Dominant Species (video game)

Last updated
Dominant Species
Dominant species pc game.jpg
Developer(s) Red Storm Entertainment
Publisher(s) Red Storm Entertainment
Platform(s) Windows
Release
  • NA: October 15, 1998
  • EU: 1998
Genre(s) Real-time strategy
Mode(s) Single player, Multiplayer

Dominant Species is a real-time strategy video game developed and released by Red Storm Entertainment. [1] It was published October 15, 1998 for Windows. [2] It was one of the first RTS games to make the transition to 3D graphics. [1]

Contents

Storyline

Players in Dominant Species control a Mindlord on the planet Mur, in constant battle over the precious resource Anima. In the single player campaign, this battle is first against free roaming creatures, presenting a tutorial for the game. The campaign usually follows the player's hive rescuing and destroying the invading army of humans.

Gameplay

Dominant Species is a traditional real-time strategy game, [3] with resource gathering (anima), production of battlefield units (with a bio-engineered theme), a single-player campaign and multiplayer mode. There is an emphasis on efficient unit tactics rather than base construction. [3]

Reception

The game received mixed reviews. Strategy Gaming Online found the game innovative and fun but with disappointing sound effects. [9] Computer Games Strategy Plus drew comparisons with the Myth graphics engine, highlighting the aesthetically pleasing and strategic terrain, fluid movement of the units models and the game's humor and atmosphere. However, the artificial intelligence was criticized for the occasional quirk in pathfinding. [3] On the other hand, Next Generation said, "If evolution is survival of the fittest, Red Storm's Dominant Species has fished itself out of the realtime strategy gene pool. While it is innovative in some ways, the end product isn't worth the trouble." [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>StarCraft</i> (video game) 1998 real-time strategy game

StarCraft is a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Microsoft Windows. The first installment of the video game series of the same name, it was released in 1998. A Classic Mac OS version was released in 1999, and a Nintendo 64 port co-developed with Mass Media and published by Nintendo was released in 2000.

<i>Dungeon Keeper 2</i> 1999 video game

Dungeon Keeper 2 is a strategy game developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts in 1999 for Microsoft Windows. In the sequel to Dungeon Keeper, the player takes the role of a 'dungeon keeper', building and defending an underground dungeon from the would-be heroes that would invade it, as well as from other keepers. In the campaign mode, the player is charged with recovering the portal gems from each area in order to open a portal to the surface. The player can also construct a dungeon without strict objectives, and multiplayer is supported over a network.

<i>MechCommander</i> 1998 real-time tactics video game

MechCommander is a real-time tactics video game based on FASA's BattleTech/MechWarrior franchise, developed by FASA Interactive and distributed by MicroProse in 1998. An expansion pack, Desperate Measures, was released in 1999.

<i>Red Baron II</i> 1997 video game

Red Baron II is a video game for the PC, developed by Dynamix and published by Sierra On-Line. It is the follow-up to the flight simulation Red Baron, released in 1990. Red Baron II was released in December 1997. A patch was released in 1998 that added support for 3D acceleration and renamed the game to Red Baron 3D. Red Baron 3D was also released as a retail product.

<i>Caesar II</i> 1995 video game

Caesar II is a 1995 video game of the Caesar video game series that takes place in Ancient Rome. It is the second game in the City Building series.

<i>NBA Live 99</i> 1998 basketball video game

NBA Live 99 is the fifth installment of the NBA Live video games series. The cover features Antoine Walker of the Boston Celtics. The game was developed by EA Sports and released on November 4, 1998, for the Nintendo 64, and then on November 10, 1998, for the Windows and PlayStation. Don Poier is the play-by-play announcer. It was the first NBA Live game released for Nintendo 64. NBA Live 99 was followed by NBA Live 2000.

<i>S.C.A.R.S.</i> (video game) 1998 video game

S.C.A.R.S. is a racing video game developed by Vivid Image and published by Ubi Soft for PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Microsoft Windows in 1998.

<i>Sacrifice</i> (video game) 2000 real-time strategy video game

Sacrifice is a real-time strategy video game published by Interplay Entertainment in 2000 for Microsoft Windows platform. Developed by Shiny Entertainment, the game features elements of action and other genres. Players control wizards who fight each other with spells and summoned creatures. The game was ported to Mac OS 9.2 in 2001.

<i>Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3</i> 1998 video game

Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3 is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Ion Storm, published by Eidos Interactive, and released for Microsoft Windows in 1998. The game was originally developed as a spin-off of the mech simulation game G-Nome by 7th Level. Ion Storm acquired both Dominion and its lead designer, Todd Porter, from 7th Level for completion.

