Dune 2: The Battle for Arrakis
| Developer: Westwood | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Virgin | Sound: |
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| Year: 1993 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Strategy | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
9/10 | |
Calling Dune 2 a sequel might be a bit of a stretch, since it came out not long after Dune and belongs in a completely different genre: real time strategy. In fact, it’s the first of its kind, as far as I know, and it would go on to inspire many successful titles (like the Command and Conquer series, for example).
Update: After some research, the real first would be Herzog (MSx2, 1988).
The story can be summed up in two lines: three factions fight for complete control over the planet and its precious spice. Of course, we have the Harkonnens and the Atreides, plus the Ordos, a devious merchant people. I’m not entirely sure of their purpose, considering they don’t feature in the book and add almost nothing to the game (except for two or three pitiful units).
Once you’ve chosen your side, you’ll have to create and manage a military base (gather resources, maintain energy supply, repair damaged buildings…) while also defending it, before launching the final assault against the enemy using the troops you’ve previously built up.
It might sound repetitive, but the concept is undeniably addictive (and innovative, at the time). The difficulty and the number of available units increase gradually, so you eagerly dive back into each mission, hungry for the next challenge.
These days, Dune Legacy, a modernised version (for PC, Mac and Linux), is available from a team of volunteers. It features a larger resolution, multiplayer mode, a map editor, and various comfort features, such as the ability to select multiple units or order the production of several units at once.
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