PC Review: Universe at War: Earth Assault

by Adam Montgomery on February 5, 2008 at 1:28 pm

Universe at War: Earth Assault Art
Earth’s got some new noisy neighbors in Universe at War

Real-time strategy developers must feel particularly anxious when releasing a game: their product will undergo the scrutiny of thousands, if not millions, of skirmishes and campaigns.

The slightest issue will be pounced upon by the internet’s forums. Communities will rage over a minor imbalance which can then be exploited by experienced players. It’s extreme play-testing that pulls apart those of superficial quality and only leaves the enduring, well-realized games standing.

Universe at War: Earth Assault is set to endure such deep inspection. Three rival factions are now battling on Earth’s surface: Hierarchy, Novus, and Masari.

The Hierarchy are keen to harvest the population for their own needs, and rely on lumbering resource-gatherers in battle – acting as mobile bases. Their forces are powerful, hard-hitters.

Attacking the Hierarchy are the Novus, who use an intricate network of nodes to transport their forces across the map with a speed previously unseen in the RTS genre. Their ability to be anywhere at any time means they can defend ably, and can also send offensive forces with disruptive pace.

The Masari were hidden on earth, but now are engaged in conflict with the other two factions. This faction’s play is a more familiar base-centered approach, with a fixed area to amass resources and units. Flexibility is this group’s strength: they can change from Light (attack) to Dark (defense) mode which means they are hard to anticipate and plot against.

Novus can travel great distances in seconds with intricate transport networks

This “rock, paper, scissors” style can be infuriating when you’re losing to a small number of the opposition’s well-focused forces, but is a joy when you can dominate with a limited force thanks to your patient, tactical play.

Each faction’s balanced strengths and weakness, as well as variety, is the game’s greatest achievement. A variety of play-styles has been well-incorporated into this single product, meaning the online play is particularly pleasing. Mastering your faction’s strengths, whilst playing against the enemy’s weakness, offers a cerebral challenge against others online.

It’s a shame, then, that Petroglyph have clothed the game in cliché – everything in the game is standard sci-fi strategy. Even the voice-acting is typically weak, hackneyed to the point of damaging the atmosphere the developers have sought to build.

The game’s larger units are a spectacle, but can crowd the screen mid-play

Direct X 10 is due a bashing, too. An unspectacular standard of graphics fails to run above 10 frames per-second when one of the DX10 effects are employed. Turning off this feature results in a smooth, only mildly less visually appealing experience, as is the recommended course for anyone planning to play the game.

If the team have spent many months perfecting the balance of play, they seem to have spent minutes considering the camera. Perhaps a misguided attempt to convey scale, the camera will only zoom out a small way – leading to the screen often becoming crowded and confusing.

Despite the problems mentioned, the developers need not worry – they have crafted a product which stands as a well-realized addition to the RTS genre. The supremely balanced factions shine particularly during online play, where the battles aren’t limited by the AI’s creative-block, and is a recommendation for anyone looking for a strategic fix. The war’s at your door –open it up and let it in.

What does this score mean? Check out our review scoring breakdown.