By Dynamix by Sierra Software
Starsiege is an awesome game. Of course I realize that now, but I didn't have a clue as to what it would be like when I walked into the video game section of Fred Meyers on a...Sunday afternoon (Methinks) so long ago. It looked good enough. It had nice colors, beautiful shapes, and firm breasts...Oh wait, that was the junior from NHS behind the counter. (Don't worry- I got to check out her box a little later...I'll node more about that when you're older. Anyway Starsiege looked good enough. It had several prestigious awards/claims on the box.
It also had many, many good review on the back including several from PC Gamer, Computer Life Online, Gamepower, and The Voodoo Review. The box was a startling plethora of beautiful images depicting an awesome game that I fell in love with on the spot. It was an amazing depiction of what couldn't have been the game, but I had an extra fourty dollars lying around, and the game was twenty, so I went for it, and it's companion, Starsiege-Tribes.
I took it home and loaded it up on my computer. I must say that what I saw wasn't as impressive as I had hoped. Then I loaded it onto my dad's PC (which is now mine, and the one I'm using to write this review!) It was much better without an Intel Celeron at 333 MHz processer, and an integrated sound and graphics card. There was an awesome little introduction-video at the begginning, which brought you up to date with everything that had happened since what I presume is the last game- I've looked around and, though Starsiege gives you the pretense of another game, there doesnt appear to be one? *Shrug*. Anyway, the video told a story through the voice of a little boy.
It started out-
"Little old Peter, missing his liter, while Hercy plays in the Red. Down came the glitches and burned us in ditches, and we slept after eating our dead."
The boy continues to tell the story of how the immortal emperor, or Emperor Petresun, of Earth designed a race of Cybernetics, led by his "son" known as Prometheus. Then Prometheus led the race of cybernetics against humanity, who in turn, "banished" them, and the Cybrids fled into the universe.
Following that, Petresun issued the "Fortress Earth Proclamation" in which he declared that The colonized worlds would all help to build Earths defenses; but only earths. This ran for nearly 300 years, until the colonists on Mars and Venus rebelled against unjust rule. The colonists were led by the rebel-leader Harabec Storm. Petresun, of course, near-instantly replied by sending the Imperial Knights led by Canaan, commander of the Imperial Knights.
The war starts going very badly, once the Knights arive on Venus, but then the colonist rebels find a cache of alien weapons in an underground battery. Though they are unexplained, the rebels test, and eventually begin to constantly arm themselves and use the weapons against the Knights. The first few missions of the game encompass you raiding imperial bases, for weapons, and then, once you're under Harabec's command, you get to experiment with the new weapons. Then you start, by getting an additional man, under your command, for one or two "test" missions. This is where the fun begins...About a year (Thats my guess) into the war, a Deep Space Probe discovers a Cybrid fortress on Neptune, and then it tracks them till they attack Venus. It is strange that they would attack Venus, if Earth is more in their line, but... They attack Venus, and then you, in the game, have to work with the Imperial Knights (By this point, you have been promoted until you have been under Harabec((Or "Bec"))'s command, and then given a squad of your own) to fight the Cybrids. This gives you access to many, many, many more types of vehicles and weapons, as well as other technology.
At about this point in the game, you have all the technology you can get, in the human campaign. You also learn, right around now, that Harabec is Canaan's outcast brother. This adds alot to the story-line. There is more information in the booklet, accompanying the game-box. Eventually you move onto other planets, where you combat the Cybrids, and eventually defeat them. There is also a Cybrid campaign, which is much more difficult and also tough, as you have very few of the same weapons, or technology. I haven't played through it yet, but I will node on it as soon as I have. Overall, Starsiege is a great game, with many similarities to Mechwarrior, as well as many differences.
Starsiege is for a Windows 95, 98, and NT on 2 CD's. It has two CD's because one is the actual single-player campaign, and one is a "Buddy" CD for playing on a network. Network play is phenominal. It supports, methinks, up to 16 players, though I've only played with 4 at one time.
Minimum Requirements: