Earth 2160
November 18,2005 - It grows on you, this Earth 2160. Oh yes. When we first conceived our review we had mapped out a multitude of damning criticisms, going into great lengths concerning the sheer boredom that surrounded the singe player campaign and settling on a score that wilted at the sight of a “7”. We had worked out paragraph after paragraph damning the game as resolutely average. Yet, first impressions aren’t always the right impressions and having spent some late-night evenings with Reality Pump’s RTS, we’ve come to the conclusion that it’s far from digital heaven, but worth a look for some anyway. At any rate, it’s a title you’ll need to devote time to.

Streaming Video

The developers talk about the game and its features.

And as we strive to keep the review moving in a logical train of thought, it’s apparent the developers have devoted scant hours to the plot. Put it this way: little “useful” time has been paid to the story, for it’s garishly poor and B movie. Granted, strategy games don’t need stellar plots, but it isn’t Earth 2160’s story – per se - that is the affliction, rather the way it’s told, by way of amateurishly voiced cut-scenes and in-game conversations; both of which will make you cringe in embarrassment. The hammy voice-acting and laughably bad script are two strong indicators that this game doesn’t originate from an English-speaking nation. But even if the developers do come from Poland, surely they could have hired actors more gifted in the art of speaking our dialect.

The actual plot isn’t Pulitzer-prize winning fare, but this is of no real concern. The tale of the three factions (UCS, ED and LC) – who appeared in the previous games (Earth 2140 and Earth 2150)– vying for new territory on Mars is imbued with a slight twist as proceedings dictate that you eventually unlock the ability to play as an alien group. The fact that this is not surprising is twofold. The first is more obvious: the campaign menu points out you’ll undertake an Alien campaign. The second is a result of our precise, logical deducing: since Earth is no more and Mars’ soil acts as the new homeground, it only seems suitable that an Alien group born from Mars’ Martian soil will rise and make its presence felt.

Certainly one of Earth 2160’s strengths is its variety. The four groups are undeniably diverse. Be it the ED’s use of “conventional” use of tanks and infantry units; the LC’s penchant for hovercraft units; the UCS’ variety of robotic offerings or the Aliens’ ability to clone on another, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by each side’s intricate lattice of units, buildings and options available.

It’s an interesting menagerie, and the “highbrow” meter is ramped several levels higher with the ability to design units based on your research. You’ll often that the enemy possesses a weapon that is causing great degrees of damage, but by entering the lab it’s possible to create units that can strike back with improved armor -- and armor that specifically resists the weapons your enemy is resorting to.

Calling Earth 2160 a deep strategy game is falling several meters short of justice. It’s just that sometimes you feel the developers have spent overly long ensuring this is a jack-of-all-trades. Extra investments in areas of accessibility would have been greatly appreciated. If Earth 2160 was a title that was is easy to pick up, but challenging to master, you’d be glancing at a significantly higher final score. As it stands, you’ll need to spend many, many hours working out the controls and ultimately, the options open too; since it’s important to make full use of your resources if you wish to succeed. Resultantly Earth 2160 can be outlandishly frustrating at times and the few pointers you’re given at the start of each new campaign is far from adequate.

And further still, the overall feel of the game is clunky. The camera is annoying as it bounces and bumps over terrain, and keyboard users will need to learn a tirade of hotkeys. Yet, the major offender really is the game’s pervasive sense of déjà vu. The entire game honks of old-school. From the archaic menus to the uninspiring objectives, you’ve seen it before, and you’ve probably seen it done better. Really, The irony is burning bright in our eyes. This is a game that likes to be labeled as a futuristic RTS -- one way or another -- but despite the dazzling visuals, the whole experience is weighted with déjà vu. The actual déjà vu is hard to nail down with explicitness. Maybe it’s the space setting or the one-dimensional characters or the act of trudging about terrain searching for enemies. But as soon as you begin Earth 2160 you’ll be in the terrain of terrain you’ve seen before.

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