Are you looking for a little action to fill your evenings? I've got two titles to keep you on the edge: Westwood's Dune 2000 and Red Storm's Rainbow Six. You may have heard the hype concerning these two, but read on to get the straight goods.
Dune 2000 is a remake of Dune 2, the first real time strategy game and a true classic. What Westwood's done is take the old game and put it on the Command and Conquer engine, along with new FMV ( Full Motion Video ) cut scenes. This breaths new life into an old classic, and creates a very playable game. Of course don't expect a new game: this is a remake with some modifications, and as such is not as pretty or sophisticated as we've come to expect. Still, there's no thrill like battering the Emperor's forces with Sonic Tanks and Fremen warriors. Here's the basis of the game: three houses are allowed to fight it out over Dune, a planet that have vast amounts of the Spice, or Melange. Pick a house and battle it out, using a variety of cool units. My favourite is the carry-all: a flying ship that picks up your units and ferries them around the map. If you have enough they'll fly to the front lines and bring back damaged units for repair. The nice thing about this game is that Westwood has priced it as a remake, so it's worth taking a risk. Go to www.dune2000.com and read all about it.
Rainbow Six from Red Storm is action game where you control a counter terrorist unit. It's 1999 and terrorism is running rampant; NATO countries supply crack troops to a new organization that will fight this menace. The great thing about this title is the depth at which it goes to simulate the experience of orchestrating an assault against unknown hostiles. Here's how a mission goes: you get some intel as to what's what, which you use to form a detailed strategy and then execute that plan. I've found the computer members of your team execute their part of the plan quickly and effectively, while you try and get things done at a slower pace. A nice feature is the ability to go from first person to a third person perspective, like switching views from Quake to Tomb Raider. An excellent game that deserves the attention of any action fan. Be forewarned: this game is quite realistic, and if you get shot you're probably dead or at least out of the mission. Don't take my word for it; go to www.redstorm.com and grab a demo.
An alert to Quake II fans: Activision has released two official mission packs. I've played both with some degree of competence, and found them to be good extensions of the original game. You'll find new levels, monsters and weapons throughout. If you enjoyed the single player experience of Quake II, give these a try. Go to www.activision.com and check them out!
by Scott VanderPloeg
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