Windows

Earth 2150

Earth bläst die Konkurrenz aus den Stiefeln, hieß es in unserem letztjährigen Test zu Earth 2150. Leider auch viele Spieler, denn die Liste der Programmierfehler und Treiberprobleme war lang.

Fun, fun, fun! Dat is Earth 2150, Tiberian Sun moet echt van zeer goede huize komen en C&C is niet langer alleenheerser in het RTS genre. Goed voor de spellenbiz, want zo blijven de (ingedutte) op routine draaiende softwarehuizen tenminste scherp.

Besides what I consider to be minor flaws, Earth2150 is a definitive milestone in real-time strategy gaming because of all the new features it brings to the genre. Every serious real-time strategy game fan should consider having this game as part of their collection.

This is one of the best of the war/domination-genre games to date in 2000. Three unique perspectives and a host of missions make this a program that can be played over and over again.

Earth 2150 has without a doubt escaped the dull shadow of its predecessor to emerge as a well-crafted, highly complex and beautiful game. Although the traditional RTS pattern of “construct buildings, collect resources, construct bigger buildings” is a definite cornerstone of this title’s basic gameplay, one shouldn’t underestimate the innovations that it brings to the table. Weather and day/night patterns are in full effect here, and in the hands of a canny general, can turn the tides of war. The need to balance resources and units not just across one mission but throughout the entire campaign is a stroke of strategic genius, as is the addition of deformable terrain. When you add an incredibly detailed set of visuals to the mix, Earth 2150 becomes an offering worthy of being added to any old-school RTS gamer’s collection.

Trotzdem: Earth 2150 kann mit dem bislang besten Kampagnen-Modus im Echtzeit-Genre protzen, und auch die Landschaftsdarstellung sucht ihresgleichen. Zwar bleibt das Spiel klar hinter dem Strategieprimus Age of Empires 2 zurück, und auch C&C 3 ist besser designt. Wer aber letzteres zu simpel findet oder generell für aufwendige Technik zu haben ist, sollte sich Earth 2150 unbedingt zulegen.

Ja, Earth 2150 begeistert. Gar nicht mal wegen der 3D-Optik - die bieten auch Konkurrenten - sondern durch den raffinierten Aufbau der Kampagnen: Der interessant verzweigende Missionsbaum, die Übernahme der Einheiten von einem Auftrag zum nächsten, sowie zahlreiche Details wie versteckte Artefakte oder Wettereffekte lassen mein kleines Strategenherz höher schlagen. Nicht nur bei der schieren Menge von über 70 Missionen wurde geklotzt, sondern auch bei der Qualität. Und um die zu entdecken, sollte man dem zunächst etwas nüchtern daherkommenden Titel ruhig eine Weile spielen - erst so entdeckt man den enormen Tiefgang und wird sanft in den Earth-Bann gezogen.

Een grafisch pareltje met zeer uitgebreide mogelijkheden voor de ervaren RTS-speler.

The 3D real-time strategy genre has come into its own only relatively recently. Older games such as Battlezone and Warzone 2100 showed that it was perfectly feasible to integrate the gameplay of classic real-time strategy games into a 3D environment. But 3D real-time strategy games continue to rapidly improve, and developer TopWare's Earth 2150 provides further evidence of this trend.

Ощутимое разнообразие воинствующих сторон, хорошая сбалансированность войск, приятный трехмерный движок, удобное управление... казалось бы, идеальная стратегия. К сожалению, нет.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with Earth 2150. It was not the same old RTS that one would expect. Topware Interactive kept a number of the key features of a good game while adding some really nice new features like terrain, weather, and time to enhance the tactical abilities of players. They also tossed in limited ammo, for even more realism. I only have two closing comments. I personally found the factions to be unbalanced and jumping back between my base and my units was difficult. I tended to lose them on occasion. A map that easily showed where all your units are located would have really helped me. On the other hand, I don't think any of that distracts significantly from the overall game play. If you are really into tactical combat and RTS games, then you need to play this game. I highly recommend it with 4 GiN Gems, and I hope to see some of you online at the MSN Gaming Zone, battling me for control of valuable sectors.

L'intelligence artificielle et la difficulté du jeu sont assez élevées et les néophytes auront peut-être du mal à gérer autant de camps, les stratégies à employer sont aussi très variées puisqu'il est même possible d'utiliser pour une fois vraiment le terrain en créant des tunnels sous terre ou la mer etc. Grâce à l'utilisation de vos phares, vous pouvez même vous amuser à faire des attaques nocturnes surprises surtout que l'alternance constante du cycle jour/nuit s'y prête tout à fait.

Just looking at Earth 2150, I couldn't help but think, "Wow! That's pretty cool looking." The designers definitely spent time making sure that everything looked good on the surface. After I installed the game and started it up, I found they had also put a lot of thought and energy into making a fun and playable game. Earth 2150 is a 3rd person strategy game in which you are in control of forces that you must build and deploy in order to achieve victory in the game. Your goal? To escape earth. Due to man's mucking about with war and conquering of the atom, we have spun the earth off of its orbit and are spinning perilously toward the sun. You have the option of playing on any one of three sides: the Lunar Corporation (formerly NASA), the United Civilized States, or the Eurasian Dynasty.

Eens de interface onder de knie, moet dit een van de betere titels uit het genre zijn.

If you can get past the brick-handed interface and get into the game itself, odds are you'll enjoy it. It's an RTS which has familiar qualities from all the old classics as well as brand new, interesting features - especially in the campaign mode. Remember: every credit you spend is a credit that can't get you off the planet. It's an interesting strategic consequence and a totally new concept in gaming. We like it.

Hardcore RTS fans looking for a new challenge will definitely find it in Earth 2150 and may even appreciate the added complexity. Casual gamers, on the other hand, would be better off with something a little less involved.

Avec Earth 2150, Topware Interactive nous offre un jeu de stratégie en 3D temps réel très réussi, loin des erreurs du désespérant Earth 2140. Comparable sur bien des points à un Warzone 2100 (c'est un compliment !), les graphismes et l'animation 3D sont ici de toute beauté. Certes, le principe tactique reste inchangé (récolte puis production de masse) mais de bonnes idées (comme la personnalisation des unités) suffiront à rendre captivante cette guerre du futur pour tous les fans. Techniquement à la hauteur, Earth 2150 promet de très longues heures de batailles acharnées sans jamais lasser. Seul bémol, la prise en main délicate réserve ce jeu aux chefs de guerre confirmés. Dommage.

When all is said and done, Earth 2150 is a mixed bag of great ideas and poor implementation. Most 'normal' gamers, even those will degrees from Command and Conquer University or the StarCraft Institute, will find the complexity unnecessary and getting in the way of the fun. Hardcore strategy types might dig the depth, however.