Space Rangers 2: Dominators

While I tend to be more of a fast-paced action or FPS gamer, there are times I like to slow it down a bit and play something that’s a little more heavy on just sitting back and calmly enjoying myself. A while back, there was a game that really didn’t get a lot of recognition here in the States called Space Rangers, but despite its lack of popularity over here it was one of those rare gems of a title that you were happy to run across. Well, Russian developer 1C has released it’s sequel called Space Rangers 2 : Rise of the Dominators, and despite a little less than stellar title (the name, not the game), the game delivers a lot of solid gameplay and enjoyment on many fronts.

SR2 is kind of hard to lump into one category of game genre, since it actually combines a few styles together. The majority of the time you will be flying your ship around the cosmos in a kind of point-and-click turn-based format reminiscent of games like Port Royale 2 or similar using space instead of the seven seas, with each movement representing a certain number of days. The farther you fly, the longer it takes. It is also in this main gameplay mode that you will do whatever it is that you want to do, and thanks to the open endedness of the game you can literally fly around and be whatever you want to be. Want to rob merchant vessels and be a pirate? No problem. Want to be a merchant and try to avoid pirates? No problem. Want to be a pirate hunter and fly escorts or help out ships in distress? No problem.

As stated, there are a few different game styles mixed into SR2, and in addition to the main screen that I talked about you will also be able to do things like fly into a black hole and have battles with enemy vessels inside, collecting powerups and moving through maze-like structures similar to the pinball mini game for those of you that remember the end of level thing in Sonic the Hedgehog. If you decide to land on a planet being taken over by the Dominators (this is a group that wants to wipe out all carbon-based life forms, and since they are in the title I figured I’d tell you what they were), the game will actually change to a pretty solid RTS game where you design robots to fight enemies and try to take over certain points in order to win the map and gain more resources during the battle. Just to tell you how detailed the game is, there was even an instance where I was sentenced to 98 days in prison when I tried to land on a planet controlled by a hostile faction, and I played out each one of the 98 days balancing things like my health, strength, intelligence, and my standing with both the guards and inmates through bribes, fighting, and even training a cockroach to win races against other inmates. You can also try to escape, and if you fall below a certain level with the guards you may be sentenced to a longer time while being in too much with the guards could cause “health-related” problems with the inmates. Anyways, you can obviously see that there is a lot of options for you to determine your own fate … and this is found in everything you do throughout the game.

While flying your ship to the different star systems and galaxies, this is where you will ultimately begin to shape who your character is. Each solar system is represented on a galaxy map, and the galaxy is divided into sub areas that will stay blacked out until you begin exploring them. In each area, you can land on friendly (or unfriendly) planets to get repairs, refuel, buy and sell (again similar to Port Royale style games of buying low and selling high), or you can get missions to earn experience points to upgrade your character, spend money to upgrade your ships and weapons, or you can watch the news to get info on what’s happening throughout the galaxy if you just want to venture out on your own and see what you can get into.

Now the biggest issue that a lot of people may have in reading a review of a game that offers this much to do is the fact that it all sounds like it’s extremely difficult. Fortunately, the developers really stayed one step ahead and thought out everything to actually make it very simple to just pick up and get into. Every action that you perform, be it buying something, attaching a new weapon or upgrade, or trading, etc., is simple and requires only the mouse to do. Even the space combat, which could have been a headache in a turn-based setting with limitless boundaries in space is easy to figure out, play, and get into with only minor casualties due to not knowing what to do.

Overall, the game is simple to figure out and jump into, but it’s hard to master and even more difficult to quit playing. There are literally tons of things that you can do and get into, and the game leaves it so open ended that you can play it multiple times without it ever being the same game twice. Add in the mini games, and little add-ons like playing out a prison sentence or a pilot-ranking system that allows you to hire Rangers ranked lower than you to act as your wingmen and you have a solid title that will offer tons of sci-fi enjoyment for a LONG time. While it may be a little slow for you die-hard action gamers, those of you who enjoy these strategic games and have the time to sit down and get wrapped up in it should definitely check it out.

Gameplay: 8.7
Not only are there a lot of game styles found in SR2, but the developers mixed them together with a ton of gameplay options while making it easy to play and enjoy, which in itself deserves tons of credit. Everything is simple point-and-click actions, and the controls are easy to figure out and jump into.  

Graphics: 7.2 
The graphics in SR2 aren’t bad, but they are very simple. The interactions with characters have movements, but they are repetitive, like moving a hand up and down while their mouth moves. The space stuff looked nice, with novas and space dust in the backgrounds and some nifty explosive effects, but on a small scale, which probably won’t bring a lot of “WOW”’s from players. Still, they do what needs to be done, which is many times more important anyways.

Sound: 7.0
There is no voice dialogue, and most of the background noises are the whooshing and banging of the ships hulls or explosions of combat. The music was forgettable for the most part as well, and didn’t do a lot to set any tones for what was going on. 

Difficulty: Medium
There is a sliding scale to adjust how hard the game is, but even on the easiest setting this game can be a short ride if you pick too many fights with enemies that are too difficult or walk unprepared into bad situations. It’s easy to get into though, and many things you will learn as you go.  

Concept: 8.8 
While the presentation of SR2 is simple and may even look a little outdated, it’s got a ton of stuff to enjoy and enough to keep you occupied for a while. The developers did a great job of mixing multiple styles together and ultimately came out with a well-balanced game that works well on just about every front.

Overall: 8.8
The biggest concern that I have with SR2 is the fact that many people won’t get the chance to play it only because they won’t know about it. If you enjoy sci-fi strategy, or games similar to Pirate Hunter or Port Royale 2, this is a game that you need to try. Die-hard run and gunners may find it a little slow for their tastes, but if you enjoy kicking back occasionally definitely check it out.