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News

Issue 458 – Out Now!

CAPTAIN MARVEL takes centre stage in the latest ...

trailers

THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR

Showrunner: MIKE FLANAGAN Starring: TBC Premiere ...

trailers

THE TWILIGHT ZONE

Showrunner: JORDAN PEELE Starring: GREG KINNEAR, ...

trailers

BEING FRANK: THE CHRIS SIEVEY STORY

DIRECTOR: STEVE SULLIVAN EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: ALEX ...

trailers

UNDER THE SILVER LAKE

DIRECTED BY: DAVID ROBERT MITCHELL STARRING: ...

News

Chris Hemsworth to Headline Hulk Hogan Biopic

Wait, what?!?! Yes, not only is a Hulk Hogan ...

News

The CW’s LOST BOYS Begins to Assemble its Cast

As The CW’s Lost Boys pilot continues to develop, ...

News

Dougray Scott Joins BATWOMAN as Jacob Kane

As The CW’s Batwoman continues to flesh out its ...

News

Syfy Cancels NIGHTFLYERS After One Season

When a project is deemed one of the most expensive ...

reviews

FROG DREAMING (AKA THE QUEST)

A blast from the past that will warm the cockles ...

News

New Oz-Based TV Series in Development

Ready to head back to Oz? We hope so, for ...

Reviews | Written by Callum Shephard 24/04/2014

Game Review: THE LAST FEDERATION (PC)

REVIEW: THE LAST FEDERATION / DEVELOPER: ARCEN GAMES / PUBLISHER: ARCEN GAMES / PLATFORM: PC, MAC, LINUX / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Best known for their work in AI War: Fleet Command and its expansions, Arcen Games are no stranger to high concept science fiction titles. The Last Federation sees a similarly bold move on the part of the developers, and they hit it out of the park.

You play as the last of your race, the Hydrals, who were wiped out in a conflict with another planet. In command of a powerful warship, you must prevent history repeating itself. Your task is to unite the various warring races of this solar system, build alliances and construct a lasting Federation. It’s effectively Andromeda the video game.

The concept behind the game is obviously brilliant and the programmers take full advantage of the options available to the player. Every race has a different political standing, from a robotic autocracy to a warrior race who only respect martial honour and usually can only be won over by killing their ruler in combat.

You do not command each world so much as direct and coerce them and every action results in new developments from anti-Federation insurgents to massive political shifts. Atop of this there is no sure-fire method to success, with different factors thrown in each time, some generated by your starting choices, others purely at random. These elements alone would make the title fantastic, but it is backed by a great combat system.

Spaceborne combat is something truly bizarre but innovative, playing out almost like a turn-based Bullet Hell. Yeah, there’s a combination no one would ever expect to see. You choose which actions to make, which direction your ship will fly in and what commands to follow, and the game plays out for a few seconds before pausing for new actions. It’s an astoundingly effective system, allowing you to control power levels FTL-style while simultaneously manoeuvring to avoid attacks.

Unfortunately the game does have a number of notable problems, even in the basic concept. Despite every race already knowing one another and having engaged in an interplanetary war, none have access to space flight at the start. This would be fine but other choices arise which are very curious. Everyone will turn on you for putting slaves on the market, but turn a hostile planet’s world into an inhospitable radioactive hellhole? No one bats an eye. It also has this nasty habit of chugging when there is too much going on, a common issue in many late game scenarios.

Despite these minor issues, this is a fantastic addition to the strategy genre which anyone remotely interested should buy. With great combat, choices and an outstanding visual design, it’s a true masterpiece to behold.



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