| Dune 2000 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Intelligent Games |
| Publishers | |
| Producers | Lewis S. Peterson Kevin Shrapnell |
| Designers | Randy Greenback James Steer |
| Programmers | Sunlich Chudasama Simon Evers Martin Fermor |
| Artists | Richard Evans Matthew Hansel |
| Writer | Margaret Stohl |
| Composer | Frank Klepacki[3] |
| Platforms | Microsoft Windows,PlayStation |
| Release | Windows PlayStation |
| Genre | Real-time strategy |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Dune 2000 is areal-time strategyvideo game, developed byIntelligent Games and published byWestwood Studios in 1998 forMicrosoft Windows. It was later ported to thePlayStation in 1999.[4] It is a partialremake ofDune II, which is loosely based onFrank Herbert'sDune universe.[5] The story of the game is similar toDune II, and is continued inEmperor: Battle for Dune.
The player commands one of three Houses and must fight for control of "mélange" (spice) on the planet Arrakis. The player harvests spice to earn "solaris", the in-game currency, by setting up spice harvesters, refineries,silos, and power grids. They must also deploy soldiers, armed vehicles, and defensive measures to protect their operations from rival Houses, while also being mindful of vicioussandworms and explosive "spice blooms".Dune 2000 features an interface and gameplay similar toCommand & Conquer: Red Alert, where unlike inDune II, the player can control more than one unit at a time.
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Similar to mostreal-time strategy games, the game map initially starts with a blackfog of war covering the entire map, with an exception to units' line of sight. As the units explore the map, the fog is removed for the duration of the mission, allowing the player to observe activity in those regions even if they do not have any units with line of sight to them. LikeDune II, the player may construct concrete before placing buildings. InDune II, all buildings would deteriorate regardless, but the concrete foundations slowed the process. However, inDune 2000, the buildings do not deteriorate over time when built in their entirety on concrete.
Although each house has many common units, such as infantry, Wind Traps, and Mobile Construction Vehicles, each House also has its own set of units, such as the Atreides Sonic Tank, the Ordos Deviator and the Harkonnen Devastator. Houses Harkonnen and Atreides share the Trike, while House Ordos has an upgraded version, the Raider. Like many games of the Westwood franchise, a player can gain access to other Houses' special units by capturing their factories. House Ordos can obtain the Missile Tank by ordering it from the Starport when it would otherwise be inaccessible. After patch 1.06, the Harkonnen can eventually train theSardaukar, soldier-fanatics loyal to the Corrino Emperor with higher endurance and strength.
The game also features live action cinematics that play before each mission for the three different factions as well as for the introduction.
EmperorCorrino (Adrian Sparks) has issued a challenge that the House which can produce the mostspice will control its source, thedesert planetDune, with no rules as to how the Houses can achieve this goal. Meanwhile, Lady Elara (Musetta Vander) of the Bene Gesserit and boundconcubine to the Emperor, secretly takes the "commander" - the player - into one of the Heighliners, a person whose bloodline and future the Sisterhood had checked. According to Elara, they saw many visions of the commander dying — and only in one vision does the commander live and even rise to control massive armies and bring peace to Arrakis; thus, she and the Bene Gesserit have betrayed the Emperor's trust to bring about this possible future.
As inDune II, the three main playable factions areHouse Atreides,House Harkonnen andHouse Ordos. There are also four non-playable subfactions: House Corrino, theFremen, the Mercenaries and the Smugglers.
The game's development team consisted of over 25 people.[7]
| Aggregator | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| PC | PS | |
| GameRankings | 58%[8] | 61%[9] |
| Publication | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| PC | PS | |
| CNET Gamecenter | 7/10[10] | 4/10[11] |
| Computer Games Strategy Plus |   [12] | N/A |
| Computer Gaming World | [13] | N/A |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | N/A | 7/10[14] |
| Game Informer | N/A | 7.75/10[15] |
| GameFan | N/A | (E.M.) 84%[16] 79%[17][a] |
| GamePro |  [18] | [19][b] |
| GameRevolution | B[20] | N/A |
| GameSpot | 5.5/10[21] | 5.3/10[22] |
| IGN | 5.3/10[23] | 4/10[24] |
| Next Generation | [25] | N/A |
| Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | N/A | [26] |
| PC Accelerator | 6/10[27] | N/A |
| PC Gamer (US) | 70%[28] | N/A |
| The Cincinnati Enquirer | [29] | N/A |
The game received mixed reviews on both platforms according to thereview aggregation websiteGameRankings.[8][9]GameSpot criticized the PC version's production values for being drab by 1998 standards, and cited balance problems despite the remake's attempt to introduce unit balance where the original game had none.[21]Next Generation said of the same PC version: "We applaud the fact that Westwood did exactly what it said it would do with this game, but we have to question the person who approved the idea in the first place. Oh, well – maybe the company will do a true sequel next time instead of yet another tired realtime rehash."[25]
Peter Suciu ofAllGame gave the PC version four-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that "for fans of the original game, or those who like a real-time challenge,Dune 2000 is an instant classic".[30] However, Glenn Wigmore of the same website gave the PlayStation version three-and-a-half stars out of five: "With smooth visuals, superb sound, a plethora of gameplay modes, strategy and replay value,Dune 2000 is a real winner. It also makes great use of the various PlayStation peripherals, making for a well rounded experience".[31]
Thegame engine recreation fan projectOpenRA has support forDune 2000.[32]
Westwood Studios informs us that Dune 2000 should be available in stores today.
| International | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
