Onwards, soldiers!
Earth 2140 is certainly a far from original game, being a very familiar real time strategy experience which takes its clear inspiration from Command & Conquer, Dune 2 and all the other such games which popped up around the same time. However, despite this general lack of innovation, it remains a fine game for fans of the genre on the simple basis that everything is well done and implemented. The setting isn't overly creative and finds players thrust into a grim future where the Earth has largely been destroyed following multiple wars and environmental disasters, and where two opposing factions have now risen to power, the United Civilized States and the Eurasian Dynasty. The game itself is a very traditional RTS, where you play through the various campaign missions, mining resources, develop units and then send them into combat with your enemy. Each side has its own unique units, including some very cool giant mechs, while the missions themselves are actually quite varied and which will keep you challenged. Actually, this last point is very important, as this is a very difficult game, even if you are a veteran of the genre. The missions start out pretty tough and get more so, so you're going to need your best tactician's hat on of you want to win. The visuals here are very much standard for this kind of thing, with that typical nineties-style look but with some decent cutscenes. The sound design is actually very good and enhances the atmosphere a lot, so if you desperately need another RTS in your life, this is worth a look.
