"Official" Universe at War: Earth Assault Review and Discussion by yours truly

About the Review

Hi and welcome to the Universe at War: Earth Assault Review. While this wasn't the most requested review I wanted to do a change of pace and review something other than a FPS. I was going to do mini reviews of Crysis, Gears of War, and Unreal Tournament 3 but found that they were available for a while and it wasn't worth the effort. Also I wanted to give a game that wasn't a highly anticipated title a spin and see how it stacked up.

Comments, criticisms, and questions are always welcome so that I can improve this review and reviews in the future. If you find any mistakes or factual errors please feel free to leave a post and I will take care of it. If you find the review helpful feel free to rep me and any helpful comments and suggestions will merit rep for you.

Enjoy!




What is Universe at War: Earth Assault?

Universe at War: Earth Assault (will refer to it as UAW from now on) is a sci-fi real-time strategy game created by Petroglyph and published by Sega. Petroglyph created the Star Wars: Empire at War game and members of the company were actually the creators of the original Command & Conquer. (Courtesy of Wikipedia) It is the first game in the Universe at War series.

Currently it is only available for the PC but in 2008 it will also be available for the Xbox 360 system. It has been confirmed that the game will support cross-platform play through the Games for Windows LIVE service.





System Requirements

Minimum

Processor: P4 2.0 GHz
RAM: 512 MB RAM
Hard Drive: 6 GB free space
GPU: 128 MB VRAM DX9 compliant cards (ATI 9500 or NVIDIA 6200)

Recommended

Processor: P4 2.8 GHZ
RAM: 1 GB RAM (I recommend 2 GB for Vista)
Hard Drive: 6 GB free space
GPU: 256 MB VRAM DX9 compliant cards (ATI X1800 or NVIDIA 7600)

My Setup

Notebook: Asus C90s
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4 GHZ (Overclocked 10% on Gaming Mode)
GPU: Nvidia 8600M GT 512MB DDR2
Ram: 2 GB Corsair PC 5300 DDR2-667
Hard Drive: 160 GB Seagate Momentus 5400 RPM
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium
Speakers: Logitech Z-2300 2.1 THX Certified
Mouse: Logitech MX 518 1600 DPI Gaming Mouse

Performance
Overclocked (560/490) 1680 x 1050 (2x AA, All Max) FPS: High-38 Low -21 Average- 27

NOTE: Just ask for requests below for performance at certain resolutions, and what settings (stock or overclocked) you want me to test them under so you can get a rough idea of performance on your laptop.

WARNING: Do not use DX 10 mode. It causes a huge hit on performance with minimial gains in visual quality.

Note: All screenshots taken at 1680 x 1050 with 2x AA.

The Factions

Humans

The humans find themselves in quite a predicament. A full scale war between 3 warring factions on is taking place on their planet and there is little they can do. Though they are only playable during a brief prelude to the campaign, the humans are determined. Against superior numbers and weaponry the human race appears to be doomed. However, they have made it clear that they will not go down without a fight.




Novus

The Novus are a race of machines with only one goal: the destruction of the Hierarchy. The race that created that Novus was wiped out by the Hierarchy and the Novus are determined to achieve revenge for their creators. In the campaign you control Maribel, a human like being who is a clone of the original race that created the Novus. With her battle robot named Viktor she is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.



The Novus are the race you want to be if you love to skirmish and use hit and run tactics. They have the fastest and most agile units in the game but also generally weaker. They use a system grid of electricity to power their buildings and create a web of lines. The most unique part of the Novus is their ability to "flow" along the lines. All the infantry and the collectors (they collect resources) can quickly flow along these lines to reach anywhere in the map the grid is connected to in a matter of seconds. It’s frustrating to see enemy Novus building bases near your own only after a few minutes of the start of the map or to see an entire platoon of soldiers appear from nowhere and enter the battle.



The Novus army is very maneuverable whether it to be attack, retreat, or simply to build. Yet if one of part of the line is destroyed than the flow line is broken and rendered useless up to that point. Buildings which are disconnected from any power supply are rendered useless. The Novus units are generally weaker but with the Novus it is a quantity over quality approach. Some of the units receive attack bonuses when there are more of the same units nearby.



The Novus also have the unique feature of patches. They are an array of powerups which affect anything from line of sight to extra radiation shielding. Up to 2 patches out of 12 can be used at a time.

