Starsiege
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| Starsiege | |
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| Developer(s) | Dynamix |
| Publisher(s) | Dynamix |
| Designer(s) | Sierra |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | March 24, 1999 |
| Genre(s) | Vehicle Simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen(T) |
| Media | Compact Disc |
| System requirements | Pentium 166 w/ Glide or OpenGL compatible 3D accelerator, 32mb RAM |
| Input methods | Keyboard, mouse, joystick |
Starsiege is a mecha-style vehicle simulation game developed by Dynamix and released in 1999. Starsiege is set in the Earthsiege universe, which contains its predecessors Earthsiege (1994), Battledrome (1995), and Earthsiege 2 (1995), as well as action game Hunter Hunted (1996), strategy games Mission Force: Cyberstorm (1997) and Cyberstorm 2: Corporate Wars (1998), and first-person shooters Starsiege: Tribes (1998), Tribes 2 (2001), and Tribes: Vengeance (2004). Starsiege is the end of the Earthsiege series and the beginning of the Tribes series.
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[edit] Plot
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This plot summary may be too long or overly detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (July 2009) |
United as one Empire, Earth and its colonies on Luna, Mars, and Venus are led by the Immortal Emperor Solomon Petresun. Under his leadership, Earth is prosperous. Defended by the Imperial Navy and the elite Imperial Knights, Earth is safe.
On Mars and Venus, colonists live under harsh Imperial law. The Emperor has continually tightened his grip on Mars and Venus, reducing colonial liberties and increasing production quotas. While Petresun believes that the only hope for humanity's survival is to focus all attention on defending Earth, many colonists are not willing to lose their freedom to protect only Earth. And so a rebellion is rising on Mars, lead by old and new heroes, and the Imperial Knights are preparing to crush this rebellion.
The Great Human Empire is directly represented in the game by two main groups, the Imperial Police and the Imperial Knights. The Imperial Police are the enforcers of Imperial law on Mars and Venus. They are reasonably well outfitted with HERCs and tanks, though they do not possess nearly as much equipment or experience as the Knights. The Imperial Knights are the Emperor's best, the most skilled HERC and tank pilots in the Empire, and amongst the most honored and respected citizens. Led by Grand Master Caanon Weathers, the Knights are charged with the defense of Earth and the suppression of insurrections. As the elite, the Knights have access to the Empire's finest technology, including specially modified tanks and HERCs. The Knights are far more deadly than the Imperial police, and should they be sent to Mars, would present a serious challenge for the rebellion.
The rebellion on Mars emerged as two distinctive groups in 2802, the Free Martian Alliance and the Martian Liberation Front. While the Free Martian Alliance seeks to damage the Empire economically through the sabotage or capture of convoys and supplies, the MLF takes a more violent approach, attacking Imperial troops and sympathizers. The rebels operate out of uncharted mining tunnels, giving them the freedom to make quick strikes and then retreat beneath the surface. One of the rebellion's most valuable assets lies in Bek Storm, a general in the Free Martian Alliance. Piloting modified mining Hercs and tanks, the Rebellion is also in possession of an artifact called the Tharsis Cache. The Tharsis Cache was discovered by rebels on Mars when digging new tunnels. Within the cache lay powerful weaponry, belonging to a long dead alien race. The alien technology adapted easily to human use, and the new power of these weapons gave the rebels a fighting chance against the Imperial Police.
The Cybrids are the race of robotic sentients responsible for Earth's near-destruction in The Fire. Prometheus still leads the Cybrids, and is revered with god-like status. The Cybrids' existence with the single goal of the eradication of humanity. For two centuries, since the end of the second Earthsiege, they have been rebuilding on the outer planets of the solar system in preparation for their next attack. Now the Cybrid armada contains hundreds of ships and thousands of Hercs and tanks, enough to launch a third and final attack on humanity. Like the Martian rebels, the Cybrids have discovered a cache of hidden alien technology and adapted it to their own use, though the Cybrid cache does not match the level of the Martian one. The Cybrid elite are known as the Platinum Guard, and like the Imperial Knights have their own modified Hercs.
A little known dissident faction also begins to form within the Cybrid community itself, the Metagens. During the Cybrid missions the player is ordered to hunt down and destroy the Metagen units. Little is mentioned of them from the human side of the campaign other than in the final mission of the campaign where it is mentioned that for "unknown reasons" many Cybrids that are supposed to be guarding Prometheus have been seen abandoning their posts and refusing to fire on the humans.
[edit] Gameplay
As a simulation, Starsiege offers players the ability to pilot a wide variety of massive bipedal war machines known as HERCULANs (Humaniform-Emulation Roboticized Combat Unit with Leg-Articulated Navigation) (or 'HERCs' for short), as well as several tanks. Set in 2829, Starsiege contains an array of advanced technology, and numerous upgrades are available for each vehicle. Starsiege takes place across a number of planets and moons in the solar system, offering a range of different locations throughout the game and in multiplayer battles, including Earth, Titan, Luna, Mars, Venus, and Mercury. There are two campaigns, Human and Cybrid. The human campaign places the player as a member of the Free Martian Alliance.
Gameplay in Starsiege revolves around mechanized combat - piloting HERCs and tanks in combat against opposing vehicles. Both types of vehicles can be controlled via any combination of keyboard, joystick, or mouse. Every vehicle has a unique performance, though this can be modified somewhat through customization of parts. Customizing the player's vehicle is an important element of gameplay, particularly in multiplayer - a proper balance between all of the components is necessary to assure the player a reasonable chance of success.
Multiplayer gameplay includes classic modes deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture the flag.
[edit] Reception
Starseige received moderately good critical reception. IGN awarded 7.7 out of 10, highlighting the well presented package and cutscenes, graphically impressive (whilst sparse) landscapes, intuitive controls and the longevity of the multiplayer mode. The minimal sound effects were criticised, with muddled voice-overs, and some of human HERC models were felt to be a bit bland and generic.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Blevins, Tal (April 6, 1999). "Starsiege Review". IGN. http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/154/154011p1.html. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
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