I was expecting a little more from the re-make of the first ever real time stratergy game (DUNE 2000 (PC))

Member Name: fade_rautha

Product:	DUNE 2000 (PC)
Date:	16/05/01 (76 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good graphics , large range of units

Disadvantages: boring AI, not much difference between units of one house and another

This game is very stereotypical of Westwood studios strategy games. There are a wide range of units available, three houses to choose from: the Ordos, the Harkonnen and the Atredies. Two dune games came before this one there was dune 2 in 1993 which is almost the same as dune 2000 and even further back was dune (the original) which was more to do with spice mining and Fremen warriors. Dune 2000 barely touches on the storyline of the film, dune in which there were no Ordos, Atredies forces were almost destroyed and they won only with an army of Fremen and in the film sandworms are ridden.

The actual game play is quite good the graphics are better than that of red alert 2. The backgrounds are very boring and are always pretty much the same except for the odd dead worm or crashed Ornithopter. The main idea to the game is to destroy everyone else on the map and like all strategy games there must be something to mine; in red alert 2 it was ore, in Tiberian sun it was Tiberian and in dune 2000 it is spice. The three houses differ only very slightly. In fact the only differences are the speed of their tanks and two unique units (three in the case of the Atredies and Ordos). The Harkonnen get slow and powerful tanks, the Atredies get medium tanks and the Ordos get fast and less powerful tanks.

Of the two special units that each house gets there is one that annoys me the most and that is the Harkonnen death hand (which is just their fancy name for big inaccurate missile). It can be fired from any distance and practically destroys the area in which it lands, a very un strategic and boring weapon. The Harkonnen also get as their second special weapon, a large tank called a devastator which is extremely powerful, slow, short ranged and can self – destruct causing a large explosion.

The Atredies special weapons are much more interesting than the Harkonnens and require a higher level of skill to use. One is the Fremen warriors, who
are invisible until they fire. With large rapid fire guns they are the best type of infantry and are affective against most things. The second is the sonic tank which is a strange weapon, it looks as if it were thrown together at the last minute but was not because it featured in dune 2. The sonic tank is "supposed" to be a humane weapon to kill their enemies; instead of Fireing bullets or rockets it fires loud sound waves which are very affective against infantry. Personally I would prefer being shot rather than ripped apart from sonic sound waves. The last is the Ornithopter which is am airborne unit with flapping wings that works in groups of three to drop bombs on enemy buildings.

The Ordos special weapons are even more crafty and difficult to use than the Atredies. One is the saboteur which is an excellent unit, they can render themselves invisible for a short period of time giving you the chance to move them into an enemy building which the saboteur will then destroy or severely damage. The second is a tank called a deviator, this unit takes a long time to recharge its weapon and fires a short range, slightly inaccurate rocket with nerve gas inside which gives you temporary control of that unit. The last is merely a slight difference that can prove useful at the start of the game; the Harkonnens and Atredies get a unit called a trike whereas the Ordos get a raider trike which is faster with superior weapons and armour.

I do not despise this game but I do not believe it is worth the money.

Summary: