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SunAge reviews
SunAge has just as much depth and intrigue as any modern-day pixel-shaded strategy title. «75%»
– GameShark.com
» SunAge is a new strategy title with a bit of a classy, old-school twist to it. «
»… the game forsakes the expected bloom-addled, DX10-enabled rendering engines of today in favor of a 2D graphical design that harkens back to the days of Starcraft. «
» What's left of humankind has scrambled for a series of "Domes", gigantic constructs which shelter them from the wasteland… and those left behind end up joining the rioting, diseased, mutant hordes. Adding further to the chaos is a robotic alien race from another world called "The Sentinel", who has taken an unexplained interest in Earth and its inhabitants. «
"Each unit does have its own specialty in terms of weapons and combat options, but the backbone of your army actually comes from upgrades and special weapons. Each and every unit in the game has an alternate mode it can switch to for a different function…"
» The game has three campaigns (each focused around a major character from all three factions) and uses still-image, voice-acted cutscenes to advance the plot, comic book-style. These do a great job of keeping the story moving and add a certain layer of depth and intrigue to the campaign… there's a kind of mythical quality to the overall plot that makes it desirable to see it all the way through. «» Meanwhile, the game has taken an interesting approach to the usual "Rock-paper-scissors" style of play that most real-time strategy titles adhere to. Each unit does have its own specialty in terms of weapons and combat options, but the backbone of your army actually comes from upgrades and special weapons. «
» Each and every unit in the game has an alternate mode it can switch to for a different function; the basic human soldiers for example can deploy a long-range anti-infantry sniper rifle (which makes them very vulnerable to vehicles and close-range attacks), or the fighter aircraft built by the Sentinel race can be ordered to leech from an enemy's power grid and shut down a given building. «
"It's easy to get drawn in the competitive multiplayer modes, as a lot of fun can be had experimenting with the different races and strategies available while competing for essential resources…"
»… base construction is oriented around laying down special towers to expand your power grid; all buildings must be connected to one of these towers (or your central HQ), or they won't work. This gives some very specific tactical targets to aim for when an attack is under way …«» What I like the most about SunAge is the approach to unit combat it uses. I've started to hate the trend a lot of RTS titles have… I prefer games that are a bit slower paced and more tactical. SunAge addresses this by a squad-based control system. «
» Grouped units stay in formation (which can be customized to a limited degree) and will focus fire on any specific target you designate… Because grouping units together and using their abilities is the main way to make them effective, this helps adds an interesting pacing to the game. «
» The game also comes with a set of multiplayer modes and maps. It's easy to get drawn in the competitive multiplayer modes, as a lot of fun can be had experimenting with the different races and strategies available while competing for essential resources on a given map. «
» "This review was based on the SunAge patch that was released shortly after release which makes the game infinitely more playable." «
Read the complete GameShark.com review at:
http://www.gameshark.com/reviews/2949/SunAge-Review.htm