Publisher: Strategy First
Developer: KDV Games
Minimum requirements: Windows XP; DirectX 9.0c; Pentium 4 3.0 GHz or Athlon XP 2500+; 512 MB RAM; GeForce 6600 128MB Graphics card; DirectX 9 Compatible Sound Card; 8 GB Hard Drive Space
Genre: RTS
Release date: Available now

Entire genres can go stale over time; so it is with RTS games. It can be a difficult task to create a game that cashes in on the successful aspects of a well entrenched genre while giving gamers enough of something new to stave off boredom. I had these thoughts on my mind as I installed Perimeter II: New Earth, an RTS game from KD Vision Games Development Company. Never having played the original, but having read some reviews of it a few years ago, I came to the game hoping for something new and interesting.

While it is a sequel, Perimeter II does not require you to have any familiarity with the original game’s back story or mode of play. Fleeing Earth after an interdimensional scourge despoiled the entire planet, a colonist group known as the Exodus has traversed the universe searching for a new home. Along the way, however, some of the colonists break from the others and form their own culture called the Harkback. A colony ship from each faction has arrived on New Earth, and the two groups are violently hostile; conflict is inevitable. They are not just cosmetically different; the Exodus faction prefers dry land, while the Harkback lives entirely in water.

This small difference is the crux of the entire game. Both factions can only build on their own terrain as they terraform the world around them. Even more interesting, as this transformation takes place, each faction’s buildings can be damaged by the environment; an Exodus building that finds itself suddenly in water will begin to deteriorate. As a result, the typical base building that takes place in Perimeter II is akin to playing the Zerg in Starcraft with their use of the Creep. Buildings can also be captured. With the added environmental factors included, the gameplay involves a complicated mix of offensively modifying the terrain and building military units for more conventional warfare.

While such a setup should induce more interesting action from a well worn genre, I found myself rather unimpressed with Perimeter II. Despite the environmental factors related to base building, the core of the game breaks down to a simple formula: build base, defend base, build army, crush enemy. I was also disappointed in how the two factions are differentiated. While each one prefers a different kind of terrain, their units are largely similar. If it’s one thing that developers should have learned by now, it’s that part of the replayability and fun of RTS titles is making each faction as different as possible.

It’s also too bad that the graphics and sound do not present the game better. While I have never been one to hype these elements excessively, even I was disappointed with how terraforming is rendered. It’s not that the polygon count is too low, or that the sounds are straight out of a 1990s-era game. Rather, the landscapes are only drawn well enough to elicit a ‘meh’ reaction from me, and the sounds of battle are unexciting. The game’s soundtrack is a passable bit of futuristic techno, but it lacked variety.

In fact, my general feelings while plowing through the single-player campaign and trying out the multiplayer always came back to disappointment. You can see where good ideas ended up not being taken as far as they could’ve been. As a result, I only marginally enjoyed Perimeter II. RTS junkies might give it a spin if they are in the mood for a new fix until Starcraft II comes out; however, priced at $29.99 and available as a download from Strategy First, most gamers can spend their money elsewhere.

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