Hierarchy

The Hierarchy is a race bent on dominating the universe. They move from planet to planet to simply consume as much as the resources as possible and destroy all who attempt to oppose them. In the campaign you control Orlok, a field commander who simply follows the chain of command. However, Orlok's mind wanders sometimes, and he begins to question the Hierarchy's motives...



The Hierarchy is unique because of their method of battle. Instead of creating troops at a base, they create an army through the use of the famous walkers (huge red guys, like on the cover) which are basically powerful but slow mobile bases. Walkers come with a certain amount of hard points which can be equipped with a variety of equipment depending on the player. The walker can be turned into a carnage machine fully equipped with armor and extra weapons and no equipment to create soldiers. Or they can be equipped to simply be efficient production facilities who can be equipped to reduce the prices of soldiers the produce. Hard points can be switched anytime so players can change their tactics. There a variety of walkers each with unique abilities and units.



I also like the unique method the Hierarchy construct buildings. They etch unique designs on to the ground (explanation of crop circles?) which signals the mother ship to construct the building or walker. It is sent down to Earth with a large crash and is ready to go. The Hierarchy really are mobile in their own sense. They effectively have a base where the walkers are because the walkers produce units and some types do research. The Hierarchy otherwise cannot produce any military units from anywhere else. They use mobile drones to collect resources and unlike the Novus these big machines do not have to return to any building to deposit what they collect, they simply absorb it and move on much like scavengers.



Masari

The Masari are an ancient race who once helped save the Hierarchy. They were later betrayed by the Hierarchy who used their own technology against them. Forced to flee the Masari landed on Earth and went into a hibernation of sorts. The arrival of the Hierarchy has awakened the Masari and they are angry to see the once peaceful planet now inhabited by the Hierarchy as well as the other races. In the campaign you control Lord Charos, a commander who leads the Masari in their quest for peace and revenge.



The Masari are the most like your typical RTS faction but they do have their own tricks up their sleeves. They are in fact the most technologically advanced faction in the game and have the most powerful (and most expensive) units in the game. They have a unique understanding of matter and energy which allow them to manipulate them in an almost magical manner. The Masari are the only race that does not collect resources but they simply produce their own through energy buildings. The Masari architects (basic builders) are also unique because they can empower any building. Simply by clicking on a building they can reduce research/build times or can empower turrets to have more attack strength.



The Masari also can switch between light and dark modes which have their own advantages. In light mode the Masari units attack strength as well as line of sight is increased. In dark mode all units and buildings get what is considered Dark Matter Armor which slowly builds over time. When they are attacked the armor takes the damage until it is gone and then the health starts decreasing. The armor recharges over time but there are some disadvantages. In dark mode all flying units are grounded and the line of sight of buildings and units are reduced.

VS.

Gameplay

After playing Supreme Commander, Universe at War was a nice change of pace. Universe at War is more a game of micro management rather than broad warfare. In the game there is only one resource which players have to worry about which leaves the users to focus more on the battles. Pretty much every single unit has at least one if not multiple special abilities. It is sometimes obvious that players who pay more attention to the unique abilities reap the benefits of each unit. Playing with and without using the abilities of the units are like worlds apart. The abilities add another dimension to the game because of the array of choices it presents you with. You can use Lost Ones to to "phase" (invisible) thorugh a enemy's base and use their plasma bomb ability to plant a bomb and run away, leaving destruction in its wake. Defilers on the other hand can go into bleed mode where they cannot fire weapons but dump radiation onto the ground, healing allies and hurting enemies who come into the radius of the radiation.



Upon playing Universe at War you realize that the game is not heavily deep but thats part of the allure of it. THe game is simply pick up and play and is immensely fun. As I was saying before as their is only one resource most of the time, creating a certain amount of buildings or drones will allow you to produce units in a timely manner. Then you are left to focus on tactics and battle strategies. The game makes you focus on what you are going to do next becaue of its light and fast paced nature. Its not a HUGE ordeal to create a basic infrastructure and army as it is in other games. The game rather focuses on the clear and unique differences among the factions speak for themselves. Though there is only one resource, each faction has their own unique methods of harnessing and utilizing their individual resources. They often culminate to the creation of the superweapon building. Each of the factions has their own unique superweapons which are produced from buildings. Once the individual structure is created there is an icon on the interface which has a timer. Once the timer is up the power of the superweapon can be unleashed and the timer resets itself.



