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If War of the Worlds and Company of Heroes had a steamy encounter and happened to get pregnant, then without a doubt Universe at War: Earth Assault would be their baby. On the surface the game seems to be a simple, borderline generic Real Time Strategy game but once you delve under its hood nothing is further from the truth. Its background isn’t unique, but puts its own twist on the typical ‘alien-invaders’ story, with a back-story and history which has obviously had some serious time invested into it. Universe at War hopes to combine what is usually expected of RTS games, but at the same time, tries to break the mould with some nice touches. Petroglyph Games were also the minds behind the Star Wars game Empire at War and they’re hoping that their latest RTS will continue their success. Utilizing the same Alamo engine, but brought into the DirectX10 age, does Universe at War enslave the gaming populace or does it crumble under the weight of its plans.

Firstly, anyone who argues that games are becoming watered down and subsequently shorter should more swiftly on. Universe at War offers a deep Single Player campaign with three unique races and will happily keep you occupied for a great deal of time. Add to that, its Multiplayer support and you’ve got yourself a gaming package which is bulging at the seams. Each race offers a distinctive play-style and means you’ll have to vary your tactical approach. It begins at a fairly sedate pace (in terms of learning curves, not action) and slowly brings you into the main story line. There’s an intensive, but optional tutorial which covers ever aspect that’s unique for Universe at War as well as traditional RTS gameplay. The game keeps it simple by providing you with a two level prologue, which takes the form of controlling Marines and a special hero unit; a commander with a minigun. If you simplify the story it basically comes down to Earth being under attack from an unknown alien force and humanity is all but wiped out.

You’re placed on the brink of annihilation but are rescued when the Novus, a silvery, mechanical race teleport into the action. From that point onwards the game focuses on the three alien races, pushing the humans out of the way. The Novus are the sworn enemy of the Hierarchy (who were originally attacking earth) and the Hierarchy’s chief aim is to patrol the universe, destroying and pillaging every planet they come across. The Novus counter-aim is to stage guerrilla warfare against the Hierarchy, whose design is heavily influenced by the 2005 remake of War of the Worlds. While the Novus use quick, specialised units who can use their technology (think of it as a travelling via electricity pylons) to instantly move around the map, the Hierarchy are the traditional alien stereotypes that have monster-like ‘brutes’ and gigantic, but slow walkers. If that wasn’t enough for you to digest, the developers have included a third race; the Masari. The Masari helped the Hierarchy when they were near extinction and the Hierarchy repaid the kindness by attempting to wipe them out. As a result the Masari fled to Earth and tutored the early human races (like the Mayans, Egyptians and Sumerians) the ways of culture. The developers have brought them into human myth and legend by suggesting that the Masari’s city-ship sunk beneath the waves; the story of Atlantis.  It’s a rich, almost complex back-story but it’s definitely welcome in times where development studios seem lazy with their design and world creation.

Unlike this review, the game slowly reveals the above information and doesn’t bombard you with it all at once. What it doesn’t hold back is action. The game’s obviously proud of its roots (alien invasion films, etc) and piles on the cut scenes, dramatic events and explosions galore. This is one of the most frantic, adrenaline pumping RTS’s you’ll play and it’s only really bested by Company of Heroes. It’s fully DirectX10 compatible and one of the more stable titles under the banner. That’s probably because despite its DirectX10 pedigree, it doesn’t exactly push the boundaries. It’s definitely nice looking and some of the units (especially the walkers) are quite impressive but sadly you’ll soon notice the often bland environmental textures and block units when zoomed in. The game’s look isn’t particularly bad but it could have been substantially better when you compare it to some of its competition. Obviously the key concept for Universe at War is not how it looks but rather how it plays; does it hold true the term Real Time Strategy?

Well yes and no. The important question is what you consider strategy. If you judge strategy as customization and the options available to the player then Universe at War comes up top trumps but if you’re expecting an experience akin to a World War 2 Battle HQ then you’re most likely going to be disappointed. The imperative view is how you approach the game. If you come at it with the view that it’s a decent title, offering some new choices to the already over flooded market then it will most likely entertain most of the way through. So what does it do that’s deemed new? A lot of it is only relevant to the game itself and is unlikely to redefine the genre. For example, the Hierarchy’s walkers are huge, lumbering units with customizable hot points. You can make a unique Walker and use that in conjunction with your playing style to forge a considerably strong force. They’re obviously limited (due to their considerable power) but they’re the most enjoyable force to experiment and play with. It’s small gameplay features that make Universe at War enjoyable. The Novus (for example) can construct energy pylons which are invisible to the enemy. Using these you can traverse the level to wherever you have a pylon, thus carrying out the hit and run tactics that the Novus lend themselves to.

This is most apparent when you take the game online. While the Single Player campaign is lengthy and in depth, it just gets quite repetitive and tiresome. Each time you’re given control of a new faction the game freshens up, but it slowly gets back into a grind through the levels. Take the game online and it’s refreshing to play against a human opponent. The options available to players are obviously suited to the human, and lend themselves competently to human-on-human action. When the game finally sees a Xbox 360 release you’ll be able to play cross platform, but this is where the catch rears its ugly head. To play online you’ll need to go through the costly and annoying Windows Live system. It may grant the player achievements and awards but it’s laborious to actually get a game going. It’s a shame really because it’s what stops Universe at War getting a higher score.

It’s a new game, a present game and an old game all at the same time. It’s knee deep in RTS gaming clichés but at the same time presents some interesting new quirks. It’s got an interesting story, but that’s not why we play RTS’s. It’s got everything it needs, but just doesn’t shine through the hordes of other RTS / FPS games on the market. It won’t stand long in your memory but will keep you entertained for a healthy period of time.

Score: 7/10

(PC Version reviewed. Xbox 360 still to be released.)

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