Etherium
Etherium Review
Developed by Tindalos Interactive (known for Stellar Impact) and published by Focus Home Interactive (Cities XL Series, Trine 2, Farming Simulator), Etherium is a daring new multiplayer RTS game looking to pump fresh energy into a slumbersome genre. Not since Starcraft 2 has there been such a relevant sci-fi entry for a 4X multiplayer game. Tindalos is a small, independent studio so much credit is deserving for even attempting such a monumental task.
In Etherium players will choose one of three different factions, each with their own unique abilities. These factions battle across multiple maps for control of a precious resource called etherium either against other players in multiplayer games or against AI players in single player skirmish mode and conquest mode. There are a multitude of units and upgrades available and units can level up through combat. Aside from the main factions, some maps also include a neutral faction which can advantageously be swayed into aiding your cause and be a nuisance for your opponents. The maps offer a variety of terrain features and can be used to your advantage as well. Additionally, Etherium contains a weather element based on terrain that can greatly impact battles and strategies.
– Real player with 41.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Sci-fi Multiplayer Games.
Kind of disappointing that there is no real campaign for the game. Instead of making one that players could really sink their teeth into, we are given conquest mode which is similar to what Planetary Annihilation and Star Wars: Empire at War use for their single player “campaigns”. For those that haven’t played either or those games, you get an overview of a universe to play on (sounds good so far right?) but unfortunately rather than having unique maps with a story to go with them, you find yourself being plunged into skirmish after skirmish. I assume that skirmishes don’t have fleet actions (colonize/conquer, attack enemy fleet, and travel to a new planet being among them) but those really don’t change much in my opinion.
– Real player with 29.9 hrs in game
Iron Marines
Overall
• I really enjoyed this game. For their very first RTS game, Ironhide did an amazing job. In the future, I hope they make more games like Iron Marines!
• For this review, I tried to create categories to make it easier to navigate. I wanted to give a thorough review and make sure I discussed each aspect of this game.
Set Up
• This may not be the norm, but I have enjoyed playing this game on Steam using my MacBook Air laptop.
Worlds
• I really liked the first 2 worlds (Sagan-1 and Ascendaar), but thought the third world (Borealis) was just okay in my opinion.
– Real player with 98.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Sci-fi Singleplayer Games.
This indie developer made their name with the excellent tower defense “Kingdom Rush” series. Now they decided to move on to “unknown” territory. Iron Marines is not a tower defense game. It is an RTS, but not a Starcraft or Command & Conquer clone. It is designed to be played on mobile devices originally, so the amont of units and buildings to manage is very scarce. Not to say that the game is simple, things get tough in impossible difficulty, and you have to know the mechanics very well to face the challenge that is presented.
– Real player with 44.2 hrs in game
BlackChain
Great game. Pathing and controls are super smooth. It is incredible that this is made by a single person. Only in terms of features, you notice that it’s just a single dev. It is only one race and multiplayer is only possible through LAN (virtual LAN for online play) and 2v2 still has some issues with desyncs. But everything that is in the game is unique and high quality. I really enjoy the micro in this game. It has a bit of a modern Starcraft: BroodWar feeling but it is still quite different. With the low price of only 4€, there is no reason not to get this game. The AI is pretty good even without cheating and tries to actively hunt down your workers with air units for example. The dev deserves the support so he is able to create more content for this. (I have received the key from a giveaway which has nothing to do with the dev)
– Real player with 11.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Sci-fi Singleplayer Games.
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Review by Gaming Masterpieces - The greatest games of all time on Steam.
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Real-time strategy, once the second most important genre after FPS games, is dead, isn’t it? While the few releases of recent years were mostly below average, there are some exceptions. This is one.
Great indie real-time stragegy game, heavily inspired by the seminal Starcraft. Build structures, build units, mine ressources and crypto-currency, wipe your enemies off the map. Fully voiced units and 12 campaign missions (all unlocked from the beginning), even a network option. Great little game - what a nice surprise!
– Real player with 9.3 hrs in game
Earth 2150 Trilogy
Important!
16:19 resolution causes the game to crash, use 16:12
Some facts why I love these games, and why you may buy them:
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~20h per campaign * 3 factions * 3 games = about 180h game time
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Very good campaigns encouraging you to save every unit and use them in later missions
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3 different factions with their strengths and weaknesses you have to master
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Lots of available tech for every faction you have to chose from
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Customizable units regarding their shield and weapon combinations
– Real player with 124.5 hrs in game
I dont usually feel urge need to write review for games..but when i do..
Earth 2150, in one sentence: “The Forever Shining jewel of the past”.
This game not only stands for itself, but it stands for an era of gaming and gaming industry.
Its the era when studios care to impress the gaming population and offer as much content as possible and with quality to come with, and wasn’t driven by money as first priority.
This is not your typical C&C game that after 7 missions of singeplayer sends u back to your desktop to spend $$$ for expansions packs, or the studio was “too lazy” to add naval units or other core features.
– Real player with 92.1 hrs in game
Element
Really fascinating game. Still obviously rough around the edges, especially as the difficulty ramps WAY up in the campaign very fast - I might say frustratingly fast. A bit more “Clicky” than I normally prefer but a very interesting alternative the the usual RTS fare and a lovely visual presentation. A lot of potential, assuming it keeps getting developed.
A few things I hope will play out as development goes along:
- A gentler ramping up of difficulty. The first two planets are challenging for a newcomer, but easily beaten. The third one is suddenly far more difficult. I find this just a bit too punishing - a smoother curve is needed.
