Earth 2150 Trilogy

The Earth 2150 series has a long history behind it, as well as quite the solid fan base to appreciate every new release, or criticize its flaws. As a strategy game, however, the titles have managed to maintain extremely high standards, since the gameplay is solid and the mechanics are fully functional, even if the matches might evolve rather slowly and there aren't too many options when it comes to rushing your enemies, at least not in the first few minutes.

Earth 2150 Trilogy aims to encompass the greatness of the entire series by including the original release, as well as the two official expansion packs to carry on the story from the first title. Naturally, all of the improvements brought by the expansions are available and fully usable, which means that you can experience all that the game has to offer without having to go through the less desirable parts that were part of the beginning of the franchise, such as bugs or annoying mechanics.

In essence, the story revolves around the same three main factions that dispute their supremacy over a post-apocalyptic Earth: The United Civilized States, the Lunar Corporation and the Eurasian Dynasty. However, the later chapters that were introduced in the add-ons are also available, which means that you can follow the entire plot from start to finish and get to experience everything the series has to offer, as well as make use of the new units, maps and technologies introduced later on.

Although the game uses classic real-time strategy mechanics in its gameplay, there are some major differences that set it apart from other titles, such as the fact that you can design your own units, or deform the terrain at will in order to properly put your tunneling strategy into practice. Moreover, the troops are represented in a very realistic manner as well, in the sense that they can run out of ammo and they need to be constantly rearmed if they are to be effective out on the battlefield.

From a technical point of view, the game does show its age a tad and the graphics can be a bit disappointing for those of you who are not accustomed to older engines, but that does not mean it looks bad. The lack of detail is obvious, but the environments received a lot of care and the units themselves are unique, each one of which comes with its own special characteristics to differentiate itself from the others.

In the end, the Earth 2150 Trilogy can be a great distraction for everyone who happens to be a fan of the real-time strategy title, especially if you've got no problem with the fact that it came out quite a few years ago and the graphics might be a bit of an eye sore. Newer systems might run into some trouble while trying to run it, although it can be made to work well with enough dedication.