A few problems, but otherwise a great game.
User Rating: 8.3 | Dark Reign 2 PC
In case you're wondering, no its not like starcraft. I don't think anything will ever BE starcraft except a sequel. But in saying that, it differentiates itself by adding a few new things and some cool doo dads. The story is rather interesting, I think a few RTS's have stolen it now, but it was pretty good when it first came out. Gameplay is typical RTS, mine minerals, get money etc. But getting power is something new (when it was made of course). Not only do you have to make power plants, but early on in the game you'll be relying on the sun for solar power. Not to mention the fact that the game has a day/night cycle that can put you in the crapper if you don't have enough solar arrays. This is irrelavent later on however, as Atomic Generators are introduced. Still, its a nifty feature that adds something new to the mix. Units are all different and varied, some do this some do that. It's not until you download the "preview" mod from the official website that you'll know which units are most effective against what. For example, some units, such as the skulk/sniper can't shoot buildings or aircraft, but can only shoot ground patrol units. You have units that can heal, which is good as you'll be needing it in this game. And to further that, one faction has shields that regenerate so that gives you an extra hand as well. Sound is fantastic, the music is great if you like techno/orchestral kind of stuff. The units each have their own little "yes sir" speeches, but they get repetitive after a while (name a game that doesn't have that though). Graphics were excellent for its time, and are actually still pretty good to this day. It's nothing compared to Warcraft 3/Rome etc, but its still pretty advanced considering when it was made. The only major problem that will seriously get up your goat is unit formations. That being, there is none! Get a bunch of tanks/foot soldiers together etc, and you'll find them always getting out of the way of one another, they'll always be moving and its just stupid. The other thing too is that when you send them on a mission or whatever, they will all procede in a straight line basically. There are a few instances where this doesn't happen, but the "get out of the way" feature mentioned above stops that from happening, so you'll end up with a few units destroyed simply because its the one that got there first. It's very similiar to starcraft in that way, if you have too many units, they'll get stuck and there'll be a long trail of units from your base to where you've clicked etc. However, that's the only major gripe about the game, its otherwise pretty darn good in its own right. If you're looking for a game to waste a few hours on, this'll be the one, but if you wan't something a bit more advanced you'd be better off going with something more recent.
