Platform: PC

Genre: Action / Strategy

Publisher: Strategy First

Developer: Strategy First

ETA: Summer 2003 

Related Links:

Review: Unreal Tournament 2003 (PC)

Review: Diggles (PC)

Review: Sacrifice (PC)

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Nexagon Deathmatch

At a first glance, Nexagon Deathmatch, on paper, looks like a weird hybrid of tycoon, action, sports and shooter genres.  But I’ll let you decide after taking a look at the facts:

Since the late 25th century, Earth's population has skyrocketed, and the face of our blue planet has been transformed into a complex grid of concrete, polymers and steel. Oxygen trickles into the atmosphere by virtue of precious biospheres that dot the skies in a suspended fragile mesh several miles above the surface. Humans toil and commute along side the masses of alien races that have since inhabited Earth's centres. Together they have concocted the most voluble and copious of environments known to mankind since the Garden of Eden.

At the turn of the fourth millennium, pessimistic speculation led philosophers to believe that Earth was bound for troubled times and that great suffering would engulf the helpless inhabitants. As usual, they were wrong. In fact, in the years following the brutish skirmishes near the Orion Nebula, a strong feeling of general well being seemed to permeate even into the darkest corners of parliament, where a wild and daring decision concerning the treatment of prisoners was made; a chance for freedom that would supply the Galaxy with an extraordinary new form of entertainment ... THE PIT.

Features:

Nexagon is real time 3D tactics with a refreshing twist on action/strategy gaming.

Strike out into a completely destructible environment, where every structure, weapon, building or otherwise, can be entirely obliterated.

Fight battles online in one on one multiplayer match ups or connect as a spectator to watch the mayhem from front row center.

Design and manage your own persistent, editable base of operations, build defensive structures, traps, weapons and lavish gardens to please the crowd and protect your investment.  

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Purchase units that gain experience and undergo physical changes over time, becoming more powerful from match to match.

Battle your way through 3 separate divisions of enemy contenders, increasing your network value to one day compete in the ultimate fight for freedom … the Nexagon.

Gain extra credit by supporting your network sponsors through use of billboards and control of advertising locations.

Earn sufficient credit to buy some heavy hitters who will send smaller enemy units crashing into buildings or flying right out of The Pit entirely.

Take control of stationary weapons and send mortar fire raining down upon your rivals.

Strategy First was good enough to send a preview copy of Nexagon Deathmatch but after much trying I was unable to get it working (otherwise I’d have a lot more to say about it).  This is just one of the pitfalls of preview builds.  As I said, on paper it sounds like an interesting hybrid mix – action / strategy makes it sound kind of two-dimensional, possibly belying the complexity that managing a squad of brutal killers, advertising, and building operational bases will present.  The danger with such a hybrid of genres is that it won’t be a cohesive experience – jack of all trades, master of none.  It’s been done successfully before with games like Sacrifice but more often the gameplay falls apart.

Watch for Nexagon Deathmatch this summer (when I’ll for sure get the game working).

- Omni

(March 29, 2003)