Universe at War: Earth Assault
Universe at War: Earth Assault | |
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Single player, multiplayer |
Universe at War: Earth Assault is a real-time strategy game, developed by Petroglyph Games and published by Sega. Universe at War: Earth Assault was intended to be the first game in a planned series of games to be called the Universe at War series.[1]
On May 10, 2007, Sega announced that the title was also in development for the
Plot
Universe at War: Earth Assault, begins during year 2012 when an
The Novus (a race of machines who fight the Hierarchy to avenge their fallen creators) arrive just in time to save
With the Novus portal destroyed and their forces scattered Kamal gives the order for the Purifier to be primed for activation, however, while distracting the Novus from the Purifier, Hierarchy field commander Orlok accidentally trips an ancient alarm in the Egyptian pyramids, and the Masari, asleep beneath the Earth's oceans, begin to waken. Though the Masari mothership initially creates a signal that prevents the Purifier from being used, the Hierarchy bombard the ship from orbit and Orlok boards it to destroy the jamming signal transmitters.
Orlok, who has been questioning Kamal's intentions prepares to separate with others who follow him. Nufai, a spy working for Kamal, used to be part of a species that the Hierarchy has since eliminated. He tells Orlok that he would be happy to overthrow Kamal's regime, so Nufai is sent to secure the Purifier while Orlok tries to make an alliance with the Masari queen, but instead finds her son, Prince Zessus. The prince and his forces join Orlok as he tries to capture a communication center to contact the others who want to separate from the Hierarchy. But Kamal Re'x appears with a massive force of troops, and Orlok almost defeats him, but Nufai shows up and helps Kamal destroy Orlok, revealing that he was working for Kamal the entire time. Nufai is appointed commander and they begin to use the Purifier to destroy the Earth. Prince Zessus is captured but is freed by a soldier who managed to escape. They find more humans captured in other encampments and join forces with them.
Meanwhile, the Masari Queen is concerned about her son and the fate of the planet. The Masari are furious when they awoke only to find their enemy, the Hierarchy, present on Earth and their mothership destroyed along with the fact that their plan for humanity to become a powerful force to oppose the Hierarchy is in jeopardy. As such, the Masari have no allegiance and are prepared to destroy any and all of the other factions to reap revenge on those who destroyed their civilization and their adopted home. Then, Novus approaches the queen and offers another allegiance, which the queen accepts. The two armies then assault all the Hierarchy bases on Earth. When they arrive in South America, they find Zessus, who announces that he has befriended the humans. Finally, the combined armies of the Masari, Novus and the humans attack and destroy the Purifier. Kamal Re'x is outraged and attempts to destroy them by himself, which instantly fails.
The armies argue over what to do with him, with the humans and Novus wanting to kill him for the damage he caused to the galaxy and Earth. But the Masari queen says that death is not the answer. She then apparently gives Kamal the power of a god which he uses to destroy them all, at least in his eyes. The queen is revealed to have actually trapped Kamal inside his own mind where he visualizes someone conquering the galaxy, but is never able to accomplish it himself. He was locked in the prison of his own mind, forever. Humanity with the help of Masari and Novus rebuilding their civilization and fulfilling their destiny to oppose the Hierarchy.
Gameplay
Gameplay is split between three modes, two of which are further divided into different game types.
The first mode is single player. These are games that are played exclusively by one human player against
Scenario mode gives the player a choice of one of the three main factions (Novus, the Hierarchy or the Masari) and then allows the player to choose a global situation and then take over the world. This mode is split between global strategy, which involves attacking neutral or enemy territories, constructing global structures and collecting resources; and tactical combat, in which the player must attack an enemy in an occupied territory in order to gain control of it, or defend one of their territories from an attempted invasion.
The second mode is the standard RTS skirmish mode. The player is given the option of playing against up to three opponents on the Xbox 360 or seven opponents on the PC. These opponents can be either AI controlled, or human controlled over an internet connection. The players are each given a base and a construction unit and must build up their forces to achieve domination of the chosen game map.
Audio
The Universe at War: Earth Assault Original Soundtrack was composed by Frank Klepacki and released on December 22, 2007.
