|
|
|
Arsenal 2
|
Game Name:
|
Arsenal 2 |
|
Console:
|
Gameboy Advance |
|
Reviewed:
|
Unknown |
What- The second game from Tactical Soft, an RTS based roughly on WW2.
When- 1940s, during WW2. All units are based on famous WW2 weapons.
Where- 3 campaigns based roughly on the African, Pacific and Western Europe theatres.
Who- 5 sides based on the major players in WW2- Schizos, Psychos, Normos, Fanatos, and Paranos. Each with 2 unique units.
Why- Highly replayable game, nice oldschool element, runs perfect on older hardware.
What (is it?)- ARSENAL 2 is an improved version of ARSENAL- Taste the Power, an RTS that uses vehicles from the 1940s. ARSENAL 2 includes several new additions, some tweaking of old units and gameplay, and, unlike the original that was available on CD, the new version is downloaded, paid for by credit card, then extra files are downloaded, and your away.
One of the interesting things about ARSENAL is the fact that although it is obvious it is a World War 2 game, it never actually says so- all the countries names are changed, the units have generic names, and the campaigns are all given other titles.
When (does it occur?)- As said before, ARSENAL is based on the 40s, mainly with the combat units, based on some of the famous tanks and aircraft of WW2. None of these have real names, instead they have the C&C style generic names- the ground units consist of the Renault 'Light Tank', Sherman 'Tank', T-34/76 'Medium Tank', TigerII 'Heavy Tank', 2-ton 'Flak Truck', Wespe 'Artillery', and the SU-105 'Heavy Artillery'.
Airpower consists of the Spitfire 'Fighter', P-38 'Super Fighter', Corsair 'Navy Fighter', Mitchell 'Navy Bomber', both which can operate from the Aircraft Carrier, the Stuka 'Tactical Bomber', B-17 'Heavy Bomber', and the B-29 'Flying Fortress'. Finally, the Navy has standard Submarines, Destroyers, Cruisers, Battleships, Aircraft Carriers and Transports.
There are also a number of other non-combat units- the Jeep, a quick unarmed scout unit (the manual says it has a .50 for against aircraft. It doesnt), the Scout plane, which is a slow short range unarmed plane that can reconniter the surrounding area, the Gas truck, which refuels land vehicles, the Tanker, which takes oil from oil rigs to refineries, and also refuels naval units, the Truck, which is simply a dump truck taking ore from mines to smelting furnaces, Firetrucks, which can repair buildings and put out fires, Fireboats, which are the same as the trucks but operate on water (good for when Stukas with napalm go after your tankers, lighting up the rigs in the process....), and the Bulldozer, your most important vehicle. It builds buildings, flattens terrain to allow for buildings, can destroy obstacles like trees and rocks, and can capture enemy Headquarters.
Where (do you fight?)- There are 3 campaigns, each based loosely on the 3 major theatres of battle- Africa, in the desert, Pacific, island hopping in an arctic area, and West Europe, with Operation Overlord from Normandy to Berlin.... although in game, the names are changed, but it is obvious what they are.
A nice touch in this game, as with the original ARSENAL, is that the maps are 'world' based, so there are no conventional edges of the map. It is possible to have a unit move across to the east, away from your base, and then begin moving towards it, coming from the west. It means that choosing a base on the edge of the map doesnt reduce the chance of being attacked on multiple fronts.
Who (is involved?)- There are 5 major sides, based on 5 of the countries who fought in WW2. Each side gets a special ability, and 2 special units- the Normos, who are essentially the British, have jet-propulsion, which is used in the Hovercraft, a transport that is immune to sub attacks, and the Jet Fighter, which is insanely fast and comes armed with AA/AG rockets.
The Schizos appear to be the Americans, both in weapons and the briefings given during the campaigns. They are the only country with the Atomic bomb, which can be loaded onto the Fortress in place of its iron bombs. The also have a halftrack with a rocket launcher on the back, which is deadly against anything.
The Fanatos are the Japanese, and they have access to, unsurprising, fanatics. These guys are willing to kill themselves to get the enemy, and they have 2 different tools- a Patrol Boat, loaded with explosives, and the Zero 'Kamakazi' fighter, which works exactly like the suicide corps at the end of World War 2....
