Space Colony

"Good fun, but not very deep."

Space Colony is the latest entry from FireFly Studios, creators of the first-rate castle sim Stronghold and its second-rate sequel, Stronghold:Crusader. It's part The Sims, part generic RTS, and part tycoon game. Some elements are very good; others are mediocre, but the game as a whole is above average.

As a builder, it's quite good. You're given a standard-issue toolbar on the side of the screen by which you can access bio-domes (your colonists' living space, not Pauly Shore movies), entertainment facilities, mess halls, and industrial equipment, just for starters. In some scenarios, you can attract space tourists; in others, you'll be using the military tools to fight off aliens. In a couple of scenarios in particular, you'll be doing ample amounts of both.

As a people sim, it's very enjoyable as well. The game has 20 unique characters, all of whom have Sims-style bars representing their needs for salary, entertainment, food, sleep, hygiene, and medical attention. Get rodents in your base and the disease they carry will erode your colonists' health (and potentially kill them); don't assign someone to clean up the base and there will be a major run on the shower facilities; don't let your colonists talk to their friends and they'll go mad and start breaking stuff, which will necessitate a trip either to the Freud-bot or the detention facility. You have to attend to their needs.

The characters themselves are a motley assortment, each with their own ''primary'' need, represented by a star next to one of the bars. Some characters, like heroine Venus Jones, are well-adjusted and well-balanced; Venus can usually take care of herself. Others, like Scottish soccer hooligan Nailer, need food and sleep and are very good at making enemies, necessitating frequent trips to the social area to talk out disagreements. Slim, a 15-year-old New York street kid, is a slob; expect the cleaning post to be busy when he's around. Barbara, company VP, needs to be paid very well in order to be happy. There are, as I've mentioned, a total of 20 such characters, and getting to know their quirks is part of the fun. Keeping Hoshi and Kita from beating up old Mr. Zhang is a challenge in itself!

Each character comes with his or her own set of skills as well, and you can train them to get better at existing skills or learn new ones. Since your training programs are limited, however, it's wise to work with what you're given in order to cut down on training programs required. Venus is a first-rate nutrient harvester and is similarly adept working the power station; Nailer's good at weed control. Mr. Zhang makes androids that, once built, become the equivalent of omni-talented colonists, but they have a limited shelf life before they break down and have to be replaced.

As an RTS, however, Space Colony falls short. The game has a military-style campaign, but the military elements of the game seem added on more as an afterthought than as a key gameplay element; even when you're fighting off the game's various alien races, you're still playing the builder game and the Sims-style personality game. You can build an assortment of military robots and lasers, however it never seems like you'll have enough firepower, and strategic coordination is a case more of fighting against the controls than working with them.

The game comes with goodies aplenty beyond its basic gameplay. You can add MP3 tracks from your personal collection to the background music rotation. The game ships with a full editor suite as well, and as the fan community develops there should be fansites with downloadable maps and mini-campaigns. Add to that the various styles of campaign, both ''civilian'' and ''military'', and you've got the makings of something enjoyable.

It's a great personality sim, a good builder, and a mediocre RTS; on balance, that makes for a good but not great game that will nonetheless be worth your money once the price starts to come down. At $40 it's a bit steep; let it drop to $19.95 before you pick it up.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/13/03