<i>NetStorm: Islands At War</i> 1997 video game

NetStorm: Islands At War, also known as just NetStorm, is a real-time strategy Windows game, developed by Titanic Entertainment and published by Activision in 1997. Although a single-player campaign and tutorial missions are included, Netstorm is chiefly designed for online play, allowing for games of up to eight players.

<i>Disciples: Sacred Lands</i> 1999 video game

Disciples: Sacred Lands is a turn-based strategy game published by Strategy First in 1999. Set in a fantasy world known as the Sacred Lands, it depicts a battle for dominance between the races of the world of Nevendaar. In 2001, an expanded version of the game was released titled Disciples: Sacred Lands - Gold Edition, which added 25 new scenarios.

<i>Pax Imperia: Eminent Domain</i> 1997 video game

Pax Imperia: Eminent Domain is a real-time strategy video game. The game emphasizes empire building and customization. Pax Imperia is a Latin term, meaning "peace from empire". It is the sequel to the 1992 video game Pax Imperia.

<i>NHL 99</i> 1998 video game

NHL 99 is an ice hockey video game developed by Electronic Arts Canada. It was released in September 1998 and was the successor to NHL 98.

<i>Tanarus</i> (video game) 1997 video game

Tanarus was a free 3D multiplayer online tank first-person shooter that was commercially released on December 12, 1997. It was developed under the direction of John Smedley at Verant Interactive and published by Sony Interactive Studios America. Originally titled Armorgeddon, Verant was forced to change the name when another game with that name was discovered. It was released in late 1997. The game was included in Sony Online Entertainment's Station Exchange program in 2007, and shut down on June 10, 2010.

<i>Hind</i> (video game) 1996 video game

Hind is a combat flight simulation game released by Digital Integration in 1996 for MS-DOS compatible operating systems and Microsoft Windows. It is the successor to Apache.

<i>MiG Alley</i> (video game) 1999 video game

MiG Alley is a combat flight simulation game, developed by Rowan Software for PCs with Windows, and was published by Empire Interactive in 1999.

<i>Warlords Battlecry</i> 2000 video game

Warlords Battlecry, sometimes mislabeled as Warlords 3: Battlecry, is a real-time strategy video game released in 2000 for Microsoft Windows. It was the first of new series of RTS games set in Steve Fawkner's Warlords franchise.

<i>Warlords III</i> 1997 video game

Warlords III: Reign of Heroes is a computer wargame released in 1997, and the third release in the Warlords video game series. In 1998 it was followed by the expansion Warlords III: Darklords Rising.

<i>Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness</i> 1995 video game

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness is a fantasy real-time strategy computer game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows in 1995 and Mac OS in 1996 by Blizzard's parent, Davidson & Associates. A sequel to Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, the game was met with positive reviews and won most of the major PC gaming awards in 1996. In 1996, Blizzard released an expansion pack, Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, for DOS and Mac OS, and a compilation, Warcraft II: The Dark Saga, for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The Battle.net edition, released in 1999, included Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, provided Blizzard's online gaming service, and replaced the MS-DOS version with a Windows one.

<i>Uprising: Join or Die</i> 1997 action real-time strategy game

Uprising: Join or Die, also known as simply Uprising, is an action real-time strategy video game by American developer Cyclone Studios, released in North America on October 14, 1997 and in Japan on July 24, 1998 for Windows. The player controls a powerful combat vehicle known as the Wraith that transports rebel units onto the battlefield, fighting against the military. For the first few months of its development, it had no script written for it and as the release date neared, gameplay videos were created to demonstrate its support for the 3dfx graphics card. It received a port to the PlayStation as Uprising X, which was released in December 1998; and before that, a sequel, Uprising 2: Lead and Destroy, was released for the PC on December 9, 1998.

References

  1. 1 2 "Red Storm history". Red Storm Entertainment . Archived from the original on July 2, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  2. Hulsey, Joel (October 5, 1998). "Red Storm takes gamers to strange new world". Computer Games Strategy Plus . Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on July 2, 2003. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Brush, Ryan (November 9, 1998). "Dominant Species". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on June 8, 2003. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  4. Rausch, Allen (November 24, 1998). "Dominant Species". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  5. Larka, Lance A. (March 1999). "Darwinian Loser (Dominant Species Review)" (PDF). Computer Gaming World . No. 176. Ziff Davis. p. 201. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  6. Saltzman, Marc (1998). "Dominant Species Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro . IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 16, 2004. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Dominant Species". Next Generation . No. 49. Imagine Media. January 1999. p. 107. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  8. Lee, Ed (December 1998). "Dominant Species". PC Accelerator . No. 4. Imagine Media. p. 94. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  9. Dunlop, A.J. (1998). "Dominant Species". Strategy Gaming Online. Archived from the original on November 18, 2006.