Adv: Star Wraith 3 [by SW3D Games]

Game Review: Star Wraith 3:  Shadows of Orion
Release: Sept. 1, 2002
Genre: Action
Developer: SW3D Games
System Requirements: 400 MHz processor (700+ recommended), 32 MB or higher 3D card with hardware T&L (GeForce 3/4, Radeon 8500/9XXX recommended), Windows 9X,00,Me,XP, DirectX 7 or higher,  64 MB RAM (128 MB recommended), Joystick strongly recommended
Price: US $19.95

Not since Mark Hamill donned a jumpsuit and emoted alongside a giant animatronic cat have I played a space sim as involving and as gorgeous as Star Wraith 3. For those who may have missed the Wing Commander series (shame on you!) or those who have been longing for more kick-ass space combat, Star Wraith 3 delivers the goods.

This is no arcade shooter where you can simply fly in, guns blazing and hope to make it out alive. Star Wraith 3: Shadows of Orion takes the simulation of combat in space seriously and you will need to rely on both your wits and your wingmen to successfully complete the game’s branching story line. Fortunately, your Star Wraith fighter (or any of the other 3 available ships) are all equipped to take on the enemy threats with fully customizable weapons load outs and a well designed HUD that is packed with information but not overwhelming.

The game dynamically progresses through 20 potential missions. Any missions you select will affect your future options and ultimately the outcome of the game. Without revealing too much, you play as a new pilot for the earth-based Alliance fighting an enemy faction known as The Federation. Also a mysterious and as yet unidentified third race has appeared, threatening everyone. It took me about a weekend of playing off and on to complete the single-player game, however the branching nature of the storyline means that even after completing it for a second time, there are still some missions I haven’t flown.

Even once every mission has been completed there is an “instant action” option that allows you to quickly create your own scenarios. You can select “free flight” or “random” and be flying within seconds or you can customize the mission location, enemy ships, AI skill level and number of wingmen for a more personalized experience.

Multiplayer support adds to the game play value with game times for the official host listed on the website bulletin board, but anyone can choose to host a game and other players will be able to find them through a built in listing function. There are 3 multiplayer modes - death match, team vs. team and co-op. The community seems patient and willing to help newbies but I’d recommend that you play through the single player game a bit before going on-line or you likely won’t last long in a deathmatch.

I suspect the initial difficulty level may put some players off. It takes time to understand combat in three dimensions and to appreciate that in the emptiness of space there aren’t a lot of places to find cover. I must have died a dozen times on the first mission (a very basic scenario involving flying through a tunnel, blasting gun turrets) either by flying too fast or flying head-on into enemy fire. Eventually I learned to better manage my speed and to fine-tune my control by fully using the roll and strafing jets. Choosing the right weapons load out for the right tasks is also an important skill to develop.

If you can persevere through the learning process the determined Star Wraith pilot will be rewarded with some wild adrenaline rushes. Banking through an asteroid field to lose a missile lock, diving through flak to take out turrets on a massive enemy ship and joining a formation as it seamlessly descends through the atmosphere to a planets surface are just a few of the high points.

Graphics: 10
Deep space dog fighting can be tough at times with such beautiful graphics to look at as the developers have done an amazing job of creating a rich stellar environment. There are some sights in Star Wraith 3 that are amazing like flying through wispy cloud nebulas, seeing the giant silhouette of your carrier as it’s backlit by the sun or simply the exhaust glow as you launch a barrage of missiles. The heads up display for your ship is particularly well done and the explosions as you take out enemy threats are photo-realistic and very satisfying.

The ship textures and models could use more detailing and the menus could be a little more ergonomic and exciting. These are the only elements that hint at the shareware nature of this game; otherwise graphically Star Wraith 3 could easily stand alongside bigger budget titles.

Sound: 8
The sound effects are of excellent quality and have a very cinematic feel to them like a great science fiction movie. There is an additional speech pack that can be downloaded for the full version, which provides spoken summaries for the various missions. You’re probably better off not bothering with the speech pack though as the readings are a little on the cheesy side.

Game Play: 8
The average mission involves a couple of waves of enemy fighters that need to be taken out by you and your wingmen and this can seem repetitive for the amateur pilot who launches from the carrier and flies headlong into the enemy with no strategy. Like any good “sim” experience you get out of Star Wraith 3 what you put into it. The addition of cinematics between missions or a more detailed story line (a la Wing Commander) would have gone a long way towards full immersion into the game world

I experienced some minor chop in the multiplayer mode but not enough to interfere with my enjoyment of the game.

Options: 9
The branching story line offers loads of replay value and the custom mission generator and well-supported multiplayer system are icing on the cake. You have full access for customizing your display resolution and quality, control options (including joystick support), and even HUD colors can be changed to suit your preference.

Concept: 9
With Star Wraith 3 I’ve heard comparisons made to Starlancer and there is definitely a classic Wing Commander vibe that is unavoidable. This doesn’t mean the game is at all derivative or formulaic. The developer has gotten all of the elements right and created a classic space fighter sim that stands on its own and any such comparisons are meant as a well-deserved compliment

Fun: 9
In the end Star Wraith 3 is equally satisfying whether you are playing the story driven campaign or firing up a random encounter for some quick action.

I have to take a moment and give the developer kudos on the game AI. While the majority of multi-million dollar retail products over the past year seem unable to create even a rudimentary AI, both your wingmen and the enemy pilots in SW3 are extremely competent (or vicious depending on how you look at it) and respond to your actions and commands in real-time. This is important to note because the current state of AI creation for the gaming industry ABSOLUTELY SUCKS and it’s great to see a small developer step up and show the big boys how it’s done. Nice work!

Overall: 9
While there have been a few high profile space sims released to the retail market lately I think gamers would do well to try out Star Wraith 3: Shadows of Orion first. It has all the visuals plus a well-designed flight model, engaging story line, lower price tag, fewer bugs (I found none during this review) and better AI. If there is a downside it’s that the game leaves you wanting more and we’re anxiously waiting for the next installment in this series.

Added: June 3rd 2003
Reviewer: Kyle Nau
Score:
Related Link: Star Wraith 3 Homepage
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