Rare is it to see a title which expands the boundaries that have been formed in
the strategy genre. Digital Reality & Dreamcatcher Interactive's Hegemonia is one of few that seems to be
on track to accomplishing this goal via using a 3D map system throughout the game.
Although currently in a rough stage, Hegemonia gives players a vast galaxy to
explore and take over with their empires.
In the game you battle for supremacy with forces from Mars or from Earth, in the
depths of space. Keeping your funds up will be key to survival as your empire
and armies need them to survive and repair. You'll also find yourself mining and
searching for scrap materials to use such as from fallen enemies or just debris in
space.
The game itself in its current state has its ups and downs. The gameplay is
great as you have a full grid to work with for moving your troops and shuttles
around space on your missions. The enemies are responsive and put up
quite a battle to destroy you. The camera angles do need a bit of work though
as you can lose your teams quite easily if you wander off to see whats ahead of
your group in battle. A lock on feature was mentioned to be in the works for
later releases so this could very well be an eliminated issue when the beta
launches.
Online play is avalible right now but I was unable to find anyone via the
gamespy network that was running this title. So I'm unable to declare how the
network play and physics run for the game. Hopefully in a later release more
users will be online to put their online gameplay to the test.
The graphic choice for this title is quite pleasing. The space setting is
pre-rendered from what I could make out, but it meshes perfectly with the 3D
ships and planets creating a very fluid environment. The options allow for lots of
manipulation to your setup - ranging from particle adjustment to AA
levels to implement.
The sound in the game is a bit repetitive as your team screams out the same three
or four lines when they start losing in battle sometimes even overlapping
themselves. The music blends well when you're able to pull away and listen for
it although most of the time you'll be trying to setup your next moves to avoid
being killed off.
The game is slated for a November 02 release on the PC market. With some
quick adjustments to the sound and a stable online community this title could
have quite a bit of potential in the strategy marketplace.
Be sure to check out the screenshots below for a close look at its current state.
-VeGiTAX2
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