The Psychos are the Germans, and have managed to develop guided missiles- the V1 'Buzz Bomb', which is a long range missile fired from a fixed turntable, comes straight from this research. They also have the T-24 'Super Heavy Tank', with a 5" howitzer in the front and an 88mm cannon on a turret. They are your enemy during the campaigns in Africa and Europe, and often will fight you during skirmishes.
Finally, the Paranos, which are basicly the French. They have access to the 'Super Gun', a huge howitzer mounted on a train, itself mounted on a turntable. They also have developed chemical munitions, and have built a mobile 'Toxic Launcher', that poisons units for a long period of time.
Each side has standard buildings- the HQ, which allows for research and can be captured for extra points and also allows that side to use all the knowledge, Housing, which over time becomes populated with civilians, who provide gold for you army, Smelting Furnaces, which come with a free Truck and are used to turn ore into steel, Refineries, which come with a tanker and turn oil into fuel, and also can be used to refuel both army and navy units, Factories, Shipyards, and Airfields, which come with a Gas truck, Transport and Scout plane respectivly, and produce and repair ground units, naval vessels and aircraft respectivly.
The 2 main defences available are Radar, which detects enemy heavy bombers and automatically scrambles your own fighters, and Bunkers, which are unarmed defence posts that can have a 105mm Howitzer, 88mm Flak gun or Rocket battery built on top. There is also an underground storage bunker which I believe houses weapons of mass detruction, ie. A-bombs, Buzz bombs and Toxic missiles. I have not actually built or researched this building, but I know its there. Reloads for these weapons must be built here.
Why (should I buy it?)- Unlike most other games, ARSENAL has to be downloaded. You first download the main files- this allows you to play the game, with only a few restrictions- you can only rise in rank to Sergeant, you can only play on 1 map for 20 minutes, give or take, and you cannot download any of the extra maps or music files. By paying $40 with a credit card, you receive the addition files required for unlimited play. Some may be contempt with just the 'demo' version. For the rest, paying for it is worth it...
Ranks- During gameplay, you receive points depending on the units you destroy and have destroyed, liberating the enemys civilians, and how hard the game is, with no multiplyer if you outnumber the enemy, or up to 8x bonus if they have a 10 to 1 advantage. These points add to your overall score, which affects your rank. You start as a Private, and can reach Field Marshall. With every advance in rank, the more units you receive at the start of a game, and the higher skilled they are. A Sergeant gets some Tanks and an extra Gas truck, all at Corporal ranks of firepower and armour, while a Colonel gets several Medium Tanks, Heavy Artillery, Bulldozers, Gas trucks, and Fire Trucks, all at Lieutenant rank. The unit ranks advance in combat, allowing for more firepower and heavier and thicker armour.
Auto-updates- ARSENAL 2 was released around the same time as Half-Life 2, so this is not exactly unique. However, it still useful, as the game becomes updated automatically, and any addons like extra maps, menu backgrounds, and music can quickly be skimmed through and downloaded.
Custom music- The game doesnt come with any music standard. To compensate, there are 2 ways you can insert some. One is with the auto-update, where you can download various music from Tacticalsoft, and the other is simply by putting your own MP3 music into the main ARSENAL file. This actually makes it easy to play your favorite music in game.
Simple graphics- A bit of a minus, but also a good plus- its simple, there are no confusing camera controls, the maps load instantly, and it works on even the ancient machines. The units dont look too bad, all easily identifiable as what they are... if you mistake a jeep with a flak truck, or a destroyer with a cruiser, you need your eyes checked.
There are, however, several other minuses. First, the fact that paying for this game doesnt mean its yours. It works a bit like Steam, except you can only play your game on 1 PC. If the 'register info' is wiped, you need to buy another copy. And it only lasts for 1 year, so if you want it longer, you're looking at 40 bucks a year.
Also, your units AI and pathfinding is simply pathetic. Bulldozers waste minutes flattening land unneccessarily, while groups of 5 or more tanks have serious trouble getting anywhere... even somewhere 2 tiles away.
But, at the end of the day, I can say that ARSENAL 2 is still a great game. Its almost perfect for strategy gamers, though people looking for something with a story or some nice graphics should look elsewhere.
More Gameboy Advance Reviews...
|
|
|
