Windows

Dark Colony

Stof genoeg om als echte warsimmer nog eens stevig de tanden op elkaar te zetten. Als u de laatste tijd op uw honger heeft gezeten qua wargames en u houdt wel van een (on?)gezonde portie bloed dan is Dark Colony zeker iets voor u. Wordt u reeds misselijk van een sneetje in uw vinger, dan kan u Dark Colony beter links laten liggen.

Een zoveelste Kloon & Conquer van Gametek. Na Dark Reign, Dark Earth en Dark Rift nu ook Dark Colony. Lijden ze daar aan depressies ofzo? Hoe dan ook, de filmpjes zijn mooi en goed bloed maken ze ook nog steeds. Goeie strategy game uit goeie reeks!

Dark Colony bietet mir hübsche Feuerwerke, Lichteffekte und Tageszeitenwechsel. Vor einem halben Jahr hätte mich das noch begeistert, aber heute? Im Vergleich zur andrängenden Echtzeit-Konkurrenz gibt’s nichts wirklich Neues. Das Gelände beeinflußt weder die Geschwindigkeit noch die Sichtweite meiner Mannen. Formationsbefehle fehlen völlig – ich darf meine Trupps nicht mal auf einer Taste »speichern«. Trotzdem ist der Kampf um Petra-7 und das Wettrennen um Artefakte prickelnd. Wenn plötzlich eine Granate in meine Basis einschlägt, bricht sofort Hektik aus: Wo steckt nur der verflixte Gegner? Noch wichtiger, wie werde ich ihn los? Auch der »Fog of War« fordert mich gewaltig. Angesichts der Konkurrenz durch Dark Reign, Total Annihilation und Konsorten wirkt Dark Colony aber schon jetzt reichlich angestaubt.

Простенько и со вкусом. Именно так в двух словах можно оценить последнее детище SSI. Попытки сотрудников маркетинга SSI охватить как можно большую часть игроманов своими стратегиями смотрятся несколько анекдотично. Их War Wind 2 слишком сложен и неповоротлив, чтобы им увлечься, а Dark Colony -- напротив, по-аркадному примитивен. В итоге все продолжат играть в Red Alert, благо Westwood не забывает своих фанатов и периодически подкармливает их небольшими порциями миссий и юнитов. И все же... Dark Colony при всей своей простоте остается полноценной стратегической игрой, в которой найдется место, где развернуться тактическому гению. Если у гения, конечно, быстрые рефлексы.

Command & Conquer on Mars? That is what kept popping into my head as I played this game. If it had come out about two years ago, I would definitely have been waiting in line for it at the nearest software outlet. As it is, though, it is two years too late and two years shy of being original. SSI tried to spruce it up with a couple of nifty features: an encyclopedia, your choice of being human or Taar, training missions and great graphics. But it still reminded me of other games on the market. Overall, I believe Dark Colony is a solid game with wonderful graphics. If you have never played a strategy game in your life, you may enjoy it. But with the competition so tough right now, it is hard to choose it over any of the rest. Let's be realistic: do I want to spend $50 on a game that I've basically already played when I could use the money to buy something original? I don't think so.

Was nützen mir all die herrlichen Explosionen, Schattenwürfe und Lichteffekte, was habe ich von den vielen originellen spielerischen Details, wenn es dafür an grundsätzlichen Dingen hapert? Eigentlich sollte man ja meinen, daß die viel zu geringe Anzahl unterschiedlicher Einheiten und Gebäude zumindest ein strategisch ambitioniertes und übersichtliches Spielvergnügen zur Folge haben. Leider ist das Gegenteil der Fall.

This limited method of play is similar to first-generation real-time strategy games.

Despite its score, which is a reflection on how it really stacks up against the rest of the RTS market and the games available, Dark Colony isn't a bad game...depending on who you are and what you are looking for. If you are a gamer on a budget looking for a title that offers more of what you've found in other titles at a low price, this is a good choice. I haven't seen it much in the stores I've been in lately, but I'm sure you can find this game in most bargain bins. If you don't mind a clone game that offers a slightly different look and a familiar theme (humans vs. aliens), then this title isn't a bad choice. It may also be a good choice for gamers with low-end machines who aren't ready to upgrade and can't run some of the newer titles that require faster processors. Even though this has been out for a while, anyone in either of these categories might want to take a look at this game. The rest of you can keep moving along.

As real-time strategy games go, Dark Colony is a little below average. If it had come out 2 years ago, before Warcraft and Command & Conquer, it would have been something special. Unfortunately, it fails to distinguish itself from the other games of its type already out there. It really has little to recommend it when compared to the other real-time strategy games out there except for its aggressive AI.