A very decent, different, and detailed game. It is sure to challenge even the most seasoned C&C fans with its features.
It was then I decided to spend over $900 on a long-overdue new computer so that I could play this, and a few other new games on the market. $900+ dollars, a few heart attacks (assembling the computer from "scratch"), and update drivers later, I had only to wait for the release of this interesting looking game... and make sure I didn't fail school.
I decided to take a slight detour from my plan to download the demo - spending $55 on a game, only to find out you hate it, is NOT a fun thing. The demo did a good job of leaving one hanging, and gave you some time to fool around with building a base as the ED, and commanding units as the LC. I didn't take much note of the graphics of the demo, or the audio - because my experience is that these features are sacrificed in favor of download time. I will come back to this issue later.
A week or so after the release of Earth 2160, I went to none other than Wal*Mart to see if they were carrying it. While there I met up with a good friend of mine and we had a conversation about many of the games and hardware (and lack thereof) in the Electronics Department at Wal*Mart. $55 and 2 hours later, I had my very own copy of Earth 2160. Logic told me I needed to go to bed after a day at work... but why sleep when you can watch the pretty blue boxes go by on the installation screen!? I opened the box and pulled out an instruction book that could easily be "War and Peace" of the game world. It's close to half the weight of the box. Falling prey to stereotypes - the instruction book gets set aside, and the CD labeled "CD 1" is fed into my computer. It all installs, and whoopie - there's the icon on my desktop.
As if just installing it was going to lessen my anxiety enough so I could sleep....... I had to at LEAST do a skirmish battle! Double-clicking on the icon, I shift in anticipation of what this game has to offer - not only for sheer gaming, but also as a host engine for a modification. The animated logos start going by, and I hit ESC, instinctively, to cut right to the menu.... whether it be my 64 bit Athlon processor, windows XP, the game, or what - I have no clue, but my computer locked up and I had to do a full restart. 5 minutes and I've managed to crash it - sounds normal.
Not repeating that same mistake, I let the logos go by. The menu loads in about the same time it takes C&C Generals/Zero Hour's menu to load - which makes some sense since they've both got a battle raging on in the background. I create my user name/account, and "enter the game", and go to skirmish.... "You must activate your installation" ...... well that's nice.... At midnight, I'm hauling my computer upstairs, where our internet connection is (I KNEW I should have gotten a router...). After activating my game, which I later found out I was warned of in the manual (which I didn't read....), I hauled my machine back downstairs into my room and started back over from square one.
The rest is pretty much history - I've completed the campaign, as well as played my share of skirmish battles.
One of the first things you will notice is the graphics - even if you're using a lower-end graphics card (that's an FX 6200 as far as this thing game is concerned), the graphics are pretty darned impressive. If you have the demo - the graphics you see there are pretty close to what is in the full-version. The textures and models are all superb, especially for an RTS game. The characters are even detailed well enough to be used in close-up cenemas, although I have noticed that the voices seem to not match up with the model's movements (probably the speed of my graphics card). The terrain is gorgeous - smooth, and the textures blend together, almost as if you were playing on some 3d snapshot of a planet. The water is also something else you will find very detailed. The water effects alone are good enough to be used in first-person environments.
Another interesting aspect of the game is still somewhat of a mystery to me, but the models of units will gradually take damage. Rather than a unit suddenly resembling a crumpled piece of swiss-cheese, they gradually dent and discolor as they take damage. I still have yet to figure out if a model damages based only on health, or if it is comprehensive (if the missile hits on its left side - does only the left side dent?). Either way, this is certainly a very welcome introduction. I'm also impressed by the way the "walking" units traverse the terrain. Units bob, and appear to be using an actual physics to determine how their leg/foot will move. Whether this is or not, I don't know, but it's definately an improvement over the simple animations that were sped up or slowed down.
The down sides in graphics? There are some, beleive it or not. The obvious is that you need a higher dollar graphics card to run many of the full features of the game. Another is that some of the effects seem to be a bit buggy. The "sniper rifle", or some of the weapons using the same effect, seems to fire in two directions at once - directly forward, and in the direction of the target. This also seems to happen when the barrel of the unit firing the weapon is suddenly moved right after firing - usually in the case of infantry. The weapon will appear to fire at the enemy, and then again as the unit lowers/re-aims their weapon. It's nothing severe, but probably something that can/should be worked out in a patch.
The next general thing that you'll notice is the gameplay. If you're used to C&C - it'll take some time to adjust. Each faction has its own tech tree, method of gathering resources, and different uses for those resources. This means you have to keep pretty close tabs on who is harvesting what and where. The method of gaining additional tech is also different from C&C; you can't just build a building and suddenly get access to the psychotically powerful unit. You have to research the technology and any upgrades that go along with it. Even then - you don't suddenly get the all-powerful unit. To obtain the most effective unit, you must build your own. Rather than build hordes of tanks, only to see them be taken out by a horde of rocket infantry - try building a horde of tanks with a flamethrower addition, or a sniper rifle. You can customise your combat units to take advantage of an enemy's weekness.
