There are two different rumors explaining the birth of the Moonbase Commander. According to one, the game was only a demo for an entirely different title, but it was so complete that Infogrames released it as a standalone game. According to another rumor, Moonbase Commander was simply a toy that the people at Humongous Entertainment created to amuse themselves. It proved to be so addictive that Infogrames decided to release it. I'm inclined to believe the latter rumor. Humongous is known for its series of educational games for younger children, most notably the Freddi Fish, Pajama Sam and Putt-Putt series, and I would never in my life expect them to create one of the most original strategy games in the recent years. Because of this, I was a little skeptical when I picked up the game, but right now I'm glad I did.
Moonbase Commander - basic concepts
In order to get the most from the review, it is important to understand the basic concepts of the game. Moonbase Commander is a turn-based strategy game, structured into rounds, each round divided into turns. Each turn, you will be able to produce one unit or structure, until you run out of resources or decide to transfer the remainder of them to the next round. At that moment, your round is at end. Once everybody does the same, a new round begins. The goal of the game is to destroy the enemies' main bases. There is a limit of four factions per map, but you will be able to play cooperative modes, in addition to an all-out slaughterfest.
The designers didn't bother with a complicated resource structure. In fact, there is only one resource in the game - energy. Each faction gets seven units of energy at the beginning of each round, but additional energy can be collected by placing energy collectors over energy pools, which are placed on the game map.
Placing new structures is the only way to expand and move on the map. All your structures are stationary, and all your offensive units (with the exception of one) will be destroyed immediately after deploying them. Placing new structures is one of the main challenges of the game. Each structure is connected to the hub that created it by an energy cord. Energy cords cannot cross, nor can they lie underwater. If this happens, the energy cord gets interrupted, and the new structure at the end of it explodes. This puts a limit to the number of structures a hub can spawn, but since you will be able to produce more hubs, if placed carefully, you will be able so fill the whole map with your structures. There are structures in three categories, sorted by the number of energy they require to build - one, three or seven energy units. The most complex structures - a hub, an energy collector, offensive unit (can produce only weapons, but shoot them twice as far) and shield generator (main defensive unit) cost seven energy unit. On the other side of the spectrum are structures like a tower (uncovers a piece of the fog of war) and anti-air missile launcher (attempts to intercept incoming missiles, but requires a turn to rearm).
Weapons follow the same categorization by energy requirements. They range from simple bombs, through self-guiding missiles, electro-magnetic pulses, mines, power spikes (artificial power surges), to computer viruses and crawlers (walking nuclear bombs). In addition, there are some special units you can build, such as bridges, used to cross the water, repair units and spy balloons (to uncover the fog of war). All in all, there are eighteen different structures and units, nine in each category.
During combat, you will concentrate your fire on enemy structures. Once an enemy structure is destroyed, so is the power cord connecting it to the next structure. If a hub happens to be destroyed, all structures the hub spawned will be destroyed as well. Logically, if the starting hub is destroyed, the enemy is wiped out.
Now the fun part: how to blow up things. In this aspect, the game reminds me strongly on golf games. You simply select a direction you want to shoot or place a new unit, and click and hold the launch button. A power bar will increase as long as you hold the button, and once you have the desired power, you release the launch button. A new structure will fly through the air and land wherever you sent it (adjusted for wind). Structures will be immediately destroyed when they land on water or the sides of mountains, so the careful placing of structures is one of the main challenges of the game. Attacking the enemy is even more cumbersome, because here you will have to be extra precise.
Due to the limited number of units, structures and possible actions, the game is very easy to learn. In fact, the main challenge was for me to recognize all enemy structures, as all factions have their own graphics. However, you will soon notice the more intricate aspects of the game. You will notice that all maps are wrapping (allowing you to scroll in any direction and return to the original point), thus allowing you to attack enemies from all sides. You will find out that depending on the direction and power of a missile, you will be able to hit your target before an anti-missile launcher can intercept your weapon. You will start building bridges on places you don't need to, only to prevent enemy crawlers to travel underwater, where they are invulnerable, and much more. Mastering the game is very hard...
Game features
The game features one campaign and almost fifty standalone maps of different sizes. The campaign features a short story, which is of no consequence for the full enjoyment of the game, but let me summarize it here for you. The Earth ran out of resources, but a group of scientists discover a way to harness energy from other planets. Soon, two corporations and an artificial intelligence join in. The corporations are in for profit, while the latter faction simply wants to wipe out the human race. During the course of the campaign, you will play on sixteen maps of increasing difficulty, always four maps per faction. Once you master the campaign, which starts out as a tutorial and ends as a very challenging game, you will be able to take on almost any opponent.
