Ashes of the Singularity has limited depth in some aspects, but as an RTS experience, and particularly as a first showing for its Oxide Engine foundation, it is absolutely stellar.

Ashes of the Singularity may be a technical triumph, but it also delivers an experience we’ve not seen in this genre for at least a decade. The single player may lack a bit of personality, but the skirmish mode and seven AI levels take RTS to the next level.

Ashes of the Singularity delivers thoughtful real-time strategy with tons of units in play, but drab maps and a poor story.

A rock-solid RTS with mass battles, but only for fans of multiplayer and skirmish. The campaign turns out to be a sad affair.

There’s no time to bother with tactics and individual units when entire armies are dishing it out: you have to keep your control points, expand your production capacity and methodically push back enemy. Warring sides are well-balanced, but that’s because they’re more or less mirror images of each other. Some diversity is brought only by upgrades and commander’s abilities like calling nuclear strikes or teleporting entire divisions. [Issue#209, p.62]

If you are a competitive RTS player, I recommend you play Ashes of the Singularity and decide for yourself if it’s the game for you. There is certainly a lot to dig into for a hardcore player. However, if you are a more casual player, Ashes of the Singularity probably won’t engage you for long enough to learn the ins-and-outs of all the systems at play.

As it stands, Ashes of the Singularity feels like little more than a tech demo of Stardock's new Oxide engine.