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Starlancer
This is the first game by Digital Anvil, the company formed by legendary game designers Chris and Erin Roberts of Wing Commander, Privateer, and Strike Commander fame. It's no surprise that StarLancer's gameplay follows standards set by its classic predecessor and obvious inspiration, Wing Commander. Players are briefed on the tactical situation of the upcoming mission, then choose a fighter and ordnance. Only a few playable ships are offered at the outset; mission performance determines how quickly you earn access to more powerful fighters. StarLancer's ships are well balanced: some are fast and lightly armoured, while others carry powerful weaponry but can't keep up with an agile foe. But while the ships are cool, they lack the customising features found in FreeSpace 2 and Tachyon: The Fringe. You're able to equip particular missiles and add additional afterburner fuel, but you can't customise gun weaponry or add upgrades or special features. StarLancer's mission design is certainly its best feature. Mission goals often change on the fly, and frequent pilot chatter immerses players into the game's war atmosphere. Decisions made during missions can drastically alter later missions. For instance, if you fail to eliminate an enemy battleship early in the game you'll face a tough fight in a later mission when the enemy reinforces its front lines with that same battleship. Though offering nothing really new to the space combat genre, StarLancer's crisp 3-D engine, frenetic combat action, and complex missions make enlisting worthwhile. --Doug Radcliffe, Amazon.com Pros: ReviewsVery impressive Review date: 2000-07-28 Rating: 8 out of 10 Space combat sims have become a bit tedious over time. Generally speaking they lack depth and very few have any kind of storyline that's worth following. Starlancer dares to be different. From the start the storyline is engrossing, pulling the player in in such a such a way as to hold the interest. THe graphical representation is nothing short of jaw dropping with rendered cutscenes that only Diablo II betters and a virtual walkaround of the mothership that so varied it becomes as engrossing as the combat portion of the game. It's the combat segment where Starlancer really excels, graphics are quick and contain massive amounts of detail, the mix of fighters and capital ships is enough to create a varied mix of scenarios and the keyboard layout is such that even though you're using 80% of the available keys it's (almost!) impossible to select wrongly. Digital Anvil, the team behind Starlancer and Midtown Madness, have really worked wonders with this game. It's difficulty level is nicely balanced, presenting an interesting challenge, and it's so gorgeous it wouldn't look out of place on an art gallery wall. Top stuff. Product Details/SpecificationsRecording label: Microsoft Manufacturer: Microsoft EAN: 0659556147112 Binding: Video Game Number of items: 1 Universal product code (UPC): 659556147112 Manfacturer maximum age: 216 Manfacturer minimum age: 132 months Platform: Windows 2000Windows 98Windows 95Windows NT Brand: Microsoft
Tech info, cast and quotes/trivia when available. Exclusions may apply with free delivery. Price and availabiltity subject to change |
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