Alien Nations has one of the most surreal intros we've ever seen here at the PC ZONE office. Stalks flying through space, a jumbled story about evolution, and space ships with saucy women figures on them. Even Salvador Dali would have been left wondering what the hell this game was supposed to be about. So what does it offer in terms of gameplay?
The answer to this is very simple. Nothing new and nothing particularly impressive. Three different nations live on the same planet, and must expand their territory and numbers in order to become the dominant species. There are three races to choose from. The farming Pimmons, the nature-loving Amazons and the insect race of Sajikis, who prioritise hoarding food and wiping out the other two nations above all else. These varying racial characteristics present different challenges when playing with each one.
You must take care of your nation's wellbeing, from food supplies to the military. However, this is made occasionally difficult by a slightly unclear interface, a bugged or just highly confusing side bar map and the fact that sometimesyou can't find your men when you need them because they're hidden behind objects. The graphics are quite childish, the music cumbersome and the manual is substandard with sentences such as: 'Hunters and policemen can fight as well, but they are as effective as a trained soldier'. Reading it is almost as confusing as watching the intro.
To the game's credit, there is a sound research element, multiplayer LAN and Internet options, as well as plenty of depth of gameplay with regards to building up a prosperous nation. Unfortunately, the little niggles, general confusion and poor visuals (which also have the odd glitch) make it nothing more than a below average RTS game.
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