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| | Publisher: Aspyr Media  Genre: Strategy & War Expansion For: Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri | | Mac OS X: Not Supported Mac OS Classic: Mac OS 7.6
CPU: 603e @ 180 MHz RAM: 32 MB 4x CD-ROM Graphics: 800x600 @ 256 Colors |
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Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire
September 18, 2000 | Jeff Wescott | | Pages: |  | 1 | 2 |  |
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Hoo-rah! For all true strategy gamers, the arrival of Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri will be remembered as one of the greatest moments in Mac gaming history. The timely arrival of the expansion pack, Alien Crossfire, is the coup de grace.The polished evolution of the blatantly successful Civilization series, SMAC and SMACX stood a long time as PC-only titles. This product, developed by Firaxis Games, ported to the Mac by Westlake Interactive and published by Aspyr Media offers just about everything a good game expansion can. SMACX is not without its flaws however, some of these are carryovers from the original title. But hey, this is an expansion, not a sequel. What really rocks is that it’s here, it’s good, it came out on the heels of SMAC and it’s cheap at a bargain price of $19.95. Tell Me A Story SMACX opens up shortly after planet fall. As a human faction leader, you have five new human factions to contend with, as well as two alien factions that land shortly after the crash of the Unity. The difference between this and other traditional game expansions is that it replaces the original story rather that continuing it. SMACX compliments the original story line by adding a deeper history of Planet and by giving the player new goals.The presence of the alien factions — the Caretakers and the Usurpers — creates a greater motivation to forge political and economic alliances with the other human factions. The alien factions are powerful and have totally disparate agendas; if your faction starts between these two on the map, be prepared for action. The Caretakers, though not peace-loving, do value Planet and their main goal is to protect it. The Usurpers however, seek to plunder Planet for everything it’s worth. You can ally with one or the other, but never both at the same time.Probably due to space and resource limitations, you cannot play a game with more than seven factions at a time. I guess Planet just isn’t big enough for all 14. Also, keeping in track with the overall plot, you must select either both of the alien factions or neither in any given game. On the plus side, this wider selection allows for greater customization of the game as well. If you want a military bash-fest, try a line up of the Believers, Spartans, Cult of Planet, the Pirates, Data Angels (major espionage powerhouse) and the two alien factions. If you want a game focused more on diplomacy and economic factors, then choose seven of the more sociable factions and leave the bullies out. The new human factions fill in some of the social gaps left in SMAC. The Cult of Planet takes the tree-hugging environmental perks of the Gaians and combines with the aggressive growth of the Hive. The nautical abilities of the Pirates enable the player to make a strong empire without ever touching land. And who thought those pesky Drones would ever split off and do their own thing? SMACX does well by keeping what works in the original story, polishing it a bit with more details and adding spice through the alien agenda. SMAC fans are sure to love watching this game unfold from the story line perspective.
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