The campaign was a moderate length but was rather enjoyable. The plot and cutscences were well done and overall I found the plot enjoyable. You play the campaign through the eyes of each race and learn about their way and ideals. Once you reach the Masari part of the campaign. After a few missions it opens up the global conquest feature of the campaign. The global conquest is essentially like Risk where you take over territories and build structures on it to allow you to generate more funds or have more abilities such as tracking enemy fleet movement. While its not incredibly deep it is fun and addictive. The multiplayer aspect of the game was fun. Though the online community is not exactly booming for UAW, its not difficult to find a game. I really like the pick up and play method of style for Universe of War, where you don't have to invest hours (cough Supreme Commander cough) to have a satisfying battle.



There are some key issues with the game that are annoying. One of them simply is simply the lack of command queuues. You can't queue move and build orders to units which sometimes feels like babysitting units to achieve a task that could have easily been done with a queue order. The other annoying aspect is the lack of further zooming out. Often on the battlefield the scope of the battle is just too large to view on the rather limited zoom that is provided, especially when walkers are involved. Its frustrating to have to constantly move your screen around to find units and execute attacks in the strategic manner you intended them to.



The unique element Petroglyph was introducing in UNiverse at War is their concept of "tactical dynamics." It is the ability to change your units and retrain them to fit the situation. The main use of this is through the tech tree. The research tree is a series of 4 levels split into the 3 categories unique to each race. You can only research up to 6 boxes meaning you can research 4 of 1 category and half of another or 2 levels of each category etc. etc. You can also change which level of research and in which category you are using depending on your play style and how the enemy is playing. For the Novus you can research in Computing, Nanotech, or Flow. Researching flow improves upon how the Novus use the flow lines while Nanotech generally has economic bonuses. So even with the unique factions you can effectively customize the races even more to your liking.




Visuals

The visuals in this game are overall pretty good. The landscape is pretty detailed whether it is in a metropolitan city, dense jungle, or arid desert. Each environment comes with interactive aspects which just add to the immersion factor of the game. They can range from trees that collapse when runned over to fuel tankers that explode. The special effects of the different weapons and abilities are definitely eye catchers. Whether it be the unique methods the different races construct buildings to the devastating weapons of power they yield, the effects emanating from all the different things in this game is impressive. Some of the special abilities of the individual units as well as the activation of the "super weapons" are a sight to behold.



The units and buildings range greatly in the game. While some of the units like the walkers look very detailed and amazing it seems other units did not get as much attention. Upon zooming in on some of the weaker units they look somewhat blocky and do not exude as much detail as some of the more powerful units. Buildings are usually well done as they demonstrate the exotic designs each race wields. I was happy to see that the buildings and structures varied well and were very unique to each of the individual races.



Overall the game's graphics are disappointing when compared to the other RTS games such as Company of Heroes and Supreme Commander. While they are good in their own right the simply lack the polish and refinement to make them excellent.



Audio
The games audio sounded great to me. The voice acting in the campaign as well for the individual units was fantastic. It was great to hear the determination in the units that made the war seem all too real. It was refreshing to hear that often the individual special abilities and weapons had their own unique sound effects instead of a generic laser effect. Whether it be plasma bolts, rockets, or the use of the super weapons the effects of this game make the weapons sound deadly.



The music was also generally good. It had a mixture of up-beat music during battles which kept the intensity of the game up. The only complaint with the audio is that during the maps there are human civiliians running away and often shouting screams of terror. All the voiceovers where done in English, which is weird to hear the same voices shouting in terror no matter where you are in the world.

Conclusion

Pros
+ Very unique factions
+Easy pick up and play style of play

Cons
-Graphics could be more polished
-Suffers from some annoying interface and control issues

Bottom Line: Universe at War is a fun and addictive game. While it is not a revolution in the RTS world, it offers a very unique experience to the player.

Bottom Bottom Line: While not a must have for the typical gamer, RTS fans should check it out.

And oh yeah.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

 

Awsome as always. Thanks for the review!

 

Great review! Surprised you didn't talk about Windows Live or Multiplayer in detail but thats OK. +rep

Anyways yea I decided to essentially boycott this game as I won't pay $50 extra to play ladder matches -.- . I wanted to buy it though.

 

hmmm...odd that a modern day RTS doesn't have the queing feature. hopefully they can fix that with a patch in the near future.

you missed something in your review tho. on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being best and 1 being worst, what would you rate the game? :laugh:

 

Yeah I know, the 50 dollars for gold is outrageous. I'm not doing that. Its really pissing me off.

