Back around 1993 I bought my first PC and one of the first games to keep me up late into the night was Dune II. Being the first real-time strategy game that I had ever played, I thought it was a magnificent blend of action and strategy. The game obviously sold well since other games quickly followed, including Westwood's own Command & Conquer series. It was inevitable that a sequel to Dune II would eventually be made. Dune 2000 arrived on the PC toward the end of 1998 with mixed reviews. More of an update to Dune II than a sequel, many reviewers believed there simply weren't enough new elements to warrant a purchase. Even so, Westwood has decided to port the game over to the PlayStation.
Dune 2000 allows the player to assume the role of House Atreides, House Harkonnen, or House Ordos. Each side has its own special attributes and goals in mind. Upon starting the game the story will unfold via cinemas and the action will begin. Like in any other real-time strategy game, the player must build a base to complete missions that range from totally annihilating the enemy to rescuing hostages. Harvesters must be built to collect the spice that grows on the planet. Spice is then used to build other structures, such as generators, barracks, and vehicle assembly depots. As more buildings are added to the base, more options to build different vehicles will become available. In addition to the enemy forces that are scattered throughout the land, one has to be extra careful of the sandworms that can penetrate upward through the sand and devour your troops and vehicles.
Graphically the game could definitely use some work. On the PC the graphics weren't up to par with the competition and on the PlayStation the game simply looks grainy. Without a high-resolution mode the troops look like disfigured sprites and the vehicles look like something the NES could have generated (I think the classic Konami game Jackal sported better visuals). In addition, the color palette is extremely limited and it gives the game a washed out look. The cinema scenes manage to look great, but only serve to show the steep contrast in quality that exists between them and the actual game.
Probably the biggest problem with Dune 2000 is its play control. I still have yet to play a good real-time strategy game that has been ported from the PC to a console. It's downright difficult to manage all of the vehicles and troops via the PlayStation controller. It actually becomes tedious to manage the base and the troops simultaneously, which shouldn't be the case since that's the crux of the entire game. Players may become accustomed to the poor control scheme, but they shouldn't have to in the first place. Dune 2000 is compatible with the PlayStation mouse but I do not own one so I can't say how much better or worse the play mechanics would be if it were used. On a side note, for those of you out there with the link cable you can play a 2-player game.
Dune 2000 is basically Dune II with better graphics (at least on the PC). There are a few more twists thrown in, but overall I don't see how this game would entice anyone to buy it. Fans of the original PC game are sure to enjoy Dune 2000 more than others due to the nostalgia factor. People who have already played games like WarCraft II, Command & Conquer, or StarCraft will probably find Dune 2000 a bore to play. With inferior graphics and questionable play control I really can't recommend buying this game when there are so many better ones out there to spend money on. If you absolutely must have Dune 2000, do yourself a favor and pick it up on PC. At least you'll have the high-resolution graphics and better play mechanics to comfort you.
-- Craig Majaski
