Windows

Dark Reign: The Future of War

Mittlerweile wird man ja von der Flut hereinströmender Echtzeit-Stategiespiele schier erschlagen, aber Dark Reign nimmt für mich eine Ausnahmestellung ein. Dies liegt weniger an der hübschen Präsentation, denn Ähnliches hatte die Genre-Konkurrenz auch schon zu bieten. Mir hat hier das komplexe Befehlsmenü am besten gefallen. Es ist schier unglaublich, welche neuen taktischen Möglichkeiten sich mit Befehlen wie "Angreifen und dabei Abstand halten" oder "Suche und zerstöre" eröffnen.

Depois de Dark Reign é pouco provável que o género que C&C iniciou possa ter continuadores. Nada mais parece ser possível fazer nesta classe de jogos.

There is much more that could be said about Dark Reign, but potential buyers of the game have surely heard enough already. This is one of the best real-time strategy games ever (Total Annihilation and the upcoming Starcraft are the two potential contemporary competitors) and one of the most impressive games released this year in any genre. We'll be playing it for many months to come.

Эта игра напоминает мне АБСОЛЮТНЫЙ C&C. Разобранный на составные части, открытый всеобщему обозрению, усложненный до невероятности. Кажется, что на этой игре поток C&C-клонов должен иссякнуть, уступив место играм нового поколения. Каким? Мы узнаем это.

Dark Reign är ett otroligt välgjort och genomarbetat spel som har många instressanta finesser. Att Ron Millar (Blizzard's före detta huvuddesigner, han har designat t. ex. Warcraft II, Diablo, Starcraft) har varit med som konsult vid tillverkandet av Dark Reign syns på den otroligt coola designen av både banorna och karaktärerna. Man får ändå göra den oundvikliga jämförelsen med det bästa realtids baserade strategispelet som kommit ut på marknaden d.v.s. C&C: Red Alert och kanske är det så att Red Alert har lite mer variation. Då tänker jag framförallt på fordonen, du har ju förutom flygande och landgående fordon också fartyg och ubåtar som gör att stridarna får mer omväxling och större bredd. Dark Reign har dock en stor mångsidighet och med alla nya finesser som t.ex inställbar AI och höjdskillnader på terrängen skapar det helt nya och spännande möjligheter för alla strateger.

With the success of titles such as Command and Conquer, and the follow up Red Alert, the hype surrounding the real-time strategy genre has reached an all time high. Of course, this means many imitations, most of which will pale in comparison to the original (much like the followers of the now infamous Doom). While Activision's attempt at a real-time strategy title may not match up to the glory of Red Alert, Dark Reign: The Future of War is nonetheless a quality title that makes small steps forward in the genre, through a few innovative ideas that set it apart from the pack.

Toteutukseltaan Dark Reign on parasta A-luokkaa. Graafisesti se on muuten hyvän näköinen, mutta maaston korkeuseroista ei saa selvää, ja yksiköt ovat turhan futuristisen näköisiä. Soundtrack on vaihteeksi kunnon jykevää musiikkia tympeän teknopopin asemasta, ja ääniefektit ovat erinomaiset. Tehtäviä ei valitettavasti välianimaatioilla sidota yhteen Red Alertin malliin.

Dark Reign is eindelijk nog eens een goed real-time strategisch spel met mooie graphics, sublieme muziek en geluidseffecten, en verslavende gameplay.

Das Gelände muß ich stets voll ausnutzen. Meine Infanterie versteckt sich unter Bäumen und wartet auf herbeispazierende Opfer, während meine Panzer in der benachbarten Schlucht gegen Heckenschützen keinen Blumentopf gewinnen. Doch so realistisch Sicht- und Bewegungsverhältnisse auch sind: richtig wirklichkeitsnah sehen die Landschaften nicht aus. Berghänge sind zu eckig und selbst Gebirgszüge wirken flach. Dafür bietet Dark Reign abwechslungsreiche, wenn auch relativ wenige Missionen, sowie viele hochinteressante Truppentypen.

Dark Reign is a definite contender in this fall's RTS sweepstakes, but in the end it is outclassed by the likes of Total Annihilation and Age of Empires -- a year ago it would have shattered sales records, but the competition is that much better this year, and while Dark Reign is a solid game (and will undoubtedly end up being a favorite of many), in my opinion it has enough liabilities to preclude it from rising to the top of the genre. It is, however, certainly worth a look, and worth buying if you're a fan of real-time strategy, especially of the sci-fi flavor.

Dark Reign is a solid real-time strategy game. It adds a few nice touches to the genre and builds upon the successes of strategy games gone by. One of the great things about it is its replayability. Even after you conquer the twelve missions (with both sides), the editor, the various multiplayer options, and the upcoming Dark Reign Missions will keep you playing for quite a while. It is solid in all the major areas and should be a major hit (if it isn’t already).

As I usually conclude with all games of this genre: if you're not bored out of your mind with C&C clones, I'd recommend this game to you. Otherwise, besides a few additions, this game flops on originality. It has a plot with a LOT of potential, unfortunately it wasn't developed as well as it should have been. Multi-player games are fun, and because you have an Internet connection, I'm sure you'll enjoy that. Yes, this game would have gotten a MUCH better grade if it came out before C&C, but it didn't.