A clear case of Underrated game syndrome overshadowed by the fans of the "Earth 2150 Group"..
-To be honest I knew when I first booted up the game that the money were well spent.I got even more excited when the game showed as a full game in the gaming magazine that I subscribed.
-Now I can talk about how much I like this game,but I want the review to be simple and well made.
The following factors made me play more of the game:
1. The basic game core.
->The only Earth 21x0 games that I played were 2150 and 2160.The series not only kept the RTS elements but evolved them.
(I played both at the same time and to be surprised I know why people are mad......)
2.The element that really made me play was the technology tree,customizing vehicles,in such a manner that 2150 made it but 2160 evolved it.
3.The factions....though there are no zergs or protos.....just kidding.
4.Amazing graphics.(at that time).
The following factors made me want to smash into the company's main hall with a AK-47:
1.The activation of the product.
->At first I was"Wait?Er....?Why.....?WHAT THE....?".Now that is a good way to keep people how didn't pay out from the servers,but the fact that they programed the game to run in "demo mode"........argh.......where is my gun?
2.Unbalanced gameplay.
->Now I know what you are all thinking,but I personally don't judge this problem that bad.I know that people can take advantage of the balance issue,but the problem most of the time is because of the player.Key point is that developing a strategy(it is an RTS people)to face other people.
3.The difficulty.
->Granted is sometimes unfair....BUT not impossible.Many common gamers take the difficulty as a flaw...I take it as an intense way to develop a strategy of my own.
4.Voice acting. ->Oh boy!.....When i started the game i was ready for every last bit of enemy waves as the game can throw.When I heard that voice acting I was a bit disturbed.As big as flaw this is for other gamers...I can care less,if I wanted good voice acting I would start playing an RPG.Overall the voice acting can be a bit annoying but can be forgiven.
-Now let's talk about the graphics.Back then in 2005,the gaming industry was not in desperate need for a next gen graphic game,since the next gen consoles where knocking at the door.
-At that time I wasn't into cutting-edge graphics but more on the story and the main core of the game....a thing that even today I am still devoted to.
-Still even with my friends how tried to change my perspective about games,Earth 2160 clearly made me make an exception.
I was literally blown off my seat when I started.
-There are really small problems with the map design but can be overlooked mostly because the maps are small and they put too many terrain elements....*cough*Map Editor,people*cough*.
-The missions are good but not great.I believe that the game was ruined due to the activation problem because it runs on "demo mode" that offers only 2 factions for the single-player.
-The major aspect of every RTS is the Skirmish mode.That alone can make a person play hours and hours.Though this game was good I have this weird thing that makes me forget about the game,uninstall it,leave it for a few weeks and then always return to play it and start fresh.
Final Verdict:
-As an RTS the game is great but it's broth down by some flaws that could be fixed.As an experience it's memorable but can be sometimes annoying when you move to something new.If I have to compare to something in real life this battle between 2150 and 2160 is like the battle between the 3rd and 4th edition of D&D...people adapt so well to a set of rules they refuse any kind of change without trying.
Recommended only for die hard fans of Real Time Strategy games,due to the games core of strategy.