games then in my opinion, this is the best one.
    I participated in a tournament a few weeks back and that was probably one of my favourite gaming experiences ever. Great fun!    … Expand
  15. dosh_money
    Jul 1, 2014
    10
    Great game, Developers are committed to excellence. Gameplay is intense and demanding of all your attention. Love playing it. I would advise anyone who loves strategy to try this game out.
  16. sudomilk
    Jul 1, 2014
    10
    It has been said that a game is only deep if you can constantly find counters to tactics which elevate the level of play higher and higher with time. StarCraft, Street Fighter, and even Chess are fantastic examples of this. Planetary Annihilation is very new, and not fully released, but already the "ceiling" of play is high and constantly rising as more competitive players come onto theIt has been said that a game is only deep if you can constantly find counters to tactics which elevate the level of play higher and higher with time. StarCraft, Street Fighter, and even Chess are fantastic examples of this. Planetary Annihilation is very new, and not fully released, but already the "ceiling" of play is high and constantly rising as more competitive players come onto the scene.

    If the development rends continue, this game will continue to improve, expand, and grow in the minds of strategists and gamers alike.    … Expand
  17. andrewnez
    Jul 2, 2014
    10
    As a die hard lover of Total Annihilation and the Supreme Commander series I was always going to love this game. What I didn't realise was how much. The rest of reviews here will tell you about the technical aspects and strategy elements of the game. I'm not going to repeat that here.

    What I will say is that this game has allowed me to revisit the heady days of the late nineties, back    As a die hard lover of Total Annihilation and the Supreme Commander series I was always going to love this game. What I didn't realise was how much. The rest of reviews here will tell you about the technical aspects and strategy elements of the game. I'm not going to repeat that here.

    What I will say is that this game has allowed me to revisit the heady days of the late nineties, back when LAN gaming for entire weekends playing Total Annihilation was a regular occurrence. Playing Planetary Annihilation brings that experience back in spades.

    It feels more TA than SupCom, but that's not a bad thing to me given that TA was my all time fave RTS game. Planetary Annihilation now holds that crown.    … Expand
  18. tatsu
    Jul 2, 2014
    10
    I say it's a 10 because of all it represents. If you've delved enough into grand scale simulated projectile real time strategy just a bit, then you'll know it's a big man's game requiring nothing but the best both from the PC and the gamer.

    PA lives up to it's predecessors in taking the sacred torch of this game genre and carrying it through into it's next generation, and once again    I say it's a 10 because of all it represents. If you've delved enough into grand scale simulated projectile real time strategy just a bit, then you'll know it's a big man's game requiring nothing but the best both from the PC and the gamer.

    PA lives up to it's predecessors in taking the sacred torch of this game genre and carrying it through into it's next generation, and once again being the pinnacle of software technology.

    It's nowhere near complete yet. But it's already a blast a a revolution.

    This game is just WAITING to topple Starcraft II and steal all of it's user base.

    this IS the next big thing.    … Expand
  19. naginacz
    Jul 2, 2014
    10
    Planetary Annihilation is one of the best RTS I've ever played.
    Very innovative and coherent.
    I would recommend it to all fans of Supreme Commander and Total Annihilation.
  20. sleepykid
    Sep 9, 2014
    10
    This is a revolutionary, awesome, epics scale RTS. There are not enough superlatives to describe this game. Get it. The game is awesome, and then you have the mods which make it even better. The game is released but that doesn't mean that development is finished. Many features are going to continue being added. BUY THIS GAME
  21. SumixaM_GAT
    Sep 6, 2014
    10
    The best rts i saw play since 2007 great design ,and great idea make a rts on a Sphere for a rts on 2014. Total Annihilation was a great game and this is one too.
  22. atlas97
    Sep 7, 2014
    10
    Best 30$ ever spent: it's the first RTS game on sphere maps mith 4 layers of combat and multiplanet combats! There is still some bugs but they'll be ironed out by the devs. Single player mode is procedural meaning that no boring campaign but ever changing conditions. Offline playing is coming soon as save games. /! Dont forget to update your drivers and dont do torrent while gaming or elseBest 30$ ever spent: it's the first RTS game on sphere maps mith 4 layers of combat and multiplanet combats! There is still some bugs but they'll be ironed out by the devs. Single player mode is procedural meaning that no boring campaign but ever changing conditions. Offline playing is coming soon as save games. /! Dont forget to update your drivers and dont do torrent while gaming or else you'll suffer from netloss… Expand
  23. snierke
    Sep 9, 2014
    10
    Real Time Strategy game on its best. In my opinion the game is epic. I loved Sup Com and FA. And I love this game. Easy for beginners. Start with skirmish games or one player game against easy AI. You can nerf the AI as much you want. But also challenging for skilled players (absurd AI and vs other skilled players).
    Conclusion: Many possible strategies and fun gameplay.
  24. cervantes1536
    Sep 10, 2014
    10
    The fact that you have planets orbiting each other, and the fact that you can fight on those planets simply blow my mind. No RTS in the history of gaming has done this before. This game is groundbreaking and will only get better as time goes on.

