Review

Developed by:UNIGINE Corp. Published by:UNIGINE Corp. Genre(s):
  • RTS
  • Platform:
  • Handhelds
  • PC
  • Sony
  • Cost:$19.99 ESRB Rating:RATING PENDING Players:1 (2-4 Online) Release date:January 25, 2012 Reviewed on:PC
    7

    Oil Rush

    It’s hard to create something truly unique these days; especially when there are so many risks involved with “new” forms of entertainment. One big risk is that your video game, despite being critically acclaimed, will go unnoticed in the sea of established franchises. If a new IP does shows up, it’s normally very similar to what has already been released to the general public. There are always exceptions of course, but for the most part, consumers are left with an overwhelming feeling of “been there, done that”. One way that developers have gotten around this issue is by combining elements from past titles or from multiple genres. This allows them to create new gaming experiences without having their title looking totally foreign. UNIGINE Corp has done this with their Real Time Strategy game, Oil Rush!

    Oil Rush is set in a post-apocalyptic, flooded world. Like always, the survivors of this devastating event are fighting over something. In this case it’s oil (hence the title). Everything in this futuristic world requires a decent amount of oil to function, forcing survivors to create factions in an attempt to control this natural resource. While this isn’t anything we haven’t heard before, the world created by UNIGINE happens to be really interesting (think Mad Max, except with better organized groups…and in the water). Even though all of the environments are maps full of water, each one has its own characteristics. Sometimes you’re waging war on top of a flooded city, Atlantis style. The next time, you may be commanding troops around ice burgs in northern countries. The developers did a great job of making their world feel real.

    Where Oil Rush stands out the most is in its gameplay. UNIGINE has combined real time strategy with tower defense to make something new. Unfortunately, what made this game feel unique and fun can also made for a frustrating experience. There are the normal RTS elements like gathering resources (oil), managing groups of units, and taking control of points of interest on a map. These mechanics work pretty well. Then there are the tower defense elements. You see, in normal RTS titles, you can decide where and what to build. If you need a barracks to pump out infantry, you build it. In Oil Rush’s case, if you want to do the same, you would have to capture a pre-existing building of similar function (manufacturing rig) within the environment. These set structures have to be protected like in tower defense titles. These gameplay mechanics, combined, results in less control from the player.

    Let me explain some of the issues a bit further. Let’s say you have captured multiple rigs and are building units. You see your enemy’s rig and wish to take it over. It is heavily fortified though; you’ll need to use your stronger boats. So you chose to send in Hammerhead boats (similar to a tank but on water). As it stands, you only have one Hammerhead rig under your control and you’ve reached the unit limit. If you want to build more Hammerheads, you’d either have to destroy one of your other units or capture another rig that builds that particular unit. You don’t get to say how many of each unit you want to build; the game automates the unit building for you. You can see how this would be an issue as you won’t be able to call on a specific unit whenever you wanted like in normal RTS titles. Now, I understand the concept of playing with the deck you was given. And it works a decent amount of time. By being smart and using what you have, you can turn the tide of battle. However, the limitations placed on you don’t seem to inspire clever problem solving or strategic thinking.

    The same thing goes for the oil rigs, the one and only resource in Oil Rush. You have to go capture them to be able to build, to use new tech…to do anything really. The problem comes when you have to protect the rigs. The manufacturing rigs are able to be fortified by defensive units; you can place different types of turrets around them. The only way to protect oil rigs is by leaving your offensive units (ships, boats, planes, etc) to guard them. Again, I understand that you have to think ahead and implement a strategy. At the same time, there is just too much hand tying. Why can’t you set up defenses around the oil rigs? It would make sense to be able to defend them like the other rigs, seeing as the oil is what everyone is fighting for in the first place. What makes things worse is the fact that, by leaving units to guard the oil rigs, you have less to use to attack the enemy. And remember, you can’t really decide what units are built without expending more resources; you’d have to go capture more rigs. Eventually you’ll have to leave the rigs unattended so you can stage an attack.

    The last wrinkle in my forehead came from how hard it was to win a map. In order to win, you have to capture all of the opposing team’s rigs (unless there is a unique objective set by the story or players). The problem I faced had to do with the oil. I figured, if I cut off most of my enemy’s oil supply that I should be able to weaken them, or at least stop them from building units. This wasn’t the case. One time I captured all but one oil rig on a given map and I was still fighting against a large armada. It was like the rigs didn’t really matter; it slowed them down but not enough to pose a threat. It didn’t stop them from researching new tech either, due to the fact that research isn’t governed by how much oil you have. That meant that my opponent was still able to upgrade his units with better armor and stronger weapons. So I figured I’d capture their manufacturing rigs and lower their unit count. The only way I could do this was by sending my units in large number, leaving me open to counter attack. Which, wouldn’t be a problem if I could say what units where built. I can keep some strong units with my rigs and send the rest, but my attacking force would suffer. In general, capturing a  rig that has defenses is tough. I once dropped nukes (yes, two nukes) on a rig and still had a hard time taking it over. Again, the hand tying makes these moments really frustrating!

    It’s true that Oil Rig is rough around the edges. It’s sad because of all the other things that have been smoothed out. Graphically, this game is awesome. Everything screams fine detail; from the little men that walk around the platforms on the rigs to the environments. The unit types are pretty cool and work well in balancing out matches; there isn’t a go to unit that trumps all others. Really strong units need a lot of resources, so you won’t see a lot of them at a given time. The way you research new tech to use in battle results in faster access to defensive and offensive bonuses (like being able to use a nuke). UNIGINE did a good job in the sound department; it’s interesting to note the different sounds found in a game that features all navel battles compared to ones where the conflict is mainly on land. The voice acting could have been a little better, but it wasn’t bad. The only things holding this title back are the tower defense elements. There needs to be a rebalancing to support the presented ideas. While this game is far from broken, it can be frustrating to play at times. I do think that Oil Rush should be experienced by strategy fans, I’d just recommend keeping its issues in mind when purchasing though!

    Gameplay:

    6

    Oil Rush can be fun to play at times. Unfortunately, it can also be rather frustrating!

    Graphics:

    9

    Oil Rush was taken cared of graphically.

    Sound:

    8

    The sounds of navel battle were really cool. The voice acting needed some work though.

    What's New:

    7

    UNIGINE combined old elements to make something new.

    Replay Value:

    5

    It depends on how you feel about the game. If you feel that the issues presented aren’t that big a deal, you’ll keep playing. This score reflects how I felt in that regard!

    Final Score:

    7

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