I had the privilege recently of being able to play a pre alpha demo of the game, and what I've seen so far is most impressive. Sporting some truly beautiful graphics, realistic sounds, historically accurate units in massive numbers (up to 1000 can be present in a mission) and complex mission objectives, it seems as though the designers are well on track to making a game that rises above the competition in a crowded market.

Without a doubt what struck me about this game was how realistic it felt, while still maintaining all the elements of good gameplay. Everything in the game is ultimately destructible (this was not totally the case with the pre-alpha, but will be in the final version), and dead stuff hangs around indefinitely instead of fading away as it does in most other games. The implications of this graphically are stunning to behold. A picturesque village can rapidly become a smoldering hellhole, with rubble, burnt out tank hulls and dead troops littering every inch of the streets. A failed drop of paratroops leaves a permanent reminder of the miscalculation in the form of a pile of dead bodies.

The publishers have coined the game as more of a "simulation" than a standard RTS due to it's realism. Indeed I found that it felt more like a simulation, simply because I felt genuine horror at the sight of a squad of infantry being machine gunned by oncoming tanks. When killed the infantry jerk and stumble grotesquely, and even a seasoned strategy gamer such as myself can't help but feel sickened by the depiction. I feel it's quite an accomplishment for game designers to be able to evoke this kind of reaction in a gamer in a strategy game.

The game, when completed will include an extensive single play campaign, including historic battles such as Stalingrad and the landings at Normandy. These in particular I imagine will be fairly shocking to experience (think Saving Private Ryan, except those troops are dying under YOUR command). The units included (which will be organised into British, German, American, French and Russian forces) will also be historically accurate, with the Germans being able to command their legendary Panzer divisions, while the Katyusha "Stalin Organ" mobile rocket launchers will be available to the Russians, along with an assortment of infantry including snipers, submachine gunners, and demolitions experts.

Of course the game couldn't be 100% realistic or it wouldn't really work as a game. The publishers assume us however that the unit stats are easy to modify, so no doubt modifications will crop up on the internet that make the game even more realistic, though this would only be suitable for hardcore historical strategy nuts.

Multiplayer will be heavily supported, with up to 12 players allowed in up to 4 teams. The demo I played does not support multiplayer, but I can envision some pretty intense team games being played in the future. Unfortunately there is currently no word on whether an internet based multiplayer service will be available.

In all Sudden Strike really does seem to be a winner in the making. Quite an amazing feat, given that it's being designed by a totally unknown group of individuals instead of a big name design house, and even it's publisher is relatively unknown outside of Germany. If they keep true to what they've done so far and what they've promised however, Sudden Strike has everything it needs to be a smash hit in the international market.