Infested Planet

Infested Planet a game like no other. Epic fights with your marines against the alien scourge. In the beginning you usually get a few marines and credits with which you can upgrade your marines. Do you wan't a shotgun, a sniper gun, flamethrower or maybe a machine gun? Well its all there. There is a bit of RTS in it since you capture alien nests that turn in to bunkers that produce a certain amount of credit that you can use to build up your troops. You can do research between the missions to unlock new units, technologies and one time/permanent bonuses. The game has a storyline that must be finished if you play the campaign but it has two branching off mission lanes where you can fight mission to level up and get access to more technologies. You can play skirmish games and set them up as you want to. The game can be quite hectic but very enjoyable and demand from you your full attention. Anyway I recommend to any gamer.

Hands down one of the best games I've played all year, if not the best. I haven't been so addicted to a title since FTL. With an absolutely flawless blend of action and strategy, no map in this game feels truly over until you see the victory screen. The give and take between your squadron and the infestation in every map is like nothing I've ever encountered, requiring a careful balance of aggression, fortification, and yielding when necessary. The game drips with atmosphere and style, the soundtrack is spot on, and the artwork is consistent and colorful. I could not stop playing, and when I finished I wanted more. You absolutely must play this game. I'm already looking forward to a sequel.

Pros: Runs on my laptop, small install file (100MB), lots of fun, easy to control. This is a tactical RTS not a strategy game. With only a handful of troops this is not Supreme Commander, but it is just as fun. Great single-player episodes. You can build a tower gun, then recycle it for 100% back, and build another further out. This is nice especially since resources are very limited. This makes for a compact game. Cons: If you like single-player, then the mission list has room for expansion (hence the expansion pack). Can't save in the middle of combat, but you can pause. Note: The minigunners are useful, though I find them to be very expensive, and they turn and move very slow, and thus can't do much with enemies in multiple directions. Snipers can take out enemy bug makers and small turrets from out of range. Shotgunners are cheap and effective. Helicopters can bombard targets to soften them up. Different strategies may work best for different people. If you prefer stealth or distance or brute force, each option may work.

Infested Planet is essentially a small scale RTS/T game. Think Rico's Roughnecks from Starship Troopers. By default you only control 5 soldiers (but you can hire more) and have to accomplish various missions against ever evolving huge hordes of aliens. Usually you have to exerminated all the alien nests on the map but there are variations on that like also having to protect an AI unit at the same time or being pressed for time. Other missions require you to survive as long as possible or just capture as many points withing a given time. One of my favorite missions was a kind of Dota three lane battle late in the campaign. Every time you conquer a nest two things happen: you get more BP (build points?) and the aliens get a new mutation. Adapting to these mutations can be quite tricky sometimes but I've found that a certain mix of troops is sufficient for most of the missions most of the times. There are definitely some mutation combos that are harder to beat and it's likely that someone more proficient than me could win against those too by switching his strategy. You can invest your BPs into giving your troops different weapons than their wimpy starting rifles, building stationary turrets, healing pods or base improvement that give you things like helicopter airstrikes. The great thing is that you can change your mind at any time. You can tear down a structure or return a weapon an get all the BPs back. That makes you incredibly flexible and the game much more fun. The story is a bit lackluster and cheesy but I still highly recommend this game. An impressive debut feature for this single developer!