PC Science Fiction Games That Might Make You Forget StarCraft II

PC Science Fiction Games That Might Make You Forget StarCraft II
September 23, 2010
Jasmine Greene
Technorati

Since Starcraft II has been released, many people might be forgetting some other great science fiction games out there. While we all know that Blizzard makes amazing games, here are a couple others that will keep you busy if you get burnt out on Starcraft II.

Space Rangers 2: Rise of the Dominators
I'll preface this by saying that I have never played the first Space Rangers. The nice thing though is that when you buy the second game, the first one comes in the package and you don't have to play the first one to understand the second game. In fact, the second game begins 200 years after the first, in a battle against a new non-organic life form, the Dominators, which is beginning to threaten the lives of many alien species (a bit like the Borg, no?). You get to choose from several different species, jobs and craft types. Each of these choices depend on the other, so you only get limited choices. Each species also has different diplomatic ties, so going into the airspace of an enemy will likely end with your craft being shot out of the sky.

The storyline is fairly open and not terribly exciting, but what brings the game together is its gameplay. In no other game do you get quite the variety as SR2. Certain missions allow you to coordinate real time strategy aspects on terrestrial robot missions. Others utilize text based RPGs. The list goes on. You can also play outside of missions and attack Dominator invaded space or help allies out in a space war against a rival enemy. While the learning curve is a bit steep with all the different types of play, it keeps the game interesting. And you practically forget what the point of the game is because you're having so much fun wondering "I wonder what this next mission will be..." Speaking of missions, each has a time limit. If you don't complete the mission within the allotted time, your relationship with that planet will decrease, which means you won't get as many missions and they might end up becoming your enemies, so choose wisely.

Darwinia
While, at its core, the game is pure strategy, the storyline is complete science fiction.

Darwinia is about a scientist, Dr. Sepulveda, who created a virtual theme park that hosts a new form of artificial intelligence called Darwinians. These little green creatures differ from other AI as they learn, grow and, most importantly, seem to have a soul. The theme park is under attack by red viruses that threaten to destroy this new found life, and of course it's up to you to combat them...with the little Darwinians (affectionately called DG).

The game levels are done in a very Tron-esque manner with neon grids and interesting landscapes. In every map there is control tower that allows you to create two controllable units: engineer or a squad. The engineer's duty is to collect the souls of fallen creatures, reprogram control towers, and they can travel unhindered over most surfaces (even water). The squad/army, on the other hand, are the first line of defense and attack the red virus with a multitude of weapons. The DG themselves cannot be controlled, though they can be led by an officer--basically a promoted DG. Unfortunately the DG tend to be a little forgetful and also like to wander off, so keeping an eye on these little creatures is also party of the strategy.

As the Darwinians collect more souls and learn more, the weapons also become upgraded via an action called Research. This can't happen fast enough since viruses come in all different shapes, sizes and speeds and outnumber the Darwinians 10 to 1. Basic play is pretty easy as you just point and click, however you can only control three different Darwinians at a time and can only employ one action per creature. This will affect your strategy later on as the map becomes much harder, with lakes, lava holes, high terrains and more. It's strategy at its best and you really begin to feel for the little green guys. Every time one dies, it lets out a sad little sigh and turns to glowing red orbs. The landscape, while simple, is also in line with the theme of the game and still offers a wide enough variety of maps that it doesn't get tedious.

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