Colony Wars: Vengeance
| Colony Wars: Vengeance | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio |
 Psygnosis Liverpool
|
||
| Publisher |
Psygnosis
|
||
| Senior Developer | Mike Ellis (Lead Designer) | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
October 1998 | ||
| platform | PlayStation | ||
| genre | Space flight simulation | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Game controller | ||
| medium | CD-ROM | ||
| language | German | ||
| Age rating |
|
||
Colony Wars: Vengeance is an action-oriented space flight simulation and the second game in the Colony Wars series by Psygnosis . Like its predecessor , it was developed by Psygnosis' studio in Liverpool and released for PlayStation a year after the first part in October 1998 . Drawing on one of the endings of the Colony Wars plot , it tells the story of the solar navy's counterstrike against the League of Free Worlds, 100 years after the events of the first part. The player takes on the role of the Navy pilot Mertens.
action
The plot is based on one of the five possible outcomes of the previous game, according to which the league sealed the jump gate of the solar system after its defeat in the Sol system and thus completely isolated the home planets. As a result, chaos and civil war broke out in the solar system. Several decades later, however, the people of the Sol system were able to reunite under the leadership of Kron and in 4699 opened the sealed jump gate. This leads to renewed confrontation with the League of Free Worlds, the second colonial war.
The player takes on the role of the Navy pilot Mertens. He supports Kron in eliminating the last resistors within the solar system and is then part of the advance into league territory. As in the previous version, there is a variable mission structure with six different game outcomes, depending on the player's success during the combat missions. The canonical solution of the developers is that Kron turns out to be an increasingly psychopathic leader who inflicts terror and violence on humanity. He turns out to be a former high-ranking fighter pilot of the league, who was deliberately left behind by the "father" after the attack on the solar system. Kron's efforts to reunite solar mankind therefore primarily serve his desire for revenge. His efforts to destroy the league are finally stopped by the player by killing Kron. The second colonial war ends in 4671.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Colony Wars: Vengeance corresponds to that of its predecessor without any major changes. The player controls one of a total of five new space fighters. Type and equipment are given to him by the program. There are a total of 41 missions, which are divided into 19 campaigns in five star systems (Sol, Gallonigher, Cronus, Alpha Centaurus, Boreas). Each campaign consists of one or three missions. Due to the variable course of the game, the player does not have to have played all missions to reach the canonical end. Compared to its predecessor, which dealt with all possible solutions equally, Colony Wars: Vengeance clearly distinguishes between a main solution and the five alternative game outcomes. Similar to the predecessor, the player is not forced to complete all missions. A failed mission can often be compensated for by a compensatory, then usually more difficult, mission. Failure several times in a row very quickly leads to one of the five alternative ends.
There are four different space fighters in the game, which are gradually unlocked for the player and between which he can now freely choose. A fifth type of hunter is only specified in the planetary missions. The in-flight interface has been streamlined. Information on the opposing shield and armor strength is now only displayed next to the object when targeting the corresponding unit. A new aiming aid makes targeting distant enemy planes easier. Through enemy kills, the player also collects so-called tokens, which he can invest in improving his hunters between missions. There are several expansion stages for each hunter in the areas of protective screens, propulsion, afterburners and gyro stabilizers. Compared to its predecessor, the statistical evaluation after completion of a mission has been omitted. Instead, the consequences of the operation are commented on using a small screen text with voice output.
development
The sequel to Colony Wars also came from Psygnosis' Liverpool development studio, again under the direction of lead designer Mike Ellis. The project continued to use the technical basis and developer tools of its predecessor, such as the mission editor. This allowed the development time to be limited to ten months. Compared to its predecessor, the graphics could be increased through additional render backgrounds such as wormholes or planetary surfaces and through better coordinated behavior patterns of the objects. The collision query has been improved and accelerated by four times, while the mission design has been expanded to include five planetary ground missions. Classical music compositions, for example by Antonín Dvořák and Ludwig van Beethoven , were used for the soundtrack .
reception
| publication | Rating |
|---|---|
| Mega fun | 89/100 |
| NeXt level | 90% |
| Video games | 79% |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8.6 / 10 |
| GameSpot | 7.6 / 10 |
| IGN | 9.5 / 10 |
| Meta-ratings | |
| GameRankings | 86.67% |
Colony Wars: Vengeance received mostly very good ratings from the trade press (game rankings: 86.67%).
“For every Hobby Skywalker and every living room Han Solo , Colony Wars: Vengeance is an absolute must. The interested player can currently not find more variety, nicer graphics and harder space battles in any other space shooter. "
“ I expected more from the second part of the" better Wing Commander ". Graphically and acoustically, CWV is good, but not outstanding. [...] However, keeping the player engaged by increasing the level of difficulty to new heights is a new approach for me. At least I don't think it will bring success [...] A little more "playable" and the game would be a safe buy recommendation. "
“When playing Colony Wars: Vengeance, the virtual pilot doesn't let go of the feeling of being in the middle of a science fiction film. The computer-animated sequences in cinema quality and an immensely elaborate audio backdrop with on-board radio and orchestral music give the epic an uncanny depth of play. "
"Despite its flaws, the game's head-turning graphics, diversity, and uncommonly developed story propel Colony Wars: Vengeance light years ahead of the average space shooter."
"Despite its flaws, the breathtaking graphics, variety and unusually elaborated plot catapult Colony Wars: Vengeance light years ahead of the average space shooter."
“If you have Colony Wars and liked it, you'll need to play the sequel. If you don't have either, buy Colony Wars Vengeance, it's a masterpiece in videogaming. "
“If you have Colony Wars and you liked it, you have to play the sequel. If you haven't had it yet, buy Colony Wars: Vengeance, it's a computer game masterpiece. "
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Isaiah Taylor: Colony Wars: Lead Programmer Mike Anthony. In: Gamasutra . United Business Media, October 3, 2011, accessed March 22, 2012 .
- ↑ Isaiah Taylor: How Colony Wars Came To Be. In: Gamasutra . United Business Media, September 28, 2011, accessed March 21, 2012 (e).
- ^ "Colony Wars: Vengeance" Blasts the Competition Into Space Dust - 3D Space Combat Sequel Brings War to the Surface. In: Psygnosis press release. The Free Library, July 20, 1998, accessed March 26, 2012 .
- ↑ a b Uwe Kraft: Test: Colony Wars Vengeance. (Scan) In: Mega Fun 01/1999. January 1999, pp. 92-95 , accessed March 21, 2012 .
- ^ A b Holger Reher: Colony Wars: Vengeance. (Scan) In: NeXt Level 12/1998. December 1998, pp. 74-75 , accessed March 21, 2012 .
- ↑ a b Alex Folkers: Test: Colony Wars: Vengeance. (Scan) In: Video Games 12/1998. December 1998, p. 88 , accessed March 21, 2012 .
- ^ A b Garry Mollohan: Colony Wars: Vengeance Review. In: GameSpot . CNET , September 29, 1998, accessed March 21, 2012 .
- ^ A b Doug Perry: Colony Wars Vengeance. In: IGN . News Corp. , Nov. 5, 1998, accessed March 21, 2012 .
- ↑ a b GameRankings : Average rating , based on 12 articles. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
