Sudden Strike

The Sudden Strike series is a collection of real-time tactics (RTT) computer games set in World War II. The player selects a faction (e.g. Soviets, Germans, or Allied forces) and gains control of many varied units such as infantry, tanks and artillery. The games focus primarily on tactics, eschewing traditional real-time strategy resource gathering and base development. The series is developed by Fireglow of Cyprus and published by CDV software of Germany.

Sudden Strike
The original Sudden Strike, released in 2000, included three campaigns (Soviets, Germans, and Allied forces). The battles are presented in an isometric perspective with line-of-sight occlusions and practical cover. Sudden Strike helped pioneer the real-time tactics genre, building upon concepts established by Counter Action for DOS, which was published by Mindscape/SSI in 1996.

Sudden Strike utilizes accurate in-game physics with houses and buildings obstructing units' view, line-of-sight and firing range whereas clumps of trees can provide cover to reduce the damage of tank ordnance. The game allows units to garrison a building for a stronger firing position, especially valuable for anti-tank infantry. Units can also hold their fire, providing much-needed reconnaissance. Damage evaluation is also realistic; tanks or other vehicles that take too much damage are rendered immobile unless repairs are made.

For most of the missions, although a complete briefing is given, historical context is not provided; the player is only given specific instructions and objectives to accomplish. O comeback after receiving much-needed reinforcements. The same scenario is also playable from the German perspective.

Sudden Strike Forever
Sudden Strike Forever is an official add-on to Sudden Strike which introduces many more historically correct units and equipment, such as the upgraded Soviet T-34 tank (1944 version). New terrains are also provided: a desert terrain for the British missions in Tobruk and Tripoli and snow terrains for Soviet missions. The expansion also polished the game engine, balanced the damage of certain units, and added a map and scenario editor.

The add-on includes 4 inter-linked scenarios for each of the campaigns for the Germans, the American, the British and the Soviets. Other units which are added into the add-on includes, but not limited to the Universal Carrier for the British; the BR-5 artillery, 160mm grenade launcher for the Soviet forces and more. The supply system has also been tweaked with artillery crews automatically resupplying themselves with ammo crates nearby instead of relying on supply trucks to do the job. The supply trucks would still be needed to repair damages inflicted on these artillery units, however.

The German campaign puts the player into the winter setting of Russian hinterlands with limited troops and reinforcements available, thus relying on use of captured Soviet artillery as well as equipment. The British campaign deals with the defense of an unnamed seaport from German attacks, whereas the American campaign probably takes place in France during the autumn season as the foliage on the vegetation suggest. The Soviet campaign involves a large armored division counter-attack on Russian soil and the storming of the Wehrmacht-controlled airfields. As with the earlier Sudden Strike original campaigns, the briefings do not explain the historical setting of the campaign, thus only issuing standardized orders to the player to e.g. dispel enemy attacks or to simply take over a designated airfield in the east and so on. The add-on also includes 5 new single player individual scenarios.

Sudden Strike 2
Sudden Strike 2 was also developed by Russian developer Fireglow and published by CDV and was released in 2002. The game has since undergone minor changes in its game engine and now features a higher resolution setting and other graphical changes. The campaign still involves the Soviets and Allies, against the Germans and a new country, Japan. While striving for historical accuracy, the missions are mostly fiction. The American missions are in the Rhine regions and tend to involve 'borrowing' war equipment from the German army rather than using their own tanks and other weapons. The British missions revolves around the actual events at Wolfheze and Arnhem and the attempted capture of the bridge. The Japanese missions are centered along the lines of tropical jungle warfare and the use of tanks is somewhat limited whereas the Soviet campaign is based on the capture of the city of Kharkov and other battles along the Dniepr river waged by the Soviet Red Army.

Sudden Strike: Resource War
An enhanced version of Sudden Strike 2 which was released in 2005. The game includes new campaigns for all playable sides. A map editor is included with the game for creation of custom levels and campaigns.

''Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory
Sudden Strike 3 is special in the series in that it is the only released game in the franchise that is in three dimensions. (3D) It is also said that it has a less of a difficulty curve, and therefore does not represent an unfair challenge. It was released April 2008, and it currently has a free add-on for it. It features the pacific campaigns, as well as the U.S. and Allied campaigns as well as Germany. It also features a better map editor, with more features such as making trenches.

''Sudden Strike: The Last Stand
It was released in June 2010. It is a sequel to Sudden Strike 3 which brings back a few features from Sudden Strike 2. The user interface is reworked in order to make it easier for player to control units and realize his tactics in the game.

Reception
Gamespot rated Sudden Strike 3 as the best of the franchise.