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Under Siege: Enhanced Edition
Under Siege: Enhanced Edition
is an interesting game to classify based on genre. While it is
technically an RTS game, calling it such would give the wrong idea of
what it is. Under Siege is not your typical RTS and fans of the
genre might be a little disappointed by it due to the many differences.
That’s not to say that Under Siege is not a good game, just to
say that it’s different and doesn’t fit into the genre it is classified
as.
First
off, Under Siege differs in the fact that many levels are short,
quick, and there are no resource gathering or large scale battles. Most
of the levels are quick action-packed levels where the game comes across
more as a hack-and-slash than as a tactical game. In fact, very rarely
in the game will you actually use tactics outside of picking what units
to use for each level. The lack of strategy is why classifying it as a
real time strategy game is odd. The game will appeal to many who just
want to pick up the game, move their units around, and have them fight
as opposed to normal RTS fans who like to build their armies, move them
around, and plan tactics and combat.
Your
units level up as you use them which means the death of a unit can turn
out pretty badly, even more so if you spent lots of money upgrading and
leveling them up. The permanent loss of units and inability to build any
during combat is one of the roughest parts of the game because losing
units early on means that future levels will become nearly impossible.
Gold can only be gained in battle and recruiting units cost gold. As
such, a particularly devastating level could force you to completely
restart when you find yourself lacking in power for later missions in
the storyline.
Speaking of units, the game only features nine different types of units,
though the small scale battles means more often than not it comes down
to picking which units to use rather than picking how many. This is
another item that will deter normal RTS fans, but might attract those
that want a smaller simpler game.
However, if one looks at Under Siege as its own game and ignores
the genre it has quite a few redeeming and valuable characteristics. The
game gives you a lot for such a low price and as such is a great deal.
It features multiplayer, a campaign mode, and the ability to create your
own custom levels for those that want to add more depth than the normal
mode provides. Along with that it is surprisingly impressive considering
the game is on a console. I don’t mean that to bash consoles, I love
them, but simply put an RTS on a console seems like an impossible idea.
When I first heard it was an RTS on a console I was expecting the
controls to be horrible, but instead they are precise, easy to use, and
give a good range of functionality to them. Honestly, the controls and
gameplay are probably one of the best aspects about the game; a
surprisingly feat to pull off. I never had a hard time controlling which
unit, using their special abilities, or attacking a certain group.
The
graphics are rather simple with cutscenes down as stills with a text box
at the bottom. Gameplay graphics are up to par and fit on the PS3 though
aren’t super flash or complex. As such it fits a nice middle ground of
using the PS3’s graphics, but not going super high definition or crazy.
In a game like this that is fine since it keeps the price at an amazing
deal.
The
sound, however, gets to be a bit annoying. The background music is
barely noticeable to the point that I can’t even say for sure it exist.
The only sounds that I remember are the grunts and cries of a unit that
happens almost every time it takes damage. It uses the same grunt and
cry for a unit too which means you will hear it every few seconds which
can get annoying very fast.
Overall, the game is definitely worth the price and will provide some
good entertainment. Hardcore RTS fans won’t find the game to be very
good unless they look at it as a new type of game as opposed to an RTS,
and casual gamers will find they can play and enjoy the game even
without being fans of RTS’s. As such the game fits a nice niche along
with an amazing price. If a person can look past a few flaws then they
should find an enjoyable game for a low price.
Michael Riling |
