Blood thirsty work
Oooh, brilliant. I'm fascinated with outer space and I like real-time strategy games, as long as they don't make my brain hurt.Genesis Rising isn't just your standard type of space-based real-time strategy game. The resource in the game is blood, the units that you produce are not man-made, but are organically produced space-craft which can be morphed through genetic modification, and there's also an underlying RPG twist; each of these elements offer a fascinating twist on the genre.
Here's the story…
Set in the distant future, apparently 3,000 years after a human known as 'The Saviour' has been crucified, a governing body known as The Church of Three rules over most the universe and is split up into three factions: the Military, the Church and the Judicature. In the role of Captain Iconah the aim is to head to the heart of the universe in order to capture the only remaining free galaxy. Through a typical RTS interface and copious amounts of micro-management you lead your fleet of craft across the galaxy defeating anyone that has the nerve to question the authority of The Church of Three.
Click for larger imageSo, Genesis Rising involves harvesting resources, spending those resources on building a strong fleet and then travelling across space fighting against anyone who crosses your path. Sounds simple? Not quite.
Click for larger imageIn Genesis Rising there are 30 missions in the campaign mode, which have branching paths based on choices you make with NPCs during cut-scenes. The campaign is fiendishly difficult due to the amount of micro-management required and the fast-paced fight sequences. To be fair the developers have done a superb job at implementing a solid tutorial, featuring a voice-over and a comprehensive walkthrough of all of the game's controls. The tutorial is a must for anyone who hopes to survive for more than 10 minutes, but even then there's so much to think about in the game that only hardened RTS fans will enjoy this flustering experience of space battle. That's not to say that I didn’t enjoy playing Genesis Rising because, although the difficulty level can be frustrating, there are many other elements in the game that help to soften this irritation.
