First of all to those that think the game is crashing, that is part of the programming near the beginning. Literally the design of the game is to make it appear as if a computer is crashing because you just transformed the world from 2d to pseudo-3d, with obviously fake crashing graphics. I know one person in real life who was fooled by this cinematic sequence and thought the PC was melting or something. As for the bugs, there are a few. The dev is a nasty individual, and went as far as to 'deny everyone the greatness that would have been Fez 2' but honestly with his attitude he can stay out of the industry and I hope he is so poor he has to work real jobs just to eat cheap crappy food. But this is a review on the game, not the terrible dev. Really the game is cool for a few hours but then you seen it all. The levels just get larger and more complex in a linear manner really.You simply rotated the 2d world around in various mini-puzzles to collect cube pieces across this world and it just, well there isn't enough variety really. It's a jumping platformer. I can't get into this for more than a few hours of gametime.
I know this is based on another RTS but I never played that, I bought the CD pack of this game and it's expansion a long long time ago at a Wal-Mart far away. This game perfectly blended with episode 1+2 for backstory and fluff, and there is so much to read most StarWars junkies will get their fill on backstory down to individual character histories. Even the in-game techs make sense if you read them. Resources make sense, the skirmishes and campaigns are all fun and it's just a classic great RTS. I played this more than Starcraft. Insto-buy moment I saw it because my discs are worn out. The only negative I can think of is air and space units maybe could have been handled better but remember this is a 2d isometric RTS not a modern title so overall it's a great gem. Did not age as bad as other games tend to.
I had this game back when Reflexive Interactive or whoever were the ones selling it. I was lucky and ran into it on accident right about when it was first released, and was there right up until the front news page stopped getting constant updates. Played this game way too much, it's a total blast. Now it's on GOG. Get it. Everyone I know disagrees on COD vs Battlefield and Starcraft vs Total Annihilation but they all love Crimsonland. Everyone. It's a universally fantastic game. Cannot go wrong. I got it within 5 minutes of seeing the store page because it is worth it, more so now it's from GOG. I repeat, you cannot go wrong with this purchase. Games should only be something you play and have fun, not graphics or audio or a few gimmicks. Having fun is what this game does best and is a universal 5/5 for all gamers.
The most common issue with this game I hear when talking with others about it is lack of innovation. How so? Is taking something that works and making it broken innovation? BW: Kronos doesn't have an innovative storyline, but when I play Battle Isle it's not because of story so that's null. The gameplay is solid and works, there are mechanics from several board games put together into this one in a way that works very well. Innovation takes a step back compared to solid mechanics to me. I could spend several paragraphs going on about certain mechanics and where each one came from, but I won't. Point is, it's a great game that is not too slow and not to fast. Too slow ends up boring, too fast is usually too simple. This is enough depth to engage and shallow enough you won't spend all day to make a few moves. Unless you want, of course. The game is solid for a TBS, and it offers this solid gameplay with a good looking interface and quite decent graphics. Not a bad purchase in any way if you like Turn-Based Strategy, I got my start playing Advance Wars when I was a kid.
Sure, this game was buggy and horrid for the first months it was out. After all the patches it ended up being an ok game. I personally still own the CD I bought a year after original release at Babbages for $10 because no one wanted it, with the thick book that's half story half about the game. The manual is a good read to be honest. The game in it's current condition is playable, and I love the ship design and space combat. Spinal mounts, missiles, fighters and etc. are all factored in and make for great battles. The management is a bit dry and research is random what you unlock but the game is still a great game for me. It's below Space Empires 4 but only because SE4 is much simpler and makes for faster turns.
This was one of my first games I could play with a video card. Back when I was little, like around 8, I always trended towards these space games. I got lost watching the scenery. Anyway back to now, this game is still alright. I got the CD still and the latest patch on a HDD but for ease of storage I am putting this on my wishlist and will likely buy from GOG. The game is better than other attempts at Homeworld's throne, and it also has a story I found interesting enough. Can't go wrong for $6, it could keep you busy for the better part of a day or two and that's a bargain.
Still have the box with manual and discs for this. It dropped in price within months of release like MOO3 did and I picked it up for $10 nearly 10 years ago, so I don't know how GOG gets off on $10 for a digital copy of this game now. Regardless, it's a high quality game. What brings the score down is lack of online and the fact that you can go through hard missions with torpedo spam. Torpedoes run out of ammo yeah, but by then 1 of your ships will have wiped 3 or 4 of the enemy ships. A whole fleet decked with a few torpedoes can really hurt. This was spammed online obviously. But online was fantastic if you found a server where everyone agreed to no torps. Sadly online is non-existent anymore, so this game is just a single-player husk of the short glory it had online. 3 stars for GOG not being able to give us the best part of the game.
Decent game, lets you do what most PC techies wish they did at one time or another. Dislike a company busting hackers in the news? If you find their server and gain access get in and delete the OS files. Bam dead server, and in the news you read how a company had major damage caused to their systems. In short: Minimal UI but decent depth. Once you figure out the ins and outs of the game you see how shallow parts of it really are, but the illusion holds up well for a while and is fun. There is a free stand-alone mod after the source code was released called Onlink, adds many many things to the game like 1.13 adds to JA2.
The first Creatures was my first introduction into science, genetics, methods of teaching, patience, more patience, and how to use the internet on the (at the time) messed up download system for patches and extras. Lots of memories in the first game, even more in the second game because I absolutely loved the artwork. C2 had a darker setting it seemed, which helped me connect much more to the creatures I raised. In the end I look back at C1 and C2 as wonderful learning experiences and mild laid back entertainment. I also learned that injecting various chemicals into misbehaving critters gave way for some very interesting chemistry experiments. After staring at biology charts long enough you can actually read them and sound like a little doctor like I used to.
