Reviews - GuardianTempest

I've downloaded this mod on Nexus. I have to admit, this is an amazing mod that faithfully adapts its source material.

The fact that the modder managed to implement the gameplay mechanics to such a degree in New Vegas' engine is a testament to his skill.

I think it's unfair to judge the quality of the models if they're shrunken down, making the topology less relevant. Still, I'll have to give this a relatively low score since the mod isn't feature-complete, like missing GPs and a form of secondary income.

That, and it's very difficult to finish Generals Challenge with this faction (I've made a personal patch to play GC with them). Small units make them very inefficient against their larger counterparts unless you reduce their price by 90%. But that's just a nitpicky note that shouldn't be relevant.

For a mod about larger-scale conflicts with small units (thus making the battlefield seem bigger), it does the job enough. There's still room for improvement.

Remix Escalation is one of my favorite mods for Zero Hour. It's not be much in terms of fancy textures and detailed models. Instead the mod is experimenting with gameplay from the sheer diversity of mechanics and the most unique units/abilities I've seen, many of which I don't see in other mods. Despite its origins as a Contra spin-off (as indicated by the shared units like the Desert Cruiser, Yan-Wang, and the SDI Cannon), it has evolved into something distinct.

Every general has a unique gameplay gimmick and many of them have diverging tech tree choices you can select from different points of play. Robotics General gives you the selection of choosing drone swarms or giant mechs at the start of the battle. The Assault General's tech progression revolves around a powerful base defense that grows into a superweapon. Infantry General's War Factory is replaced with an airstrip that paradrops vehicles straight into the rally point—and many more special quirks to list.

Despite the praise I give this mod, it's not without its flaws. For starters, only three of the twelve generals have fully-functional AI (one general only working on Medium/"Aggressive"). They're pretty merciless and have full access to all their tech trees and GPs very early on, especially the unbeatable Air Force. Another thing is an uncanny lack of polish. Reaching escalation tiers takes a long while, which would be unbearable if you're playing PvE (AI has Tier 3 units at the start, you don't).

Regardless, the mod has a lot of potential and could even break off from its origin as a Contra spin-off. Alas development has ceased, leaving all of this mod's innovations withering to the dust of history. Mind you, it's still playable in its current state, there's just a lot of room for improvement and exploration. The amount of content in each general is overwhelming at first.

In conclusion I recommend this mod at least to see how far Pendaelose and Capt. Drake tinkered with Zero Hour and implement a lot of great ideas that aren't usually seen in other mods.

Notable things I like:
- Almost every general has their own kind of defenses (e.g. Air Force General has various flavors of Firebases)
- Skynet AI Core is primarily a passive superweapon (calls in attacks by itself)
- Research General's highly customizable tech tree
- Satellite Uplink and Relay allows you to have a weaponized Sat Scan
- Tank General's lightning tanks, and its "Chain Lightning" mode that can hit multiple units in one shot
- Infantry General's Drop Strip, being able to directly paradrop vehicles right into the field of battle
- Drones available for Nuke General's vehicles
- Toxin General's Kirov knockoffs and Canister Cannons
- Stealth General's purchasable Generals Powers