Dark Reign 2

by ACTIVISION

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002SU53
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8 x 2 inches
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: June 30, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,448 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #85 in Video Games > PC Games > Strategy > Real-Time
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Dark Reign 2 is a real-time strategy game with a 3-D graphics engine to die for, but the slightly generic gameplay unfortunately isn't as impressive as the visuals. It's not that the game does anything particularly wrong, but with innovative titles like Homeworld and Age of Empires 2 on the market it takes a lot to stand out in the real-time strategy genre.

Dark Reign 2 offers two campaigns pitting the military-styled Jovian Detention Authority against the rebellious Sprawlers. Although the actual movement, combat, and production orders you are allowed to give are nothing special, a great amount of work went into the unit design. The Jovian units are obviously well heeled and rely on quality rather than quantity to get the job done. The Sprawlers are a motley bunch better suited for guerrilla tactics, and their campaign ultimately is more satisfying than the easier JDA campaign.

Practically everything in the game is rendered in stunning 3-D, and Dark Reign 2's graphics engine serves up the fidelity and detail one would expect from a first-person shooter like Unreal Tournament. With a fast processor and the right graphics card you'll be swirling the camera all over the game's luscious (and varied) environments, surveying the havoc of battle from any angle or altitude you desire. It took us about an hour to get comfortable with this sort of freedom (and to figure out that the preset camera angles are worthless), but now we can't imagine playing a real-time strategy game that doesn't let us smoothly transition from a bird's-eye overhead view to an individual soldier's ground-level view.

Dark Reign 2 is pretty to look at, but avid real-time strategy fans will find that the gameplay is shallow and slow paced, and that the missions are a bit too easy. These drawbacks work in favor of newcomers to the genre, who will discover that Dark Reign 2 offers a perfect introduction to real-time strategy games. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Stunning, smooth, and detailed 3-D graphics
• Well-planned unit strengths and weaknesses demand strategy during production and combat
• Missions are large and complemented by movie cutscenes

Cons:

• Shallow gameplay
• Experienced players will have an easy time winning
• Requires a 3-D accelerator card

Product Description

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark Reign 2 = Near perfection!, November 12, 2000

By 

Brett (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Reign 2 (CD-ROM)

This game rocks. Other strat games can't touch DR2. The editor is also top notch. I made a map the day after I started the editor for the first time. DR2 is a total joy to play because of the awsome balance Pandemic put into it. The best part is that there isn't a offense that can't be defended well if you think it out. Difficulty is just right if you ask me. You put the AI on easy and you will win fast. Put the AI on hard and you are in for the fight of your life! DR2 is a winner!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This game is better than all other RTs's, November 5, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Dark Reign 2 (CD-ROM)

...I got this game at a local store. I was expecting something that would only be fun for a couple hours. I was way wrong. This is the most SPECTACULAR strategy game I have ever played. The lighting effects are great. The terrain looks great. The graphics are real 3D (like FPS's.) Some ppeople say the recources run dry to quickly. This is sort of true. In the single player campains there is more than 2 tmes the recources to finish each mission. In the skirmish games you can choose how much money you start out with (one to 1 million!) However I wish that the recources regenerated. The unit blances are some of the best I ever seen. resource gathering is at a good speed not to fast or tooo slow. I have never been a fan of upgrading. However in this game the upgrading(you only upgrade the buildings) did not get boring or seem repetative. Each side has 23 or so units (which is a good number.) Each side has unique units and tactics. The sprawlers can lay andd one of the 4 different kinds of mines anywhere on the battle field. I sugest running this game on a computer with a 1.3 processor just like I am. The graphics are spectacular and so are the huge battles. The main difference between this game and most other games is that you wage FULL SCALE warefare. The are tons of unique strategies that you can use in this game. You can also change views from first personn to thiird person and rotate the camera 90 degrees or 360 degrees. There are lots of things in this game that are not in your average RTs for example Tire tracks(left by units with tank treads) and wheather. There are a good amount of defensive structures and buildings for each side. This game is way better...than any of those other overrated games. The controls are simple put powerful. Each unit has tons of ways that you can use it and can accomplish lots of tasks. The highly varying terrain adds to the tactics that you can use. The naval battles look good. I could say lots more bu t I doubt you would be willing to read on so lemme wrap this up. If you don't have this game then you are missing something very big. Get it. I can promise you will stop doing anything else inorder to play this game. This game is so addictive. After playing this game any other game seems to lack everything. You will stop playing any other game.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous & stately, not fast paced, July 13, 2000

By 

Lisa Shea "medieval swordfighting enthusiast" - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Dark Reign 2 (CD-ROM)

There's probably a strategy game for every type of gamer, and as gaming guide for BellaOnline, I've seen quite a few. Dark Reign 2 is gorgeous, and is for the thinking strategist.

The game sets the forces of the JDA against the Sprawlers. Each side has similar units - 'guardians' and 'rumblers' as ground units, trikes, tanks, medics, you name it. The uniqueness for this game isn't in its basic makeup or the thought behind it - strategy games by their nature share a basic manner of working. What really makes the game stand out is its design, and its graphics.

Instead of the old pixel-based systems, where graphics were drawn dot by dot (and therefore looked very fuzzy on high quality monitors), newer games are done with actual objects being drawn. Dungeon Keeper 2 is an example of this. With an object having sides and textures and angles, it will look crisp no matter how high you resolve the screen. Also, objects of this type can easily be modified to react to game events.

Meaning ... you can blow craters in the ground! You can climb up gorgeously rendered mountains, with slight crevices for you to fit through. Your units range themselves along hilltops to fire down at fortifications. The snow falls as your troops sneak along a treeline, concealing themselves within its branches.

What a treat to watch and play!

The general layout for the interface is well done - you probably can't go too wrong with this after all of these years of strategy games. People have pretty much figured out what works and what doesn't work. However, how many strategy games let you zoom in and out and around as much as you wish with the observer camera? Your map shows the general location of troops and bases, and within that map you have complete control of your camera - zoom in close to the action, from floor level. Look high overhead a full assault. Follow along behind your troops as if you were really there!

What general could ask for more - a way to coordinate large groups of troops easily, plus the ability to see the action from a soldier's point of view. It's great!

The sound and day-night cycles are equally as good. The personality of the troops is well done - the Go Go trikes call out, "Yeah, Baby!" when you give them orders, and you're alerted when "The Sun emerges from its sleeping place." The cut scenes help build the atmosphere and get you involved in the various plots going on. This isn't just about killing off the enemy. It's about preserving your way of life, and discovering what has been hidden.

I agree that for the Command & Conquer-style action lover, the excitement simply isn't there. Units chug along. Units get stuck on each other. The pace is much slower, more like chess than a battle scene from "Ran".

I definitely enjoy this game not only as a great game in its own right, but also a good indicator of what strategy games to come will look like, as machine speeds catch up to the ingenuity and creativity of modern day game designers. With the bar raised on display, perhaps all styles of strategy game will shortly look this gorgeous.