Supremacy: Four Paths to Power E3 2004 Preshow Impressions

Supremacy hearkens back to the classic, turn-based space strategy games of yesteryear, which is a great thing if you were ever a fan of the first two Master of Orion games. But before you brush it off as a MOO clone, keep in mind that Supremacy will bring a few new twists and innovations to the genre.

You'll play as a starship commander, and you'll start the game with a ship and a planet. From those humble beginnings, you'll try to then conquer the galaxy. This means conquering more planets, managing resources and the economy, and building fleets of vessels to further your conquest. You'll also need to master a wide range of tactics, as the game features both space combat and planetary combat.

The game's name takes from the fact that you can play as one of four unique races, each with distinctively different units. In addition to different classes of starships, there's a wide range of ground units in the game, including flamethrowers and massive robotic tanks.

There are also multiple game types, such as conquest and king of the station, and you can customize the game settings to suit your preferences. Supremacy will also have a ground-only option, in case you don't want to mess around with the space portion of the game.

The action in Supremacy takes place on a flat, 2D plane, but the game itself features functional 3D graphics. But what the game lacks in eye candy, it should make up for in adaptive artificial intelligence. And an in-game help system should make the game accessible to beginning strategy gamers. Supremacy will feature support for up to two players, and the game should ship around summer.