The bases seem to reflect a more Starcraft-like approach. The LC us modules that fly in from a mother-ship in orbit, whereas the ED build there base to look like a giant network of hamster-tubes. The UCS use drones that todey about, repairing and constructing buildings; and the aliens use a system of cloning and metamorphasis. It takes some time to get used to each faction's way of building bases, and even more time to develop a good strategy for defense. Much depends on the resources available, your enemy, and your location.
Structual defenses will crush anyone who simply rushes in with a few dozen tanks. If you wish to effectively destroy a base, you must use the long-range units that each side has, or create an army of tanks with a weapon optimized for base destruction (such as the Magneto Grenade Launcher). For this reason, it is best to keep a mobile defense squad handy to take care of long-ranged offensives before they obliterate your defenses. This system helps keep down on the classic, and often annoying "rushes". If you're used to being able to rush your opponent, you might want to take some time to develop a different strategy that you are comfortable with.
Since we're talking about bases, we might as well talk about the AI of the game. The base and construction AI seem pretty inteligent. I haven't noticed it build itself into a corner, ignore resources, or even ignore key defense points. When you open up the map editor, you'll notice that there aren't any "flags" or markers that need to exist for the AI - simply build a map and the AI does its thing (Take that C&C Generals World Builder!!!). The AI also adapts to your employed technology. If you're using more energy weapons that armor piercing or chemical - it will adapt its units with an energy shield (if available), but if you're using chemical weapons it will forego the energy shield with a repair bot and chemical armor. In these respects it is both predictable and formidable.
The individual unit AI could use a little attention from the next patch, however. Units don't seem to realize when they're being attacked from a long distance (something to exploit in the campaign), or when they are hitting the cliff, rather than their target. The movement AI also has difficulty with cramped spaces, which is understandable... but not to this degree. It can become a fairly laborous task to get a sizable army down the cliff and into open territory. This becomes especially noticable when your anti-air units get stranded inside your base and your poorly armored anti-structure units get caught by an enemy airforce. In C&C Generals - the graphics were rushed... in Earth 2160 I'm assuming the unit AI was rushed.
One element of the game, which I cannot decide if I like or not, is the Virtual Agents. They appear on y our interface, and ask for employment. Their price is based on a set wage, as well as their experience with you. They don't like it if you get them "killed" - which can be surprisingly easy to do. Logically, the poorer your reputation with them - the more you have to pay them, and the more positive your reputation - the less you have to pay. There are some advantages to hiring agents that offset the price of hiring them. Some agents reduce the cost of your research and/or construction, aid in mining resources, and many can be given control over various functions such as mining, defense upgrades, infantry movements, infantry construction, etc. This takes some getting used to - as things will start changing without you giving the order.
Note: The Virtual Agents keep track of your reputation through skirmish missions. Your reputation carries over from skirmish mission to skirmish mission. However, the campaign and skirmish reputations are separate of each other.
The sound track of the game is excelent - admitably half of the reason I bought the game (the music in the video on the home page was what got me - an orchestrated track rather than this rap/be-bop bass-heavy .... stuff that has gripped the sound tracks of games recently). The music seems to rise and fall with the events of the game - although it could be the inverse, the events of the game might be rising and falling due to the music (Ooo philosophy...). There could be a little bit more of a varried sound track, but it's one of the best tracks I've heard.
The campaign is different than what I'm used to. Rather than playing as one side or another, winning as either side (or, ultimately, one side always loses at the end, despite your effort) - you're carried THROUGH the factions. The campaign continues, comprehensively, based on the previous campaign. This is different - because no one side wins or loses, you're following the story of your characters. Ironically - the experience of your characters does not transfer from campaign to campaign. This is somewhat disapointing, but I'm sure there is a reason for this.
Depending upon your gaming background, the learning curve for each faction can be from 2 hours to a few weeks. How you take on your oponent depends greatly upon the environment and your opponent. You can't simply set up a base with a bunch of guns, thinking you're safe. Nor can you send in a horde of tanks or aircraft and expect to successfully bring down a base. The LC and ED have relatively short learning curves and the Aliens have the largest due to their extremely unique method of construction. The more you play, and the more variety you add to your combat environment and opponents, the faster you'll learn.
All-in-all - if you like the demo - you'll most likely like the game. As with most games - play the demo or rent it first, before buying. I found the game well worth the money and worthy of most the hype. I can't compare it to the previous Earth games, as I have played none. I also am not certain if some of my reported errors are not caused by my own hardware, rather than the game's programming. The most immersive feature for me is the customizable units - that alone can keep me entertained for hours on-end.
Keep in mind that the game is fairly different from many RTS games, and, thus, will require a lot more effort on your part to master the features of it.