Frustrating, that is the
key word when describing the beginning of Startopia, a civ-sim game from
Eidos Interactive and Mucky Foot Productions.
Why? The manual is horribly
unable to prepare players for the joy of this game. You will get more out
of the five tutorial missions than you will from the manual – or, at least,
you will get a quick introduction to the program that the manual (which
is packaged with the CD) can’t seem to give. Simply put, this is a game
that needs to be played to understand the complexity, and the joy, of the
adventure.
So what is Startopia? Despite
the intro movie – which is wonderfully, and somewhat comedic in nature,
poking fun at 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Outer Limits (in later tone)
– this is somewhat of a far-out civ game. Think of it as being the manager
of a space Motel 6. As administrator of this space station (Ok, Deep Space
9 is an appropriate parallel), you must provide for the comfort and happiness
of the various space denizens likely to take up residence in your little
haven among the stars.
The scenario leading up to
all of this is as follows: The intergalactic war is over, and abandoned
space stations are being refitted to provide for the surviving alien races.
They don’t always get along, but your job is providing a place where they
are too happy to fuss and fight. There are eight diverse races that trust
you, so you had better do a great job.
The station can be split
into a variety of decks – three in total, with turbo lifts allowing egress
to each deck – and you must provide for the diverse races. Hence, you may
need to build a bio-deck, and of course an entertainment level is a must,
while the engineering deck holds the functions of this place together.
Imagine Tropico (a Gathering
of Developers release) in deep space with a host of unusual races stirring
up problems.
The camera is touted as the
toughest tool to control, but turns out to be quite easy. But the rest
of the player controls take some getting used to – although the five tutorial
lessons make it a tad easier to navigate through the game.
Yes, you will have to micromanage
resources. And there are mission-based scenarios that will keep you on
your toes. You can also enter a ‘sandbox’ mode that allows you to gently
work your way through the program, learning without penalty, how to be
the best space station administrator that you can be. C’mon Captain Sisko,
the world, and the hope of the future ride on your decisions.
The campaign mode expands
the administration concept beyond just the one station, and therein lays
the real challenge. There are 10 missions that will challenge and intrigue
– mostly due to the sterling graphical elements of the program. When it
comes to the visual and audio elements, Startopia is right up there with
the best of the civ games. This game is lovingly crafted, and it shows
very clearly in the way the interface elements set up to the look of the
various races and the operation of the station itself.
There is an added element
to the program, a combat mode which, while it may intrigue some players,
can be likened to the combat in other civ games. Sure, it can be taxing
on resource management, but it is hardly instrumental to the core elements
of the game.
There is a bevy of great
characters that course throughout the game, making it ever intriguing and
solid fun.
The game does feature multiplayer
scenarios in which hosting players can set up the conditions for winning.
The game can be played over TCP/IP, LAN or the Internet through the GameSpy
site.
This game is rated for Teens
due to some suggestive themes and animated violence.
Startopia is a solid product,
full of the intrigue, diversity and management decisions that are the hallmark
of terrific simulation games. There is humor, aside jokes, great graphics
and audio, and solid gameplay elements in place. The missions may be nearsighted
in regards to the time it takes to accomplish them, but the supporting
factors, which allow for extended play, are great reasons to visit this
out-of-this-world locale time and again.
Install: Easy.
The game only asks for 357
megs of hard-drive space, and installs quite quickly.
Gameplay: 8.5
Some of the missions are
rather simplistic, but the game – overall – features wonderful replayability,
and somewhat seamless play.
Graphics: 9.
Graphically, this is a wonderfully
rendered product – from the alien races to the environment elements.
Sound: 9
The programmers certainly
had fun with this product, and that comes through clear with the vocal
characterizations as well as the musical soundtrack.
Difficulty: 8
The manual provides little
in the way of solid help, but the tutorials give the basic information
and play in the sandbox mode adds to the know-how of attempting to succeed
at this game.
Concept: 8.5.
This is a refreshing breath
of air into the genre, with original characters, humor and solid game play.
Multiplayer: 7.5
It was tough to get a solid
read on the multiplayer aspects of this game, however all the elements
are in place, with a solidly scripted group of win scenarios, to make this
a good game.
Overall: 8.5.
The first things that will
draw you into this world are the graphics and audio portions of the program.
Once that bit of fluff becomes the ordinary, you will realize that this
is a well-crafted game.
