Dark Reign 2

Developer: Pandemic Studios
Publisher: Activision

 

System Requirements Pentium 166 Mhz, 32 MB RAM

Recommended Pentium II 300MHz, 64+ MB RAM, TNT2 video card

Ratings
Code Issues Graphics: 9.0 - This is one beautiful game and definitely deserves some credit for its ability to impress. Unit animation can be a bit stiff. Audio: 7.0 - Some of the best techno music I've heard in a game; good voice-acting and weapon effects. Interface: 7.0 - Loses some points because of the mini-map, but the camera is very easy to manipulate. Definitely one of the easiest 3D RTS games to control.	Play Issues Solo Gameplay: 5.0 - Two fun campaigns that will last about a week, and then its over. Don't even bother trying skirmish mode. Replayability: 4.0 - Multiplayer is generic, and skirmish mode? Just back away slowly--don't look in its eyes! Multiplayer: 6.0 - Yawn...haven't I done this a thousand times before? Oh, this time its with different units--hoorah. Learning Curve: 9.0 - If you've played Warcraft you've got it down. That's how non-interfering the jump to 3D is.
Other/Notes Documentation - 8: Nice manual covers everything, but the attempts at humor sometimes fall flat.But its actually fun to read. Pros: Nice units, easy to use camera, a solid campaign, and the graphics are beautiful. Cons: Beyond horrid AI in skirmish mode, so you're left with a couple of campaigns. I can't see myself dishing out my money for that. Overall: 5.9

The biggest case of the "me too" syndrome the gaming industry has ever seen involved real-time strategy games. At the birth of the genre they were novel, something fresh that changed the way people played games. Now, plainly put, they are old hat. With the coming of Red Alert 2, however, there may be a revitalization of the 2D real-time strategy genre, but at the moment gamers have to deal with the next step--the obvious and obligatory 3D real-time strategy genre.

Its easy to literally see the benefits of 3D. The likes of Ground Control and Earth 2150 have had jaw-dropping graphics and immerse you in their fictional worlds. But these games have innovated in some way, Ground Control with its emphasis on tactics over brute force, and Earth 2150 with its unique races and ways to upgrade your weapons of war. Dark Reign 2, on the other hand, offers no innovation. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. Some of the best movies were just rehashes that the makers managed to inject some life into. But when we see a movie, no matter how much fun and exciting it may be, we want staying power. We want to enjoy it enough to see it again, or buy it on video or DVD. Unfortunately, this is where Dark Reign 2 falls flat on its face.

When starting the game you're greeted by a fantastic opening movie. In fact, the mission briefings and voice acting in this game are all top notch. Furthermore all cut-scenes use the in-game engine, and really show off its power. My first reaction was to laugh out loud at how cool it all was. No one can blame this game for lacking style. Even the music during the installation is catchy, and this level of quality continues throughout the game. The main menu even takes you through a futuristic city with each menu you navigate being located in a different part. For instance, click on "Campaign" and you'll be whisked through the streets to where two units, one from each race, are standing. Clicking on either one brings you to that side's campaign. It really is a breath of fresh air to see a development team put some care into often neglected areas of a game.

There are two campaigns, one for the Jovian Detention Authority and one for the Sprawlers. Despite the big "2" plastered to the title, this is actually a prequel to the original game, chronicling the events which led up to that war. The JDA is basically a police force that preaches "protection and safety" but really wants to lock everyone up and throw away the key, and the Sprawlers are the mutant coalition fighting back. Yeah, pretty generic, but the units are really well designed. Each side has about twenty units, ranging from infantry to planes to attack boats. Plus, each side has a few really creative ones. For instance the JDA have the Shadowhand, a spy that changes appearance to infiltrate enemy bases, and the Sky Fortress, a gigantic weapons platform that looks like a flying saucer. The Sprawlers can build Skulks, or expert snipers, and they have a unit that reminds me of an old comic book character whose name escapes me. Anyway, its a rotund mutant that floats around on a hover-chair and has a gigantic drill for an arm. Essentially, the units for each side corresponds nicely with their overall goal. The buildings are no exception either. The JDA gets units from their Precinct, the Sprawlers from their Barracks. Vehicles come from the JDA's Motorpool, while the Sprawlers get them from a Garage. Overall, though, the two sides have pretty much the same type of buildings to construct, albeit different appearances. I found game balance to be fine, although it is much easier with only two sides compared to many games' three. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your stance, Dark Reign 2 has the same generic "harvest the resource and bring it to the factory" type of building strategy. This time its gigantic crystals that stick out from the ground called Taelon.

