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| | Publisher: Ambrosia Software  Genre: Arcade | | | Min OS X: Not Supported CPU: 68040 Graphics: 640x480 @ 256 Colors |
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Graphics and Sound Ares' graphics are certainly nothing to ooh and ahh over, especially when compared to those boasted by modern commercial games, but they are quite serviceable and at times even fun to look at. The spacecraft sprites are well drawn, and the mission briefing graphics convey the atmosphere of the game quite well. The game also includes three cell animated cut scenes that are, frankly, very antiquated, reminding me of something you might have seen in a late 80s-early 90s computer game, or even a Nintendo cartridge.The sound, too, is nothing special. Each weapon's unique sound is crisp and easily recognizable, but these effects are basically the extent of the game's soundtrack. Some dialogue, such a voice transmissions from friendly vessels, taunts from enemies and spoken mission briefings would have added greatly to the atmosphere, but is not present. Multiplay Chances are you'll breeze through Ares' single player campaign rather quickly, and find yourself wanting more. This is where the game's robust multiplayer element comes in. Featuring several maps, including a capture the flag mode and a tribute to the classic space combat game Space Wars as well as a few well designed strategic maps, multiplay is at least as fun as the campaign. Choose from six races, each with its own ship roster, and jump right into the action. The only fly in the ointment here is the lack of support for more than two players.Scott Kevill's Gameranger (www.gameranger.com), a Mac-only online gaming service, is a great place to find games of Ares. There's almost always at least one battle in progress, and quite a few good people willing to walk newbies through the learning process. The Future Rumor has it that we can expect quite a few improvements to Ares sometime
in the near future. A major update is expected to add several features to the interface, including multiple vessel selection and pre-sets. Considering my main complaint about Ares - its clumsy interface - these additions would make gameplay a much more enjoyable experience and add whole new strategic dimensions to multiplayer games. Ambrosia employees have also dropped hints regarding an editor for Ares. A small online community has already sprung up around the game, so if an editor is released, there should be plenty of mods available for download within a short period of time. The huge number of plug-ins available for Ambrosia's Escape Velocity series of space trading sims have added years to the life of those games, and chances are Ares' life span would greatly benefit from the same expandability.Conclusions Ares is, all in all, a very fun game. Sure, it's a little outdated, the interface is clumsy at times and the single player campaign is a bit short; but few modern games, for all their 3D graphics and complicated storylines can compete with Ares for sheer fun. The first time you successfully execute a complicated strategic maneuver while fending off a swarm of hostile cruisers, or slip a cloaked transport through a blockade to capture a friend's base, all the little frustrations will melt away.Pros • Interesting mix of strategy and action.
• Fun gameplay.
• Well-designed dynamic scaling system.
• Crisp graphics.
• Good multiplayer capabilities.Cons • Interface can be clumsy and frustrating.
• Graphics are a bit outdated.
• A little light in the soundtrack.
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