Just finished the first couple of missions. The gameplay is fairly good, but though not as intense as CoH. In terms of storytelling it is well behind CoH, and while it shoots for a similar sort of atmosphere as Starcraft, it doesn't succeed to that degree. Since the units are all robots, you don't get the standard sound bytes from them when they kill another unit, die or are even selected. In fact you can go for long periods with only the sound effects and the music to keep you company. I never thought I'd be saying this, but I miss the RTS chatter.
The music is quite good and atmospheric, but I think it would be more at home in an RPG like his (Chris Taylor) Dungeon Siege games. For a futuristic game like this, you need music that is unique and is a bit out there ala StarCraft. Then again space opera music worked for Star Wars, but again it had the touch of wonder and fantasy you'd associate with something set in space.
Actually it really feels like the production values are separate from the gameplay. It is difficult to explain, but it feels like they made a game, and then slapped on some FMVs, music and stuff to give it character. I know that's how all games are made. The technical aspect is completed and then the rest is integrated afterwards. Trouble is it really shows in Supreme Commander so far. What I hate in RTS games is when each race's biggest differentiating characteristic is their unit color. While in something like Company of Heroes, you could clearly tell your side from the Nazis without any "Visual Aid", here all your units are just painted blue. One of the other two races is entirely red, while the third is green.
Now for the good stuff. The gameplay is high addictive. Thankfully there is no standard resource gathering, and the resource management is fairly clever. The game can also lead to some massive massive battles, with tons of units.
Just having played this, the Dungeon Siege games and Total Annihilation, I am starting to think that Chris Taylor can make some really good games, but doesn't have it in him to touch greatness. All of his games have been technical marvels in their own right, but there has always been that something extra missing.
Anyway I'll write more after I finish the game. I've said a lot after having played only two missions. They were really long though.