It’s been mentioned over and over again by the press, and even me, but the PC market is changing. The PC is no longer the dominant gaming platform it once was years ago. Instead the PC market has matured and transitioned into a niche gaming device, whose niche is offering experiences usually not found on a console. Strategy games are one genre that has been lacking in the console market simple because of control issues. To many the modern controller still can’t compete with the controls offered by a keyboard and mouse in a strategy game. We have seen tons of top-tier strategy games offered on the PC that have never made it over to a console. Maelstrom is another PC game attempting to become a top-tier real-time strategy game title to forgo the console route.

The game is a science-fiction based real-time strategy (RTS) game with some Hollywood connections. The plot was written by James Swallow who has written episodes of Star Trek: Voyager and Dr. Who. Earth has been changed from a growing, thriving world into a depleted wasteland in the span of 50 years. The world has been ravaged by ecological disaster, war and the meltdown of human civilization. The few that have survived have given these unsettling times a name, Maelstrom. As a result of the Maelstrom two factions have risen seeking to control the world: The Remnants and The Ascension.

The Remnants are controlled by an ex-US Military General, James Buchanan, and use standard military tactics during combat. The Remnants can use stealth and guerrilla tactics to use traps such as mines and bombs. Another feature of the Remnants is the ability to hack into the Ascension troops and take control. The Ascension is lead by Arlan Khan, a former corporate business guru who turned his corporate strength into a military power. The Ascension is composed of Mechmorphs, which are robotic troops that have the ability to morph into a variety of different units. The most advanced weapons and equipments in the game are part of The Ascension. Another faction causing problems for both The Remnants and The Ascension are The Hai-Genti. The Hai-Genti is an invading alien race that is set to take out the other factions and take over the rest of the world.

The gameplay in Maelstrom, as in any RTS game, is really the key part of the game. Maelstrom doesn’t really offer anything completely new or innovative when it comes to an RTS game. But the core gameplay still offers a solid experience that should please most RTS fans. The core game resolves around playing through the campaign mode where you’re tasked with an objective for the map you’re playing. Usually these objectives are standard commands such as “Go to point A on the map” or “Take out the enemies base.”

The controls are simply enough for anyone to get into the game since you simply point and click to issue commands to your troops. You can select one individual soldier/unit at a time or you can select multiple units by dragging your mouse over a group of soldiers. Each unit can have their own unique properties or rules that will dictate their actions on the battlefield. If you want to create a squad out of three or four soldiers you can or you can issue a patrol route to a group of soldiers to follow.

The leaders or Heroes as they are called, of the units play a vital role for the entire game. If one of the Heroes dies during battle the game is over and you will have to start the map over again. The Heroes also have the ability to gain experience points which opens up the option to research special abilities they can use during battle. Each Hero also has a special morale ability that affects the morale of the units fighting with the Hero.  There is even a third-person viewpoint in the game while playing as Hero where you control your character just like a third-person action game. However the game isn’t just limited to foot soldiers for your army.

Maelstrom offers a large assortment of vehicles to use, which vary depending on the faction you control in the game. These vehicles aren’t limited to just moving units from location A to location B; some of the units can be morphed or upgraded into different vehicles.  Other vehicles are used to build structures in the game or even reshape the land surrounding your units. These structures are where the resource management piece of the game comes into play.

Each faction has three main resources they need to use in order to build new units, structures and upgrades. These resources will vary depending on the faction you’re playing but controlling these resources is vital. Without all three resources you will generally start to lose units that cannot be replaced or structures that cannot be built. Some of the missions will have you capturing one or two resources from the enemy. Once you’ve captured a resource you can then build stronger units or structures previously unavailable at the beginning of the mission.

The presentation of the game is top notch with some impressive graphics, a top notch storyline and solid voice acting. The graphics allow you to zoom in right up to ground level to view all of the fighting.  All of the vehicles and soldiers in the game look great, at a distance but lose some of their “sparkle” when you zoom in close. Then you start to see some rather bland and lifeless-looking textures. The storyline is sure to please science-fiction fans, of course due to the writer, with tons of back-story for all of the factions. The voice acting for all of the Heroes helps give personality to each of the characters. There were a few phrases that did get repeated but nothing that was too aggravating.

Maelstrom is a solid RTS game that will probably find a core group of excited players. The gameplay will keep you playing while the graphics, voice acting and storyline are the icing on the cake. But the entire cake will probably remind gamers of better cakes they’ve had in the past. Maelstrom does enough to make it a good game but falls short in moving into the great category.

Gameplay: 7.4
It’s a tried-and-true RTS game with the right elements of resource management and combat. The AI of your units gets a little crazy at times when it comes to following directions; they tend to find the longest route instead of the shortest one.

Graphics: 7.7
At a zoomed-out distance the graphics look great for Maelstrom. Tons of characters on the screen at one time, good particle effects on the explosions, nice detail of the vehicles and impressive shadow effects. But once you zoom in the graphics become very bland and washed out.

Sound: 7.5
The voice acting for most of the characters were good but a few characters did have some phrase repetition. The music was a nice feature with a good orchestrated setting that created a fitting atmosphere for the game.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
There never seemed to be a good balance of getting the characters just right when in combat. Either you had enough to take out the computer or you were sending units to their sudden death. The enemy Hero was always way more powerful than your Heroes which would make finishing off the enemy extra tough.

Multiplayer: 7.0
The multiplayer mode does off LAN and internet based play but with only a few gameplay modes. The settings were Free for All (every man for himself) or co-op against another group of players. Some extra multiplayer modes would have been a nice addition to the game.

Concept: 7.5
The story and premise of the game are great, which isn’t a surprise because of the Hollywood connection. However the actual game just feels like any other RTS game instead of a new and significant title.

Overall: 7.4
Maelstrom is a title that will please RTS fans looking for another game to challenge them for hours. The good story, nice graphics and solid gameplay will keep you going for some time. However the questionable AI and “same old, same old” feel might keep some gamers away. If you’re looking for a solid and enjoyable RTS game, Maelstrom should score on all accounts. If you’re looking for an innovative and ground breaking PC game then you will probably be disappointed.