olony Wars is set in the year 3095, a pivotal time in history when the League of Free Worlds is poised to challenge the Earth Empire and its almost unstoppable colonial Navy. Players take on the role of a League recruit who is about to join the campaign against Earth as a fighter pilot. As new recruits, players have the option of rushing into battle or undergoing training missions that will help familiarize them with basic ship controls.
Although there are several ship types players will fly throughout the campaign--each with different performance characteristics and weaponry--they all have the same basic set of controls and displays. Controls include forward and reverse thrust, left and right turns, left and right rolls, dives, and climbs. The display gives players key information about their own ship and weapons, as well as limited information on targeted enemy craft. Depending on what mission players are flying, their fighter will be equipped with any of 14 distinct weapons. These are broken down between gun-type weapons and missiles, each of which damages the enemy ships' shields, hulls or sensors. (sensors allow enemies to fire weapons and lock-on targets).
The campaign itself is divided into groups of three missions separated by theatrical scenes that detail how the campaign is going. Before each mission players will receive a briefing on what they are to do, and after the mission is complete they are put through a debriefing detailing their performance. The missions follow a branched path, which means the story varies depending on the player's success in each mission. At the end of every three-mission segment players have the option of saving their game. They can also access databases that have information on both friendly and enemy ships, historical data, military data and details of individual planets.
A great game, and a really cool movie
On the surface Colony Wars is merely the PlayStation equivalent of Origin's popular Wing Commander games, which are half space combat simulation and half interactive movie. In fact, players familiar with Wing Commander will have little trouble sliding into the cockpit of a League fighter, which is a bit simpler by comparison. But like Wing Commander, what sets Colony Wars apart from other space sims is its attention to detail and its outstanding visuals. Even comparatively minor tasks, such as loading a game or accessing a database, feel like players are doing them in 3095, not 1998. And the game itself is beautifully rendered, with theatrical scenes that rival Hollywood's SF blockbusters.
The story is also a compelling one, as gamers play the League's David to Earth's seemingly insurmountable Goliath. Gameplay is relatively simple, allowing players to concentrate on completing the various missions (and advancing the plot) rather than flicking switches. And concentrate they must, because the combat sequences are so real that players will feel like they're in the middle of the action. Enemy and friendly ships dart in and out of view, laser bolts light up space, and capital ships dominate the background (and fire huge weapons at one another).
On the downside, the documentation that comes with Colony Wars is sketchy at best and causes unnecessary troubles. Another problem is that the on-screen updates players receive during battle are often unreadable, which means it's easy to miss key information. And space sim veterans might find this one a bit too easy at times, since the enemy ships rarely pose much of a threat (failing to complete missions is easy, but actually dying in combat takes some work).
But these problems can usually be overcome or ignored, leaving players with one of the hottest titles to hit the PlayStation in 1997. And with two CDs' worth of action, there's a lot to see and do.
