PC Gamer - USA 2019-09)

(Antfer) #1
Some of Dune 2000’s maps are
gigantic, and the last missions in
particular can take hours to complete.
There’s plenty of gaming time to be
had here, with nine missions to
complete as each of the three houses.
Though there’s a lack of diversity in
the arsenal, expect some of the
biggest open-field tank battles of any
of the early Command & Conquer
games, including Red Alert.

WORM HOLES
Sadly, the game has one quite specific
issue—it’s missing any form of
stationary anti-infantry turret. It does
however encourage you to be
pro-active in how you defend rather
than just building turrets and leaving
them to do the business. One of the
best ways is to just charge over and
squash enemy infantry with tanks,
and then counter-attack any
remaining units from behind. It isn’t
a strategy the AI pick up on for their
own defence of course, so the lack of
anti-infantry turrets is a huge exploit
when attacking.
As part of C&C’s legacy, Dune
2000 massively benefits from having
cliff formations and bridges on its
maps, which really help make each

THE LACK OF ANTI-INFANTRY
TURRETS IS A HUGE EXPLOIT
WH EN AT TACKIN G

mission more interesting. Random
enemy carryall drops in obscure
corners of the map, Ornithopter
bombing raids, and of course the
tank-eating sandworms all keep you
on your toes. However, don’t expect
any missions to kick off with 20
minutes guiding a tobacco-spitting
commando around destroying SAM
sites—they’re all pretty much ‘build a
base then level everything else’.
Dune 2000’s biggest shortfall in
1998 is still prevalent today, and it’s
the lack of a diverse unit balance
system. Other than one specialist
vehicle per house, all three sets of
units are almost identical. You can
still capture enemy technology and
use the enemies’ own vehicles against
them, but at its heart Dune 2000 is
about something much simpler.
At its core Dune 2000 is a bread
and butter RTS—for me that means
building a base, harvesting resources,
clearing off the fog of war, a bit of
cunning tank management, and the
obliteration of everything in sight.
If Dune II was before your time
and you’ve always wondered what all
the fuss was about, or if you’re just a
fan of the movie and its universe,
Dune 2000 is well worth a look.

The high resolution
is a bit of a treat.

EXTRA LIFE


NOW PLAYING (^) I UPDATE I GUIDE I DIARY I REINSTALL (^) I WHY I LOVE I MUS T P L A Y
devastating effect. In a later mission I
suffer a complete Sonic Tank fail
whilst playing as house Atreides.
Remembering what I’ve learnt up
until this point, I make sure I’ve got a
good variety of vehicles to counter-
act whatever the enemy AI might
pull out of the bag. They include half
a dozen Sonic Tanks.
As my units move into position, I
realize that the Sonic Tanks must
have been the inspiration for Tiberian
Sun’s Disrupter Tanks, as they’re both
heavily armored and channel
powerful energy at their targets.
It’s with some regret then that I
realize too late they share exactly the
same flaw. Within moments my Sonic
Tanks are firing waves of sound at
the attacking Ordos, and any of my
other vehicles between them are
having concentrated sound waves
fired up their asses. Friendly fire and
foul language ensue, and I’m forced
to pull back for repairs.

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