In addition to the maps, there is a very intuitive map editor included. While you can't expect it to create wonders, the maps I have seen ranged from some of the finest multiplayer maps I have ever had the pleasure to play, to an authentic world map.
Finally, the game offers two multiplayer modes - LAN play and Internet play. The Internet play is facilitated by Gamespy network, but a fan-made utility enables you to play over the Internet through direct IP. Sadly, hotseat play and play by e-mail is missing in the game.
Gameplay - 10
Overall, the gameplay could not be any better. While some may complain about the limited number of units and structures, it is this limited number that allows almost everybody to learn the game. In addition, it puts a very strong limit on other players, which evens up the playing field. Almost anybody can connect to the Internet and have a good chance at beating veteran players. Of course, practice gives some players a little edge, but not enough to be unbeatable, like in other multiplayer games. While the game concept is not fully original, drawing on games like Artillery, Bang Bang, Scorched Earth and Worms, the fact that it is viewed from a top-down view adds another dimension to the game and greatly increases the fun level. I am happy to award the game the highest mark for gameplay: it successfully managed to combine a very simple concept with a deep strategy, which is easy to learn but hard to master.
Graphics - 8
There are two schools of thought for graphics in games. According to one, graphics must be the best possible in order to satisfy the gamers. According to the second school of thought, graphics must facilitate the gameplay. I subscribe to the latter philosophy: excessive graphics often don't help the gameplay; in fact, sometimes hinder it. In the case of Moonbase Commander, graphics are very simplistic, but very easy to read. Nothing will ever escape your attention, thanks to the colorful and relatively large unit and terrain depiction. The terrain is quite monotonous and the units and structures very simple, but the contrast is good enough for you to have a good overview. The explosion effects are on a higher level, but quite frankly, I could live without them. Each faction has its own graphics and interface, which is yet another added bonus. Maybe the only gripe I have here is that the main menu is a little too simplistic and a little too colorful, almost like in some of the Tonka PC games for four-year olds.
Sound - 8
You will get the usual explosion effects and elevator music you'd expect from a turn-based strategy game. Voiceovers, however, are something entirely different. Each faction features its own voice that gives you commands, congratulates you or berates you when you make a mistake. Most of the lines are rather funny, and even though they get old after a while, I was always glad to hear them. These voices add a lot of personality to the game. While all factions are exactly the same, the voices will make you feel like there is a great difference between them.
Replay value - 9
The single player campaign and a few skirmish games will cost you around 20 hours of your life. At a retail price of $19.99, this translates into $1 per hour of fun, or fair value for a game. However, due to the fact that most games take only between 10 and 30 minutes to play, Moonbase Commander falls in the category of games like Solitaire and Minesweeper. Expect to have it on your system for years to come and play a game of two whenever you find the time. The only problem with the single player mode is the lack of statistics. I would like to see the game to keep some basic stats, such as the number of games I won and lost, the highest and the average score, so that I could try to beat myself.
On the multiplayer side, the LAN and Internet plays work flawlessly. However, Infogrames has not marketed the game at all, which resulted into only few gamers to pick up the title. As such, you may have a hard time finding partners over the Gamespy network. In fact, I tried several times, and never found anybody. Fortunately, the entire game community is concentrated around two fan sites, so finding a partner for IP-based play should not be that difficult. What really hurts the game, though, is the lack of a hotseat mode. This game is perfect for the whole family to play, but as long as you have no LAN at home, you will not be able to do so.
What ultimately saves the replay value is the low price of the game. If the game were priced at $40 or $50, I would have never recommended it. At $20, however, there's very little to loose and very much to gain.
Overall - 8.8
Moonbase Commander is probably the best game I had the pleasure to play this year. Combining a very simple concept with a good presentation and an addictive enough gameplay to keep me playing for years to come, the game has breathed a lot of fresh air into the otherwise stale gaming market. While Moonbase Commander will never top any charts, it will remain a favorite of almost anybody who has ever purchased it. Due to the lack of graphical violence and a very low learning curve, it also remains my top pick for a game-related Christmas gift. If there is a game you would like to buy, you should put Moonbase Commander on the top of your list.
