Perimeter

What is innovation? The Webster’s Dictionary defines it as:

1. the introduction of something new
2. a new idea, method, or device.

Real Time Strategy games are some of the most popular and fun games available on the PC. The biggest problem with this genre is that there is little innovation, and when there is a new break though, every developer tries their best to clone it, and they ruin the new gameplay mechanic quickly. Perimeter is a new RTS game that really innovates this genre and adds a lot to it. Read on to find out more!

The story for this game is confusing but it is also very interesting. Here it is: in the beginning there were Spirits who created Worlds, and then Men in their image. Humans grew and became curious about their surroundings, and as time passed they explored the entire world, and fully inhabited it. Soon all of the Worlds became overpopulated and the resources started becoming exhausted. So the humans created huge flying cites that held hundreds of thousands of people called Frames. In time the Spirits showed the humans other Worlds and the Alpha and the Omega of each of the worlds. They are now here to guide the humans along and they are to guide them to their Eden. Are you up to the challenge?

One of the most unique things that this game has to offer is that you have the ability to terraform (transform) the land, and there are many strategies that can be used by doing this. The reason why you have to terraform the land in the first place is in order for the nanotechnology to work; the land must be at the “Zero-Layer.” So many times you will have to destroy mountains or raise plains in order to get it to be at this level. Besides raising or lowering the land level for energy extraction, players can use this for strategic purposes. Say there is a huge army coming your way why not dig a huge valley and hide numerous soldiers. The enemies might see your base and think that they can take it over with ease, but then they come across a valley filled with your army that is twice the size of theirs! The enemy will not know what hit them.

The only resource in this game is the energy that you will collect from various planets you visit. There is a huge bar in the center of the screen that tells you how much energy you have, and players must dispense this energy wisely, between building and military creation, and much more importantly the shielding that can protect you from a surprise attack from the Scourge.

Military creation for this game is one of the most interesting things I have seen in a while. There are three types of units to create: soldiers, officers, and technicians. Each of these units are very weak and offer very little in a battle. Once you build the necessary buildings, you can “nanomorph” these three types of units to create some very powerful military units such as sniper, rocket launcher, tanks, and many other powerful weapons.

One of the game’s downfalls is the mission structure. The problem with it is that the missions are really dull and extremely easy for any RTS player. For instance, on a few missions I overcomplicated the missions, spending more time doing tedious work, when all you had to do to complete a mission was give a building power then leave the planet. Instead I spent time building all these unnecessary things, wasting time, because I didn’t think the object was that simple. While this is not a bad thing in the earlier missions, some of the later missions are still on the simple and mundane side.

Another downfall is the computer’s AI (Artificial Intelligence). The AI in this game is really on the “slow” side of things. I was able to outsmart and out maneuver the AI in almost any particular situation that was presented to me without any sweat. While it is nice to see a few missions that have dumb down AI, this game never made me sweat or have a feeling that I might not make it past this level. While I don’t like to have a feeling where I am “scared” to make any slight move for fear of total annihilation, I do like to be presented with more of a challenge.

Perimeter has some of the best graphics for a RTS game I have seen in recent memory. Everything in the game is modeled to extreme perfection, and you will notice this from the minute you load the first mission. Then you have to add in the fact that the terrain for this game can change in a heart beat due to you terraforming it.

The only problem with this is that in order to run this game in all of its glory you will have to have some power underneath your PC. Even though my PC exceeds some of the minimum requirements, I felt the game get sluggish during certain parts missions. It was really obvious when I zoomed in on the map, or moved the camera around.

The sound effects for this game are something that you would expect to hear, from laser fire to other futuristic noises. The music has a nice beat to it but it will not take your breath away like some other RTS games do with their orchestra sound. I really liked the voiceovers done for the entire game; the actors used suit the game really well.

Perimeter is rated E for Everyone for fantasy violence.

The system requirements are:
AMD/Pentium III 1GHz or better
256 MB of RAM
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
DirectX 9.0b
64 MB of VRAM
4.3 GB of Hard Drive Space
Keyboard and Mouse.

Gameplay: 8.5
Perimeter does take a while to get used to, from the controls, terraforming landscapes, and creating a strong offense or defense. Even though this is the case, once you do get a hold of it, you will be in for a nice ride!

Graphics: 8.8
Perimeter is drop dead gorgeous! The only problem is that it comes at a price, and that price is expensive. The system requirements are on the higher side if you want this game to run really smooth.

Sound: 8.5
The music and sound effects really fits this game, and gives it that “sci-fi” feel to it. All of the voiceovers are done really well.

Difficulty: Easy
The missions presented to the player were to the easy side, even if this is your first RTS you will have no problem beating this game

Concept: 9.0
I applaud the developers, KD Labs, for creating such a unique RTS game.

Multiplayer: 7.5
The multiplayer aspect of this game is really weak, it offers only the standard multiplayer game types. I think that the developers could have created some truly unique experiences!

Overall: 8.7
I highly suggest that you run out to pick up a copy of Perimeter because it is a really original and unique twist to the RTS genre. Even though some of the missions are on the lackluster side, the game as a whole is really fun to play.