Earth 2150 Trilogy

Yep. I could write a long article about how great this game is. I COULD write a lot of stuff about addictive gameplay, about nice game mechanics. I'd be able to tell a truckload of great stories from this game concerning great use of terraforming and what happened to all those silly combinations I've managed to create in in-game unit creator. As well as I could go on and on about added awesomeness by the included map editor. I'd probably fill a whole page of text by praising lenghty and great research tree this game has, providing diverse tactics and gameplay. And I'd add a little note about great lightening effects and very satisfying superweapons. Yep. I sure could do all that. But even without most of these features this game would be worth 6$, since even medicore new RTS games are way more expensive. However, all those features are there. And it DOES cost 6$. ... ... Why the hell are you still reading?

Earth 2150 is a game of discovery, awe and wonder; like so many other RTS's you start out with the bare minimum of available units for construction and use. But soon it becomes apparent that through research you can get both new weapons, traction systems, armors, shields and aerial propulsion systems. The design of the units will thus in time, become up to the player, who will be able to make units for any situation and counter his enemy's units and weapons through clever research and construction. Compared to most other RTS's the research and design adds a new element, not only will you be restricted to always see the same types of 8 units but you can diversify and your opponent will most likely have a different design for you to counter - or die trying. Not only will you have to master the ground and they skies you'll also have to defend and attack underground, diggers allow you to dig tunnels all the way under your opponents base, allowing you to launch a surprise attack from underground. The only bad thing about the game is it's camera which in the first game is not always intuitive, luckily the two latter games fixed this somewhat, still you don't get to see as much as you do in for instance Supreme Commander. That said, the possibilities are virtually endless and the modding and multiplayer community is still very much alive to this day, giving you many hours of fun.

Well, maybe not a can, but anyway. On with the review. The mid-Nineties witnessed a tsunami of real time strategy games. The shock waves brought about by genre-defining titles like Warcraft 2 and Command and Conquer spewed forth tidal waves that engulfed the market in largely average clones. One such clone was Earth 2140. The prequel to this fine game. Some amongst the slew of RTS titles helped the genre evolve. But few really broke new ground. There were, of course, exceptions: Shogun Total War, Total Annihilation & Earth 2150, the unassuming sequel to an average title. While Earth 2150 delivers the familiar concepts of base building & tank warfare, it makes clever additions which help make the game stand out. Firstly, you have a main base that is accessible throughout the campaign. This base is never subject to attack and serves numerous roles. This might not sound like much. But it significantly reduces the number of buildings you'd have to otherwise build on the battlefield each and every mission. It also means you can carry units over from one mission to the next. Units gain experience, which means that even when you have bigger, more powerful units they can still hold their own on the battlefield. You can also conduct all your research here. Another, more exciting, innovation is the ability to research various weapons and chassis and combine them to make your own tanks, mechs, aircraft etc. These constructions can be saved and added to your factories' build queues. Add to that the ability to dig trenches, build bridges anywhere you like and the fact that land can be flattened for construction and you can see a wealth of strategic options opening up with each new battle. Earth 2150 also delivers three separate factions. This has been done before, of course. But while these factions may lack the diversity of Starcraft's factions, they're nonetheless about as diverse as three human factions could ever be. - The Eurasian Dynasty rely on technology that looks like a straight evolution of modern military hardware. It does get a bit more advanced later in the campaign, but those tanks still look like tanks, even with huge amounts of lasers stacked on top of them. - The United Civilised States are stereotypically fat and lazy and rely on robots to do all the work. Which includes fighting their battles for them. Naturally this means mechs and plenty of them. Yay! - The Lunar Corporation have a lot of light, fast units but contrast these with some ridiculously powerful base destroying aircraft of death. The premise of the game is simple: the Earth has been knocked off of its axis by one too many nukes and is doomed to plummet into the Sun.You're required by your chosen faction to secure the required resources in order to build a massive fleet of colonial spacecraft to escape the doomed planet before it's too late. If you hang about too long, things really start to heat up and the Earth starts to look like it did a few billion years ago. However, the strengths that the game's scenario provide also provide some weaknesses. The game's focus is on resource collection above all else. This can mean you're still mining a particularly large patch of ore long after the last of your enemies is dead. Once you've wiped out the enemy they won't be reinforced. Packing up and leaving early seems counter-productive. So you're just left there waiting for them to finish. Time to go put the kettle on... Because of this, you may never get through the entire campaign before you've completed it. Your only objective is the resources. Once you have those it's game over. So efficient players may never see the last few missions of their chosen faction. You can hold back resources from your exodus project if you really want to see it all though. Debatably, another weakness is in the complete lack of infantry in the game. Again, the harsh conditions make surviving the elements impossible for even the ED to consider sending them out into battle. To summarise: Pros - Unit experience & carry over - Research & design your own units - Three distinct factions - Good graphics (for its time at least) - Deformable terrain Cons - Heavy focus on resource gathering - Controls and interface could be more streamlined - No infantry Earth 2150 should appeal to any strategy fan who seeks more than strategic and tactical options than games like C&C could dream of offering. There are some nice surprises dotted throughout each campaign and a good variety of missions. But patience is required. Keep that in mind.

Earth 2150 is truly a gem for a 3D RTS. It has elements of "epic" stamped over all the campaigns (I had a glimpse of the campaigns from the Prima Hint Book I got at bargain bin prices). There is a lot to do in the game and to think, egads, there's three bloody episodes. And, you not only have to master air, land, and sea forces, but also have to think of "underground confined type" warfare. The game starts off with beginner (read "tutorial" type) missions and slowly escalates in complexity. There is a bare-bones tutorial lasting 4 missions from the 2nd episode onwards. There are 3 factions in the game with slightly differing tactics to employ ala “Starcraft”. You will have quick access to Construction and Research, as well as a view of the world in 3D ala “X-Com” where you can select your choice of missions. Each mission engages you with detailed and varied mission briefs. The replayability value of the Earth 2150 trilogy is quite high with some branching missions along the way, and multitudes of maps for skirmish and multiplayer (5 modes of mayhem for up to 15 players in the later episodes). Plus an editor built into each episode of the trilogy to boot, you are set for infinite RTS bliss. But, it is inevitable that you will notice the downside - there isn't that much variation to the units and structures from each episode, and the landscape colors can be quite drab (well, to be fair, you can't texture the moon with reds, greens, and blues). Nevertheless, these are just minor shortcomings compared to the fun you will have with this trilogy of games. Thanks to GoG for re-releasing this gem to the masses!