Missions are your standard RTS fare. Protect, escort, defend, attack etc. They are all wrapped around a pretty good narrative, and missions progress in difficulty at a good pace. One thing that helps keep missions fresh is the variety of terrain. This ranges from a cityscape that looks suspiciously similar to the classic Syndicate, to frozen mountains, lush jungles and desert terrain. Every one manages to look fantastic, this being the hallmark of the game. In short, the graphics are gorgeous. Dark Reign 2 is running on one fine engine, and this shows through its solidity. The game never feels buggy, clipping is not a problem, and the camera is smooth and very intuitive. You can zoom in using the F keys and scroll and rotate using the mouse. What this boils down to is that while you can view the game from any perspective, you could just as easily play with the traditional overhead view. The switch to 3D really doesn't bring any baggage with it, and players will be pleased with how easily they can control the action. The 3D terrain also brings some nice effects with it. For instance Enforcer units (jetpack guys) will grow larger as they float upwards to get over a tall peak. The game isn't very tactical, however, so I didn't find terrain very useful in planning an assault or defense. Weapons effects, both graphical and auditory, are fantastic, with lasers and plasma flying and whizzing all over the place, but the explosions really disappoint. You'd think in a such a vicious war you'd get something more than a little ball of flame. Where's the pyrotechnics?

I found the rest of the interface to be pretty good as well. When a unit is clicked on you can change its attitude from defensive to all-out aggressive and anything in-between. Another cool feature is that every group of units you assign is catalogued in a bar at the bottom of the screen, so there' no more fumbling to hit a number key when you want to have quick access to a group. If there's an Achilles heel to the interface its the mini-map, which is woefully inadequate. For one its too small. Secondly, all units are represented by a generic triangle. You can't tell what is where from the map, so it remains relatively useless save for quickly accessing a part of the map. One feature that is included, however, should be mandatory for every RTS from now on--an Explore button. The first game that I can recall having this feature was Conquest of the New World, and it has been greatly missed. No more five minute sessions of "click the mini-map" to scout for enemy troops.

So far so good, right? Sure, if you want a fun campaign to play through, by all means pick up a copy. The development team did a nice job with the graphics, sound, and unit design. But if you're looking for something to last, you'll really want to pass this one up. Sure it has multiplayer, but how many different games do we need that boil down to harvest, build, attack, repeat. Honestly, don't you have better things to do? OK, that may be a bit harsh, but Dark Reign 2's multiplayer portion has nothing new. Furthermore, forget playing skirmish mode against the AI. There is no AI. That's right, let me repeat that--

There is no AI.

There are four difficulty levels you can set the AI to--easy, medium, hard, and brainsick. It sure made me sick. I played a few skirmish games against the AI on brainsick mode and beat it in under two minutes. I built about twenty five of the weakest units and attacked--that's it. The AI just wanders around the map, building harvesters it doesn't protect and tons of refineries...what about defenses? No joke, a drugged monkey using nothing but his nose to manipulate the mouse could beat the AI every time. I'll resist looking up the names of the AI designers and condemning them by name in this review, but I will ask them--what were you doing while this game was being made? Didn't you test it? If everyone was so lax about their job the world would be in utter chaos.

But the campaign manages to remain challenging because some geniuses came up with the idea of scripted AI. READ--way to avoid having to program. You see it in Ground Control and Dogs of War, two 3D RTS games that didn't even bother to include skirmish mode. It's all about triggering events and creating paths for enemy units. Nothing is dynamic about it. I hate it and if this is the future of RTS games I want out (after Red Alert 2, of course).

In the end I feel--nothing. A few moments of thrills and genuinely fun gameplay surrounded by mediocrity and ineptitude. Dark Reign 2 looks back to the RTS games of old. Unfortunately everyone else is looking ahead.

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Reviewed by Anthony Micari