Earth 2150: Lost Souls (Windows)

Earth 2150: Lost Souls is the third and best in an innovative but highly underrated real-time strategy series from Zuxxez .

Steve Hildrew said it all in his review of the game: "Lost Souls is the third incarnation of the Earth 2150 series, supposedly neatly wrapping up the loose ends of the previous titles. The earth is still in peril, knocked out of its orbit by destructive series of nuclear wars, and previous games have seen a mass exodus of humanity from its scorched surface - pausing for a few suitably strategic battles on the way, naturally. Now the final remnants of the human race, left behind by their more swift fellows, must battle it out for their own survival - they are the lost souls and this is their final hope. Once again, players must take the role of either the Eurasian Dynasty, the Lunar Corporation or the United Civilized States, although this time it's the remnants of those forces, stripped of the large part of their former glory. This time, the order of missions are tied into a story-led series of campaigns, following the fate of whichever force you've chosen. In keeping with the previous games, Lost Souls remains an excellent strategy gaming experience. There are a number of unique features that enrich the experience - customisable units being the main example that springs to attention. Players can design units from scratch, selecting chassis, weapons and equipment from a series of options - the craft then becomes available to build when you're playing. You can even determine a unit's behaviour when its built, which is particularly handy when any remaining units left over after a battle can be stored at your main base for use in later missions, gaining experience and capability as they encounter more and more combat. Progression through tech trees is research-based, but not units, just the technologies that make them up. So you'll have to research the chassis and weapons separately - thought needs to go into what's researched first. Woe betide you if your opponents come up with attack technology before you have the appropriate defence implemented. Again, it's a decent system that requires some genuine thought, as opposed to just plodding through missions being hand-fed units as you progress. Also commendable is the game's artificial intelligence, which although not groundbreakin

Review By HOTUD