Warzone 2100

Reviewer's Ratings

0.0 Graphics

0

Unrated

0.0 Sound

0

Unrated

0.0 Gameplay

0

Unrated

I've had a bad experience with Warzone 2100 in the past, none of the versions worked for me. But I'm willing to put all that behind me now, the latest version of WZ is working and working well!

Let's start things off, Warzone 2100 is an open-source RTS game for Mac, Linux and Windows. Warzone 2100 was originally a commercial game for the PS1 and Windows, but thankfully, it was released for free in 2004. Now I'm not a really big fan of Real-Time Strategies, but Warzone has a strange appeal to it. First of all, it's completely free. Secondly, I admit that certain bits of other RTS games (like Starcraft and C&C) have been implemented into this game, so while it's not fresh and new, you can be sure that the features which made it into this game are gonna be good. And you'd be right.

Warzone plays like you'd expect any RTS would, so the controls are quite easy. Most of the gameplay options are played simply by clicking around the screen. Moving your cursor to the sides of the screen will move the camera around, without any problems due to the fact that the camera will move higher or lower when running into high places (like mountains or hills). Right clicking then dragging your cursor will change your camera angle, allowing you to see everything from every angle. The camera in this game works very well and should be applauded for that. *Applause*. The interface for this game is also quite simple, everything is visible without any overlapping, but it might take some time to get used to, but I'd put that time at around an hour (for RTS n00bs, like me), so by the time you get to the action, you'll have no trouble getting around.

Onto the graphics, for a free game, I am very pleased. Thanks to the new terrain renderer, the battle zone will be looking great throughout the entire game. Building and vehicles design is also quite good, and you'll always feel like you're commanding actual tanks and trucks, not just polygons with a texture on it. But due to the zoomed out camera, you may find it hard to differentiate certain vehicles from another, mainly due to the design feature which allows you to mix and match different parts to make your dream tank. If you have multiple different types of vehicles with some same pieces, don't be surprised if you end up choosing a repair truck into combat. The 3D engine is very efficient in Warzone, so you'll be able to play it at the highest quality with perfect results on most computers, even on lower-end ones. Hooray!

Now to talk about the sound design. This is a game best played with headphones (then again, all games are better with headphones). The music playing in the background is awesome and fits to the game perfectly. The sound effects from the different weapons and vehicles is very solid and will definitely sound right for combat. To top it off the 3D sound really helps you feel like you're in the game. I'm very impressed by the sound in this game.

We all know that the biggest aspect of an RTS is the gameplay, so I'm going to go ahead and review it right now. Like I said earlier, there's not much innovation in Warzone, luckily, as I also said earlier, Warzone takes the best from other RTSs and puts it together. You'll have different types of vehicles to help you out throughout the game, and thanks to the design system, you have around 2000 variations of them so you'll be able to build them the way you want. Attack vehicles will do the attacking, repair vehicles will do the repairing, building vehicles will do the building, and so on. Like I said, no innovation, but it works. Your builder vehicle will have an assortments of buildings to create. Each one has a different matter to attend to. They will also allow you to use different features. Example, to research new items, you're going to have to build a research center, otherwise, you're screwed. To get money, you will have to build oil derricks, and as we all know, oil equals power which equals money which equals more power. But instead of simply building them wherever you want, you are forced to build them on special areas, which means you'll be striking oil every time.

The AI of your vehicles and the enemy is quite good. They will be doing their job most of the time without you needing to tell them, so you vehicles can be sent to repair or be repaired by themselves, without you having to tell them to. This is very useful, especially in the midst of a battle. The enemy of also smart, they will be using the terrain efficiently to try to flank you, so you'll have to do more then send your guys into the middle of a camp of scavengers.

To round it off, I'd like to say that I was very surprised and impressed bu this game. I'm happy to say that I've patched things up with Warzone, and I'm ready to keep playing, I'm not even a big fan of RTS games. So if you're looking for an RTS with the gameplay of a commercial game, great sound, great graphics and a long storyline, then Warzone 2100 is the game for you.