Reception
Aggregator | Score | |
---|---|---|
PC | Xbox 360 | |
Metacritic | 77/100[24] | 66/100[25] |
Publication | Score | |
---|---|---|
PC | Xbox 360 | |
Destructoid | N/A | 4/10[4] |
Edge | 6/10[5] | N/A |
Eurogamer | 7/10[6] | 4/10[7] |
Game Informer | 8.25/10[8] | 5/10[9] |
GamePro | [10] | N/A |
GameRevolution | B−[11] | N/A |
GameSpot | 7.5/10[12] | 6.5/10[13] |
GameSpy | [14] | [15] |
GameTrailers | N/A | 7.5/10[16] |
GameZone | 8/10[17] | 7.2/10[18] |
IGN | 8/10[19] | 6.3/10[20] |
Official Xbox Magazine (US) | N/A | 7.5/10[21] |
PC Gamer (US) | 85%[22] | N/A |
PC PowerPlay | 8/10[26] | N/A |
The New York Times | (favorable)[23] | N/A |
The PC version received "generally favorable reviews", while the Xbox 360 version received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[24][25] GamePro described the PC version "like a breath of fresh air that carries with it the vague stench of something foul. It offers three interesting and diverse sides, great graphics, and some tantalizing strategic elements but it's afflicted by some unfortunate quirks that hold the game back."[10] IGN remarked of the same console version, "What Petroglyph has done is to take the basic framework and use it to create a game with three wildly unique but finely balanced factions that each offer a level of real-time customization that gives players a chance to really adapt to the changing circumstances on the battlefield. Unfortunately, the game's campaign doesn't do justice to the overall design while a number of sticky interface and performance problems add to the frustrations."[19]
Awards
- ActionTrip: Best strategy game of E3 2007.[citation needed]
- Kotaku: Best strategy game of E3 2007.[citation needed]
- CHUD: Sixth of Best of E3 2007, also the number one strategy game on the top ten list.[citation needed]
- Game Critics Awards nominee.[citation needed]
- Number 9 on IGN PC Editor's list of most anticipated games.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b IGN staff (February 1, 2007). "Exclusive First Universe at War: Earth Assault Details". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Orry, James (May 10, 2007). "Universe at War coming to Xbox 360". VideoGamer.com. Resero Network. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Remo, Chris (June 27, 2007). "Universe at War to Support PC to Xbox 360 Play". Shacknews. Shacknews Ltd. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Nicholson, Brad (July 6, 2008). "Review scraps: Universe at War: Earth Assault (X360)". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Edge staff (February 2008). "Universe at War: Earth Assault (PC)". Edge. No. 185. Future plc. p. 94.
- ^ Fahey, Rob (January 25, 2008). "Universe at War: Earth Assault (PC)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on September 28, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Whitehead, Dan (April 2, 2008). "Universe at War: Earth Assault (Xbox 360)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on January 5, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Biessener, Adam (January 2008). "Universe at War: Earth Assault (PC)". Game Informer. No. 177. GameStop. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2008.
- ^ Biessener, Adam (June 2008). "Universe at War: Earth Assault (X360)". Game Informer. No. 182. GameStop. Archived from the original on April 25, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ a b Dagley, Andrew (December 18, 2007). "Review: Universe at War: Earth Assault (PC)". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2008.
- CraveOnline. Archivedfrom the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ VanOrd, Kevin (April 2, 2008). "Universe at War: Earth Assault Review (X360) [date mislabeled as "April 3, 2008"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Rausch, Allen (December 17, 2007). "GameSpy: Universe at War [Earth Assault] (PC)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Joynt, Patrick (March 28, 2008). "GameSpy: Universe at War: Earth Assault (X360)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ "Universe at War: Earth Assault Review (X360)". GameTrailers. Viacom. April 17, 2008. Archived from the original on May 2, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Callon, Michael (January 17, 2008). "Universe at War: Earth Assault - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 4, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Knutson, Michael (April 7, 2008). "Universe at War: Earth Assault - 360 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ a b Butts, Steve (December 14, 2007). "Universe ar War: Earth Assault Review (PC)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Geddes, Ryan (April 1, 2008). "Universe at War: Earth Assault Review (X360)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Mahood, Andy (June 2008). "Universe at War: Earth Assault". Official Xbox Magazine. Future US. Archived from the original on March 30, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ "Universe at War: Earth Assault". PC Gamer. Vol. 15, no. 1. Future US. January 2008. p. 76.
- ^ Herold, Charles (December 20, 2007). "Fighting It Out on the Battlefield and on the Court". The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ a b "Universe at War: Earth Assault for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ a b "Universe at War: Earth Assault for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Handmer, Lindsay (February 2008). "Universe at War". PC PowerPlay (148): 58–59.