This game was pretty cool for it's time but I don't think it quite got to what the producers were aiming for, and didn't meet my expectations on a few counts.
I guess I had trouble without a manual as well, but the interface was a bit iffy(hard to switch/drop weapons, coordinate the team when separated, etc). Some of the sounds were also a bit weird - esp the minigun sound effect, which sounded like a sort of dull hum (compare to the mechanical roar of Syndicate miniguns).
I also found that the last 3 missions were obscenely difficult ("Let's hijack the space elevator and pinch the space station shuttle - it'll be easy!" - yeah, right), and a lot of the really interseting tech wasn't available til really late, when you're more interested in packing a plasma lance than defying the space time continuum with the disguising credit card, the displacertron, or stasis field generator.
On the plus side, there are some really nice touches (voice ads for holidays on other planets, animated hologram billboards, giant robotic spiders with beam weaponry, flying vehicles etc), and rotating camera views were revolutionary at the time. For maximum carnage, get your hands on the aforementioned satellite rain, nuclear grenade ("cataclysm!"), or the graviton gun - you can kill everyone in a city with this baby with about 5 shots. Blowing down builds is also lots of fun - whether you need to or not. The animation going up the space elevator is worth a look too (but it's short).
Someone earlier said that this was a foray into the action genre - I heard a rumour that the original design spec was to allow for a FPS interface as well. Obviously that feature never made it to the final cut.
All said and done, the original was a better game - I wish someone would remake S Wars with current technology and useability in mind - there are still some good ideas in there.
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