Mission Force: CyberStorm

The Cybrids are coming, and all you've got on your side are 26 HERCs...

• Mission Force: CyberStorm
• Sierra Online
• Windows 95 CD-ROM
• MSRP $54.95

lthough it may look like just another robot-combat game, Mission Force: CyberStorm is actually part of the best "big robot" battle series to ever grace a desktop PC. CyberStorm is part of Sierra's Earthsiege universe, where field combat vehicles have evolved into huge, humanoid craft piloted by cyber-enhanced warriors. These vehicles, called Hercs, are the ultimate fighting machines.

In addition to their cybernetic enhancements, the Herc pilots have also been genetically engineered to physically and mentally link them to their fighters. Known as Bioderms, the pilots are as unique as the individual machines they control, and they in turn follow the command of their rank-climbing leader, the player. Their goal is to fight for the future of humanity in the eons-long confrontation with the Cybrid menace, which is out to destroy Earth.

Game play in CyberStorm closely resembles that of a strategy board game, with action taking place on a hex-grid map viewed from an overhead perspective. The game is played in a series of randomly generated scenarios where players control up to 26 Herc combat machines at a time. As players increase in skill and success, they are entrusted with more units to command and rewarded with promotions; they can then upgrade their existing Hercs and even purchase more advanced machines to continue the battle against the Cybrids. Players recruit the Bioderms, which are grown in a vat and then engineered through their Stim-Glands in order to enhance their abilities, although too much genetic tampering may leave the troops horrifically unreliable.

CyberStorm is an exciting new twist on the original Earthsiege game of out-and-out Herc combat. Game play may be a little slow for experienced players used to real-time action, but it should appeal to anyone interested in the big strategic picture. This is an excellent choice for armchair generals or experienced boardgamers looking for a challenge. The game comes with an extra CD-ROM for Windows 95 Modem-Network play, allowing players to match their skill and cunning against one another.

The graphics in CyberStorm are excellent, and the overhead view is outstanding, allowing players to zoom in or out for a better view of the action or turn in any direction to track Cybrid movements. The scenes at the base -- where players make changes to their Bioderms and Hercs, receive mission briefings and acquire training -- look very good, as do the cut scene segments between battle scenarios, all without being too dramatic for the game. One drawback to CyberStorm is the manual, which gives few clear instructions on game play and almost no background. However, players can simply jump into combat as Ensigns and, with a little luck, they will be able to hone their skills and climb the chain of command, where rank does have its privilege.

I never got a full sense, even with multiple plays, who the Cybrids were or why I was destroying them and getting destroyed by them. If the box didn't say, "The strategy game set in the Earthsiege universe," I wouldn't know. But that aside, it is a great strategy game. -- Peter

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