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Let’s be honest with one another - you probably don’t need to read a review to tell you whether Universe at War will make it onto your shopping list. A cursory glance at the box is enough to establish that this is a science fiction RTS strictly following the rules established in the 1990’s by Warcraft, Age of Empires and Command & Conquer (Westwood studios were involved then, with past employees now forming part of Petroglyph, the designers this time). The box is less informative when it comes to differences between Universe at War and its decade-old influences, probably because you could scribble down most of its innovations on a post-it note, and still have room for a shopping list and a reminder to phone your gran.

Having already looked at the PC iteration of the game (Marco plumped for a 7/10 back in February), it falls to me to pop the 360 disc in and see how it compares. Anyone willing to place a bet?

After a showy-if-clichéd opening sequence (aliens invade, mankind makes valiant last stand…), the optional tutorials provide a few nuggets of information before the training level proper. Starting in the role of the Novus (a self-aware race of robots, apparently), the controls and basic premise are introduced, accompanied by a heady combination of deja vous and scepticism. As has been painfully evident for many a year, RTS controls fit notoriously badly onto a control pad, and whilst the efforts made to accommodate for this shortfall are moderately successful, there are still an awful lot of times when you want to scream for a mouse and keyboard. The biggest problem seems to be translating shortcut keys- trying to fit these onto a pad means plenty of doubling up, and throughout my playing time I found myself repeatedly sending the wrong commands because, when things started to kick off, I couldn’t remember which trigger/button/bumper combination was required. This could possibly be a shortfall for my short-term memory, but it’s pretty darn frustrating nonetheless.

A combination of minor annoyances and disappointments plague the first hour of play; ropey character models, bland scenery, horrible cock-rock interludes when something happens, and teeth-grindingly annoying audio samples to accompany a movement command. For a strategy game, there is precious little strategy involved either, eschewed in favour of good ol’ fashioned shock and awe. This is a full-on build an army/assault the enemy affair, with all the base construction/material harvesting/technology tree carry on that even ardent RTS fans must be sick of by now (surely?!).

The three rival factions (Hierarchy- invading alien psychopaths, Novus- enemies of the hierarchy, Masari- human forerunners and original dwellers of Earth) do offer some variety in play, with each unlocked as the game progresses. For some of the prelude missions, you also get to play as the entrenched humans, but their units quickly become boring and frustrating, with a change to some alien technology providing some respite. Each race has its hero characters, badasses who can give and take a lot more punishment than normal troops (an idea firmly pinched from Warcraft 3), but the imbalance of their abilities often means they are left plugging away at the enemy whilst their accompanying allies fall like freshly scythed corn. None of the playable races do much of a job of demanding sympathy, and I never felt myself become emotionally attached to any units in the same way one might to the peons in Warcraft 2, for example.

Graphically, Universe at War on the 360 is consistently disappointing. Whilst some textures and models are reasonable-to-good, others look distinctly second rate with the game engine cut scenes bringing back memories of average PS2 games. Some nice lighting effects are liberally applied, but these constantly cause the unstable frame rate to plummet, and not just during play; tutorials and cut scenes are not adverse to some juddering and jumping. Camera control, offered via the analogue sticks, is pretty jerky too, adding to the general impression that the game lacks polish and style. This combines to give the distinct impression that you’re playing a slightly clumsy PC port, rather than a game built with the console gamer in mind.

For my money, where Universe at War really fails is in offering anything convincingly original or interesting over and above the games that so obviously influenced it. The fact that the Westwood Studio veterans involved are mentioned on the back of the box suggests that this nostalgia for past classics was the driving force behind its design, and for some this will doubtlessly be more than enough to ensure a purchase. If you’re looking for something that has moved on from the glory days of C&C, however, I’m not sure this’ll be the title to do so. Add to this the difficulties clearly encountered during the port from PC to the 360, and it’s likely that those not instantly filled with enthusiasm will loose interest and patience long before the story has played out.

Score: 5/10

	1. 12-05-2008 02:55
	Nice work... Good review Adam, fits well into my PC version. Guest Report

Marco

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