Preorder Earth 2160, go retro with Earth 2150

There's good news for gamers eager to play Midway's new real-time strategy PC game Earth 2160, but confusion as to why it takes place on Mars. Customers who preorder Earth 2160 will receive a bonus DVD with eight additional maps, the Earth 2160 soundtrack, and the full version of Earth 2150 and its expansion packs, which should provide a proper bridge explaining what happened between 2150 (when there still is an Earth), and 2160 (when there is not).

Midway also launched the game's American Web site today, complete with a video recapping the next 155 years of humanity's self-destruction, available units and factions in the game, and a slew of screenshots. Earth 2160 is being developed by Poland-based Reality Pump. The studio's previous body of work includes real-time strategy games World War III: Black Gold and Once Upon a Knight. Earth 2160 is rated T for Teen and will retail for $39.99 when it's released November 8. Take a look at GameSpot's recent developer Q&A for more.