Colony Wars by Psygnosis

Being a huge fan of the space-shooter genre, I couldn't wait to get my 
hands on Colony Wars.  The PlayStation has only had a few space-
shooters, and those were all ports of PC games that failed to make the 
journey to the console adequately.  I loved the Wing Commander series 
on the PC, but the PS version of WCIII was stunk and even WC IV, while 
having a good storyline fell short in the combat arena.  This brings me 
to the review at hand.  Can Colony Wars fill the space-shooter void 
plaguing the PS?  I believe it can and will try to substantiate that 
with my comments below!

Graphics:  10

 When I first saw screens of CW a while back I was astounded - I though 
they had to be CG cutscenes or FMV, but fortunately there were not.  
The graphics in CW are incredible, from the cinematic cutscenes to the 
in-game effects this game is outstanding.  Let me say that I am not up 
on all the latest technology in video game graphics.  I have heard 
gamers in the NG saying that the graphics in CW are not that 
"technically impressive" - OK, that is fine - but I have not had one 
person look at this game's graphics without being impressed.  It looks 
great, technically impressive or not, it wows and makes you feel like 
you are there and in my book that is what counts.  So what is so great?  
Start with the opening CG sequences that flow seamlessly from the PS.   
They do a great job of setting the scene for the game and add 
considerably to the atmosphere.   The in-game graphics are what is most 
astounding.  You have several views available (in cockpit, full screen, 
3rd person view) and all are very playable.  Your weapons all have very 
distinctive and impressive visual effects.  Start attacking a ship with 
your anti-shield laser and after a few solid hits you start to see 
sparks fly from the hull - shields gone!  Now switch over to your 
normal lasers and start blasting - what's this?  The rear of the your 
target is starting to look like a out-of-control reactor - a couple 
more hits and it is history.  The missiles are equally impressive with 
too many effects to mention here.  The enemy ships are astounding too.  
The small fighters are crisp and clear and the larger cap ships are 
incredible in their size and detail.  Get too close?  No problem here - 
they are just as sharp from 3 inches as 30 feet!  The blinding sun and 
beautiful planets are also great, and you enemy will fly into the sun 
in a heartbeat to get you off his tail.  The motion of the stars have 
met with mixed comments - yes, we know that the stars would not "rush" 
by you in space, but it does give a sense of motion that was totally 
missing in other games.  I will take the knock on realism for the 
sensation of movement any day!  I could go on for the whole review 
about the graphics here, but if that is all the game has it can stay on 
the shelf, so here goes the rest of the story...

Sound:  8

Good graphics are important, but a game needs sound along with them if 
the experience is going to be complete.  CW comes through well in this 
area also.  First the CG voice-over...  I have read posts asking in 
James Earl Jones did the voice for this game.  Come on guys, have you 
ever listened to him?  The voice actor tries to get there but falls way 
short of a perfect impersonation.  That would be bad if you were 
expecting James Earl Jones, but taken for what it is the guy is 
convincing and interesting.  The in-game sound effects are sharp, if 
lacking in realism.  The sounds are there for all your weapons, as well 
as lock-on and incoming indicators.  The enemy ships explode with a 
nice bang, and Cap ships - well, if you have a baby sleeping you better 
turn the stereo down before taking one out (I found out the hard 
way)...  The music is also good, though not inspired.  All in all, a 
good showing.
  

Control:  10 or 7 (read on)

I normally cover this area under gameplay, but it makes such a 
difference here I wanted to separate it.  I hate to give a mixed rating 
in this category, but there is good reason.    I have played through 
this game with the normal digital pad and have to say that if it only 
supported that controller it would get a 7 (or lower) on gameplay.  The 
use of the shoulder buttons for throttle without any way to set a 
continuous speed removes a  lot of the fun in the game.  Then you have 
the dual-analog pad which, IMHO has been poorly implemented in all 
games except Crash 2 and Jet Moto 2, and carries that problem here.  
With the short throw of the sticks it is almost impossible to have good 
control with the pad.  The analog throttle adds a lot, but still does 
not make up for the fact that moving the stick even slightly results in 
a "ham fist" reaction.  So where is the 10 you ask?    If you have a 
dual-analog flight stick (the big one) this game is incredible.  The 
larger sticks give your excellent response and the button layout is 
perfect - using the right stick for control and the left for throttle 
makes it feel like you are there. 

Gameplay: 8

The structure of the game itself is excellent.  With over 70 missions 
(although they are short) and a variable mission tree, the game 
actually gives you incentive NOT to play ever mission till you can win 
it the first time through the game.  The mission briefings are well 
done and usually give you a clear idea of your objectives.  The 
missions themselves are varied, ranging from dog-fighting to clearing 
mine fields, and most are tons of fun to play.  The only problem is 
that they are very short.  This is one area I prefer the Wing Commander 
series in - having missions with multiple objectives and waypoints 
makes it feel more realistic, but Psygnosis opted to go with a shooter-
type game, which is OK, I just prefer the former myself.  You also have 
no control over which ship you fly, which is a bummer.  I like being 
able to occasionally pull out ships not suited to a mission just to see 
if I can make it, but again, this is a design choice and not a flaw.  
On the positive side, the AI of the enemy fighters is good, often 
making them fly into the sun to towards one of your ships to get away 
from you.  The same cannot be said for the Cap ships though, it is too 
easy to take them out if there is no fighter escort. It may sound like 
I don't like the gameplay here but I do.  It is fast-paced and always 
exciting, there are just some things I would have done different.  
Overall I enjoy playing the game MUCH more than the Wing Commander 
series and even more than X-wing.  Considering that they are the two 
top space-shooter franchises, that says a lot.  The weapon utilization 
is also well done.  You have anti-shield lasers that must be used 
before normal lasers can have effect.  You also have EMP weapons that 
will disable your enemy, leaving them at the mercy of your grapple line 
- very nicely done.

Replay Value:  6

What???  Replay of 6 with 70 branching missions???  Yep, as I said 
earlier, although there are 70 missions, they are all short - and once 
you arrive at one of the "good" endings you are given the mission tree 
and can start from any previous mission in order to see the remaining 
missions.  In all fairness, it would be tough to improve this much in a 
1-player game.  Psygnosis did an excellent job with the storyline and 
added tons of CG scenes and multiple ending for us so we should be 
happy.  This type of game does not lend itself to long-term replay, but 
it is so incredible while you are there it is still worth the 
investment IMHO.

Overall:  9

I know this is not the mathematical equivalent of my individual 
category ratings, but it is my honest impression of the game overall.  
The graphics and control are so perfect that I love playing the game, 
and the problems with gameplay amount to preference as much as 
anything.  If I had to choose one game to play for the next 6 months, 
this would NOT be it (have you checked out Grand Tour Racing 98?), but 
if I were told that I could play any game for a month it would be CW.   
This game is simply impressive and "feels right".  Everyone should at 
least give it a rental.

Pluses:

Great control (with the dual-stick)
Outstanding graphics
Fast-paced 
Excellent weapon implimentation
FUN

Minuses:

Very short missions
No ability to choose ships
Cap Ships too easy
Digital or Dual-analog pad control lacking