A Review of Star Rangers
by Mark W. Frantz
Ever since Wing Commander first hit the shelves a few years back, the demand for space combat games has risen drastically. This craze has spawned some great games, such as the LucasArts Xwing and Tie Fighter, and some duds, like Mantis, and Lightspeed. And now, a new space combat simulator from Interactive Magic joins the ranks. How does Star Rangers stack up against the greats?
First off, the graphics are great. SVGA, to be sure, but not quite as good
as Wing Commander 3 (but then again, what could be better than WC3
graphics). Explosions are well rendered, and the appropriate explosion is
followed by the appropriate debris. Sound effects, however, are another
story. They're not bad, per se, just strange. When your guns strike
another ship, it sounds a lot like popcorn popping. But mostly, it's the
standard fair of laser sounds and explosions. Communications with your
wingmen or bases sound reasonably well done.
You begin the game in practice mode. Here you can sharpen your skills and your shot with wave after wave of wave of enemy fighters. But, you won't be here for long, because, after all, it is practice. When you're ready, click on that Campaign button.
Here's the storyline : you're a border patrol pilot for the Star Rangers. It is the 23rd Century, and Taureg bandits are making raids across the demilitarized zone. It is your job to stop them. That's basically where the 17 missions take you. But the storyline really doesn't come into play that much. Most of the time you'll just launch and begin to attack any bandits that enter your screen. The storyline is unimportant, so if you're looking for an interactive movie, look elsewhere.
Game play is fast and furious. You and your wingman will take on many
bandits at a time. With a variety of capital ships and fighters, you'll
have your hands full trying to stop the border incursions. You are armed
with a standard fare of weaponry, from heat seeking missiles to tactical
nukes. You also have, of course, your trusty plasma guns and auto cannon to
dogfight with. A unique feature of the game is the probability of crashing
into a destroyed ship's debris. This will weaken your shields and spin you
uncontrollably for a minute. Needless to say, don't do it.
The most innovative feature I have ever seen in a space combat game is the ability to jump around within your quadrant to stop border raids. Using a map, you pinpoint where you want to go, usually near a bandit, warp, and it takes you there. This feature brings about whole new strategies of play, such as deciding whether you have time to refuel before that cap ship gets to that base. It adds another element previously unused in these games.
You can also send your wingman across the quadrant to attack bandits while
you finish off the ones in the area. He'll then return when he's finished,
or wait for you to arrive. Your wingman can do a variety of functions,
including returning to base, attacking a target, or open attack on any enemy
ship. You do get to choose your wingmen, but it seems somewhat superfluous,
for they all say the same things and fight basically the same.
Another interesting feature is the mere fact that no two missions are alike. Sure, the objectives are the same, but enemies will appear in different places, at different times, in different numbers. This adds some replayability to the game that would otherwise have been severely linear. As with other games of this genre, you get medals for extraordinary feats in the cockpit. This is pretty much standard, though there is the McPhearson's cross, for extraordinary damage taken in the defense of a civilian. In my 40 some hours of playing, I achieved this only once.
As with every game, it has its flaws. The most two of note are lack of
variety and lack of difficulty. The enemies have only three different
fighters, and three different capital ships. You only get to fly in one
ship for all 17 missions. I was hoping to be able to try other ships, or at
least fight some different kinds then the same old ones. And even cranked
up to most difficult, I was able to fight my way to the end in a matter of
hours. The only thing I sensed was more difficult at the upper levels was
that if I hit something with my ship I took more damage. The ships didn't
move faster, they didn't evade, it was the same.
So, where does that leave Star Rangers? Well, it's no Wing Commander, but it never claimed to be. It is a good space combat simulator, with some very well done game play and graphics. Its lack of variety and difficulty hamper its ability to enter the realm of the greats, but if your looking for a unique space combat simulator, you may want to give Star Rangers a shot.
Gamer's Zone Scorecard
| Product: |
Star Rangers |
| Company: |
Interactive Magic
|
| Cost: |
n/a |
System Requirements:
486DX/66MHz, DOS 5.0 or higher, 8MB Ram,
SVGA, Soundblaster Compatible Sound Card,
Joystick, or Thrustmaster compatible and
CD-ROM Drive (2x).
Breakdown:
Fun Factor 4
Graphics 5
Sound 3
Interface 4
Replayability 4
Overall Score:
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