Unexciting Dune rip-off
If this game looks familiar but you can't quite put your finger on why, well it's basically a pretty straight ripoff of the classic real-time strategy game that is Dune 2. It's the first game from a Czech company and which does a pretty decent job of copying everything from the aforementioned science fiction classic, but which lacks the flair and polish to make it a must play. If you haven't played Dune before, then the concept here is similar to other RTS games such as KKND and Command and Conquer, with the player taking control of a variety of planet-based units and who is then charged with mining 'hopsinky', the game's version of spice from Dune, and which is a valuable resource which comes in very handy. As usual, you have to construct buildings and units to mine the hopsinky and to protect yourself from others doing the same thing, with the game playing out over ten missions of increasing difficulty. As long as you don't expect too much from Paranoia, you shouldn't be too disappointed. It's not particularly impressive visually, with some fairly straightforward cut scenes to establish the setting, while the game itself is pretty bland and unexciting. The desert environment is pretty uninteresting, lacking the personality of Dune, while the units are represented with very simple graphics that are lacking in detail. However, the gameplay scores a little better, with the missions being quite fun to play, thanks in part to the simple interface (even if you don't speak the language). It's not staggeringly great though and unless you are a a diehard RTS fan, you can do far better than this.
