Ares Rising

A game sadly judged on the merits of another game.

User Rating: 8 | Ares Rising PC

By Sur_Warlock | Review Date: July 23, 2008

Ares Rising made a bit of a splash back before it was released, created by a split of of Origins Privateer team, it had the community going - Deep universe, good gameplay, D3D graphics, open endedness. It had it all. However, previous to its release FreeSpace was released - And as we all know, it was 'the thing'. And since Ares Rising didn't follow it as a 'clone', it was subpar.

However if you look to the game as it actually is, an open ended, mercenary space combat simulation with an interesting storyline and tight gameplay - Its quite good. Not only does it deliver on the singleplayer gameplay, but also has a progressive, coop multiplayer - Something that was never taken into account I think. Its very enjoyable.

It is not perfect, this is true, if you're in D3D mode the game can look a bit off (and on XP with SP3 DD or SOFT mode are the only two modes that work, D3D will lockup.) And some of the missions are indeed difficult, but overall if you want a unique gaming experience you can find it here. It is also easily available, still in retail stores.