DOS

Archimedean Dynasty

Mir hat Schleichfahrt mehr Spaß gemacht, als seinerzeit Wing Commander 4. Wenn Sie Wert auf anspruchsvolle 3D-Action legen, kommen Sie an Blue Bytes Tiefseespektakel nicht vorbei.

Компания Origin, на продукты которой меня все время сносит (что, впрочем, не удивительно), выбрала себе девиз "We create worlds", т.е. "Мы создаем миры". Так думают все игрописатели, но далеко не у всех (и даже не всегда у Origin) дела обстоят именно так. Так вот, в данном случае, Blue Byte именно создала мир. И очень даже хорошо создала.

Archimedean Dynasty er et spil af den type, hvor man helt og aldeles lader sig opsluge af handlingen og bliver den person, hvis rolle man spiller. Fascinationen varer ikke evigt, men der er adskilige timers prima underholdning at komme efter indtil da.

I would have liked to see a little more character interaction when you're not fighting and it might have been fun to add a basic trading element to let the player have a real feeling of freedom, but on the whole there's little to say against Archimedean Dynasty. It seems underwater sci-fi is making a comeback. With TV's 'SeaQuest 2030' proving to be miles better than its predecessor, Archimedean Dynasty proving to be miles better than Origin's space-saga and Kevin Costner's 'Waterworld' proving, er, well okay, bad example.

Overall, Archimedean Dynasty's strengths definitely outweigh its minor weaknesses. This game has it all, a good story, a likeable main character, great graphics, fabulous sound, and fun game play to boot. I'd have to say that if games like Wing Commander: Privateer, Elite, or Subwar: 2050 interest you, this game will definitely be your cup of tea.

I found AD a fun and exciting change from the world of 3D action games. It allows you to escape the feeling of land by diving into the depths of a new world. I do not think that the game's linearity has hindered this otherwise impressive entrance into a world formerly dominated by the Wing Commander series.

In the end, Archimedean Dynasty is a carefully conceived and executed game, reflecting well the concerted efforts of the German design team Massive for almost three years. This is really a mixed-genre game, combining the play of a reflex-oriented action shoot-'em-up game, a complex strategic military simulation, and a subtle role-playing adventure: while the synthesis of these styles is quite well done, those who are not enamored with all three may become impatient or frustrated in spots (for example, as an action game aficionado, I kept yearning for a return to the underwater battles). Nonetheless, the production values are so high that one cannot help but be drawn almost hypnotically into the totally absorbing world of Aqua, and thus it rates an overall 88 out of 100.

Not only is Archimedean Dynasty heavily recommended to any action/simulator game fan, but it will also reconciliate the others with this genre that suffered from average titles in the past. But most importantly, Archimedean Dynasty features an outstanding game play and beautiful graphics that deserve admiration.

Als Söldner durch das Universum zu streifen, neue Galaxien zu erkunden und nebenbei einen Batzen Geld zu machen - dieser Gedanke fasziniert Programmierer schon seit dem C64-Klassiker Elite. Im Jahre 1993 fand auch das deutsche Entwicklerteam Massive Gefallen an dieser Idee und kreierte einen ersten Entwurf, der beim Publisher Blue Byte sofort auf Sympathie stieß. Allerdings wählte man nicht die unendlichen Weiten des Weltraums als Schauplatz, sondern das Element, das unseren Planeten zu mehr als 80% bedeckt: Schleichfahrt spielt unter Wasser, hat eine Hintergrundstory von fast epischen Ausmaßen und wartet mit einer der modernsten 3D-Engines unserer Zeit auf.

Archimedean Dynasty is the kind of game that automatically makes you long for the extended weekend, the random holiday, the traffic-paralyzing blizzard, the three-day flu, or perhaps the odd death in the family - anything to justify staying away from school, work, or other responsibilities long enough for a serious immersion into an onscreen world.

Achimedean Dynasty is het nieuwste spel van Blue Byte, het Duitse softwarehuis dat al verantwoordelijk was voor strategische toppers als Battle Isle 1, 2 en 3 en Settlers 1 en 2. Met Archimedean Dynasty begeven ze zich voor het eerst op het gladde ijs van de 3D actiespelen. Als beginnende schaatsers was hun eerste opdracht dan ook trachten overeind te blijven tussen macho snelschaatsers als Chris Roberts (Wing Commander 4), John Romero (Doom) en Lawrence Hollander (X-Wing). Hun tweede en optionele opdracht bestond erin om geheel onverwacht enkele sierlijke pirouettes te draaien en zo de aandacht van de gehele schaatsbaan naar zich toe te trekken. We kunnen nu al zeggen dat Blue Byte in beide opdrachten is geslaagd.

Archimedean Dynasty är inte speciellt upphetsande. Tillverkarna har tydligt sneglat på Wing Commander-spelen och hämtat mycket av sin inspiration därifrån. Skådespelarna saknas och intrigen känns mycket tunnare men annars är likheterna slående.