    True, some polish is still required, but developers are still working hard at the game. Offline mode will come soon. The technical skill    The fact that you have planets orbiting each other, and the fact that you can fight on those planets simply blow my mind. No RTS in the history of gaming has done this before. This game is groundbreaking and will only get better as time goes on.

    True, some polish is still required, but developers are still working hard at the game. Offline mode will come soon. The technical skill and acumen going into this game makes a great score a given.    … Expand
  25. QuickHead555
    Sep 11, 2014
    10
    This is the ultimate RTS game. You can smash planets! You can annihilate you enemies, you can blow up an ENTIRE PLANET! How aren't you throwing money at them?
  26. JHshin
    Sep 18, 2014
    10
    plz play game and write review...

    it's real awesome scale RTS
    stop the nagatice reviews.
    im not agree IGN review. is this real Generation RTS
    Great game, Developers are committed is very nice
  27. Shenmaryu
    Sep 19, 2014
    10
    The trailers promised us an intense cosmic-scale strategy, that would carry the legacy on Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander , with technologies so advanced, that you can send moons flying into each other.
    What did we get as a result?
    All of the promised plus a wonderful OST, cool design and tons of fun and experimentation. You do need to use your brains if you want to win, because    The trailers promised us an intense cosmic-scale strategy, that would carry the legacy on Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander , with technologies so advanced, that you can send moons flying into each other.
    What did we get as a result?
    All of the promised plus a wonderful OST, cool design and tons of fun and experimentation. You do need to use your brains if you want to win, because no matter what it is an RTS of an epic scale. Some units are better than others and lvl2 units are waaaay better than lvl1, but all of them have their roles on the battlefield.    … Expand
  28. Dryani
    Oct 3, 2014
    10
    Don't let neckbeard reviewers keep you from the best RTS game this year.

    If you like RTS games, buy this one immediately. If you like total annihilation or supreme commander, then buy this game. PA is fun, polished, and engaging.
  29. jagasian
    Oct 5, 2014
    10
    RTS fans know that the genre has two main flavors. There is the flavor popularized by games such as Warcraft and Starcraft and then there is the flavor popularized by games such as Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander. Planetary Annihilation is the latest game in the flavor of Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander. This flavor is the more hardcore RTS flavor. The learning curveRTS fans know that the genre has two main flavors. There is the flavor popularized by games such as Warcraft and Starcraft and then there is the flavor popularized by games such as Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander. Planetary Annihilation is the latest game in the flavor of Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander. This flavor is the more hardcore RTS flavor. The learning curve is higher for these types of RTS games and when it comes to Planetary Annihilation, the learning curve is even higher. The scale of battles is epic! There are several types of units: ground, water, air, and now space units. The fact that battles can span a solar system makes the game truly 3D. You have to worry about fights on the ground, in the sky, as well as fights in orbit!

    People that give this game low reviews need to realize that it was developed by an indie game studio on a shoestring budget. You won't get cinematic cut scenes and that kind of crap in this game. You will, however, get an innovative variation on a hardcore flavor of RTS games. If you love RTS games, and especially if you love the TA and SupCom flavor, you should support this game since it does a great job of innovating in PC gaming's last great genre: the RTS.    … Expand
  30. Ricoo
    Oct 19, 2014
    10
    A great following to Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander.
    Not perfect but very entertaining, fun, and challenging.
    It has many possibilties for victory.
    It has great AI and is full of fresh ideas for a RTS.
    I like this game!
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Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
62

Mixed or average reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 18
  3. Negative: 2 out of 18
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Nov 1, 2014
    50
    A frustrating experience. [Nov 2014, p.60]
  2. GameSpot
    Oct 31, 2014
    70
    True, its best qualities can be obscured in the early going by its unforgiving difficulty and the absence of good tutorials, but even when you're overwhelmed, speedy combat and smart AI reel you in. Give it time, and the fast and furious combat smooth out the rough edges into a compelling and challenging strategy game.
    Read full review
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 25, 2014
    70
    Planetary Annihilation looks and feels underwhelming. Interplanetary combat might seem fun on paper, but gameplay-wise it's an absolute chore. And that's just it, Planetary Annihilation is missing all the FUN which was present on Supreme Commander - a much better successor to Total Annihilation. [Oct 2014]
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