I'd give it an 8. Its a good game but just lacks refinement.

 

A job well done as always, will add rep when I can (have to spread it around before I can give it to you again lol)

And yea I have to agree, game prices are geting ridiculous these day. Call of duty 4 was worth my £40 as the multiplayer component is amazing, however games like windows live Gears of War are not worth the money especially since you have to play to play online. I hate what microsoft is doing here with all the live titles....let the pc be a pc dont make it into a console

 

how would it run on a 8600mgt without overclocking

P.s: you should add the review to your graphics lol

 

good review...i think it would run on low with my steup, but i dont care so much

 

I played the demo and ran it at 1440x900 res on medium settings

 

Any particular resolution?

 

Good review! Have you ever considered working for some kind of gaming website?

 

How does the performance compare to Company Of Heroes? I've just been blazing through Opposing Fronts (fantastic game!) and may want something to move on to after I've finished the German and British campaigns...

I could complete supreme commander...but christ, it's too large

Edit: Also, the soundtrack, you should give it more praise! The Hierarchy especially have an awesome Red Alert vibe in the songs (probably thanks to Frank Kleplacki : o) ). Well, that is if the soundtrack that I downloaded (it's legal too) is the one that plays ingame.

 

As always, great review. A good mix of talking about gameplay while giving an overview of the storylines in the game. It was engaging to read

I like that you chose a less popular/hyped game to review, as often they can be jewels in the rough.

 

The music was good but I have it turned down and often listen to my own music.

Performance wise it was simliar to company of heroes. Though company of heroes was a good amount better looking. The game has no bug or perforamance issues really.

Yeah, its a game worth trying and I only hope to see it improve over the next installments.

 

I just played the Demo, and I can max it out pretty well on my DDR2 8600M. Groovy.

It seems awfully retro - lacking the scale of SupCom or the intensity of other new smaller RTS games...reminds me a lot of Command & Conquer tbh. Fun. I can see myself obtaining this soon enough.

 

Yeah there are alot of similiarties between it and command and conquer.

 

How is the multiplayer community in the us? Do you think it would run on a 8400 G?

 

Nice review again Might have to get this game rep for you.



EDIT: you just got your 6th box of rep from me

 

Nice review. My personal opinion though is that the game has very poor graphics (they lack detail or any special effects) along with high video card requirements. For example, C&C3 has way lower requirements and yet the graphics are far superior.

 

Haha just noticed thanks. I suggest you try the demo before you buy the game.

Not a large base but it is increasingly slowly. Its not hard finding a game though. I can't say for sure about the 8400 but this game is demanding considering it doesn't look amazing. I'm guessing low res and medium settings at best.

Thanks. Yeah I dunno, I thought they were terrible at first but then it started growing on me. I definitely agree with the C&C comment though. This game is not optimized very well.

 

Very good review. Minor typos though.

I also like the unique method the Hierarchy construct buildings. They etch unique designs on to the ground (explanation of crop circles?) which signals the mother ship to construct the building or walker. It is sent down to Earth with a large crash and is ready to go. The Masari really are mobile in their own sense. They effectively have a base where the walkers are because the walkers produce units and some types do research. The Hierarchy otherwise cannot produce any military units from anywhere else. They use mobile drones to collect resources and unlike the Novus these big machines do not have to return to any building to deposit what they collect, they simply absorb it and move on much like scavengers.

The Masari are the most like your typical RTS faction but they do have their own tricks up their sleeves. They are in fact the most technologically advanced faction in the game and have the most powerful (and most expensive) units in the game. They have a unique understanding of matter and energy which allow them to manipulate them in an almost magical manner. The Masari are only the race that does not collect resources but they simply produce their own through energy buildings. The Masari architects (basic builders) are also unique because they can empower any building. Simply by clicking on a building they can reduce research/build times or can empower turrets to have more attack strength.

Bot a big deal, but hey, whatever.

I don't plan to buy this game, as appealing as it sounds. =/ Sick of buying games honestly. Games should be priced like CSS is now xD

 

Thx Kierkes.

+ Rep for the helpful post.

Yeah this game is not a must buy, but its fun nonetheless, a nice distraction for people dieing to get their hands on starcraft 2.

 

it looks like it will be fun for some single playing carnage. just got this and the witcher. something to pass the time. thanks for the review.