– Real player with 5.7 hrs in game
I’m really impressed with the graphic design, that’s why I bought this game at first glimpse, it is almost a game I’ve dreamt of.
But the game mechanic is pretty disappointing.
The bigggest issue is that the mechanic make players have to carefully protect the enemey while not die to it. If you killed your oppenent without taking the mines, you might lose accidentally (which is not a rare situation, since your mines can be took down by enemies in a fight). This makes the game very tough and frustrating when the enemy starts really strong, and it is very annoying when you lose a game you shaw have won.
– Real player with 5.5 hrs in game
Grey Goo
Let’s start with bad and work our way up to the good, shall we?
What does Grey Goo do wrong? Not much, to be frank but there are a few things that could’ve been made better. First off the differences between the two humanoid factions are mostly cosmetic even though there are subtle differences in how units work, unit stats and general playstyle. Particularly base building is vastly different. I just feel they could’ve been diversified a little bit more.
No replay. EDIT: Replay is now in the game (2016-02-15 edit)
– Real player with 71.8 hrs in game
Grey Goo Definitive Edition
Genre: Real-time Strategy
Developer: Petroglyph Games
Publisher: Grey Box
Introduction
Grey Goo is a new Real-time Strategy (RTS) game by Westwood Studios veterans Petroglyph Games. Those familiar with Westwood would be aware of their impressive track record. As you may have already read, Grey Goo feels like an early RTS, however it introduces many new ideas differentiating itself from its predecessors. There are three distinct factions to play as (the standard number for RTS titles today), the versatile Beta, the defensive Humans and the aggressive Goo. I’ll take you through my rundown of the game assuming you’re an RTS fan; I’ll be making a few comparisons throughout.
– Real player with 60.7 hrs in game
Ground Control Anthology
One of my all time favorites; I come back to it about once a year.
The Good: The game has lots of innovative features, even by comparison to today.
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Armor values depend on facing and can render something immune to shots too low to pierce that armor
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Tactics over strategy (no base building, no economy, etc)
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Good difficulty and gives you the ability to challenge yourself if you want; you’re usually not dictated to but rather you can play the game your way. For example, Mission 2 or 3 they tell you you have a 95% or higher chance of destruction, but you can in fact kill all of the opposing units and I usually make it a mission to do so
– Real player with 146.2 hrs in game
Hit and miss… The game is an RTS focused on combat. That means no base building or management of resources. You have a limited amount of troops for each mission and maybe some reinforcements in some missions. So you must cure and repair. The story is ok, nothing special but keeps ya interested. Music is also ok. Graphics are old but kinda nice for a game that was released almost 20 years ago. Along with the Dark Conspiracy expansion, there are 45 missions to play and it took me around 52 hours to finish it, so good length. Decent voice acting.
– Real player with 52.3 hrs in game
Ground Control II: Operation Exodus
Together with the Steam release, I also own the original retail version that shipped in a larger box, and this game was a childhood favourite. A very well-crafted title, especially for its time.
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There is no base building in this game, with units instead being flown to the battlefield in “dropships”. In my experience, this makes your role on the battlefield feel much more immediate than most other RTS titles I’ve played.
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Highly impressive graphics, they remain visually pleasing and stand up well on their own, even today.
– Real player with 68.4 hrs in game
So many pleasant memories of this game…and a couple of unpleasant ones. Will this review be biased? Of course, but I will give you the good and the bad as objectively as possible.
Ground Control 2 was the first game I ever bought with my own money, the first RTS I ever played. It was sitting forlornly at the bottom of a bargain bin, not even in those thick plastic CD cases (remember those?XD), but in a box made of flimsy cardboard.
I was dismissive at first, but soon it captivated me with its beautiful graphics, dramatic soundtrack, and intruiging story. Unfortunately, I never really got into the multiplayer, since Massgate servers had been down for several years by the time I finally got it, but from other reviewers who had battled with and against each other, it was deemed a fun and challenging experience.
– Real player with 24.6 hrs in game
Halo Wars: Definitive Edition
Probably an acquired taste, but I really love this game. Definitely should revive this game
– Real player with 58.6 hrs in game
To be honest its a game simple and still makes me come back over and over again.
– Real player with 57.7 hrs in game
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
How Homeworld Deserts of Kharak Solved Starcraft
It’s becoming more difficult to spot a really good game. Some studios have such sprawling resources and can afford to crank such incredible amounts of content into a game that it’s easy to overlook quality in the absense of quantity. I think this is abundantly the case with Homeworld: Deserts, which seems to get a bad wrap for a short campaign and a comparably thin assortment of units. I can’t say with any certainty that I would have given it a fair chance myself if not for the fact that Homeworld and I go way, way back. But I’ve enjoyed it immensely well after 100 hours in, and the best way I can think of to explain why is to compare the game with the analogue in RTS that I know the most about: Starcraft… or perhaps more specifically, Starcraft II.
– Real player with 488.1 hrs in game
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, the fourth game of the homeworld franchise and its first non-spacial RTS. In short words: Worth every single cent you put on it.
Warning: I never played any other homeworld game, I didn’t know its story nor had read about it before playing this game. But I’m an RTS Veteran, I’ve been playing RTSes since WarCraft 2, going through all games from the C&C Franchise, AoE and AoM Franchises, StarCraft 1, BW and 2, Company of Heroes 2, Grey Goo and many others.
Singleplayer:
– Real player with 382.3 hrs in game