Jumping on the RTS Bandwagon

So I'm tooling around on Facebook today to check out something my friends sent me, and I see this add for "Wasteland Empires." Anyone who know me knows that I get that "deer-in-the-headlights" look when anything remotely apocalyptic crosses my vision.* So naturally, I click.

What I found was a somewhat interesting beta for a real-time-strategy (RTS) game. Being a big fan of Starcraft and Warcraft (gotta love those orc Peons!) I decided I would give it a shot. So far, I've been pleasantly surprised. It doesn't play much differently in that the player is required to gather resources, build defenses and buildings which allow the next level on the technology tree to be built.

A short cut scene plays at the beginning to get you into the feel of the game, not dissimilar to the Fallout series of games. They find "Oasis," call it home and start building from there. The resources are in the rubble around the initial spot, and sending your colonists out to scavenge not only nabs you the materials you need to build but also the space in which to expand as well.

The sounds effects and soundtrack are great for a game built into a Facebook app. I'd even go so far as to compare them to the original Fallout as far as dreariness and appropriate feel for the game. Certainly better than the drek Inon Zur cranked out for FO3.

The drawings are comic-book style, alright but not spectacular. Some of the icons used for the resources don't fit the gritty and grimy feel of the rest of the "world" but this game is a beta so I'm being lenient. I would be happier to see the people wearing real items in lieu of armor instead of the ridiculous fallbacks to oversized skulls on their shoulders. Otherwise, decent effort for the concept art.

At the end of the day, what the makers of the game really want me to do is to give it Five Stars as-is, but I wouldn't. Not yet. Would I recommend it to my friends, however? Sure. A great little app is a great little app to pass the time while chatting on an otherwise boring social networking page.

*There was a time when I was sitting down to watch television and I saw ads for "Friday Night Lights." Not being the closest thing to a sports fan, I missed the few sports references and was a little bit thrilled with the creepo, wastelandish look. I bet you can imagine my disappointment.