REBELSTAR II
I've just finished playing Rebelstar II. Would it be controversial for me to suggest that it is actually superior to the first Rebelstar game?
I first played RSII when it came free with one of the speccy magazines back in the day. At the time I was a little too young to fully appreciate the game or progress far in it. However it was definitely a contributing factor to me being so obsessed with war games today.
Perhaps it is just my warm, fuzzy, memories of this game that are forming my opinions. I didn't play RSI, or Laser Squad for that matter, till a few years ago, long after playing XCOM. However, it just seems to be a better package. The aliens, the map, the atmosphere and the objectives of the game.
One of the criticisms that I have read complains about the density of the terrain. The aliens can make long ranged, seemingly impossible, shots but the human player has much more difficulty judging what is in line of sight and what isn't. I think this actually adds to the game. It's wonderful seeing the alien snap a shot off at your trooper then use its remaining TUs to move back into cover. There are definitely areas of the map that a human player can utilise cover and maximise his chances of getting a clear shot..that's strategy I guess.
In the game you've got to deal with the indigenous creatures, fight your way across the map under a hail of fire, storm the alien base and bag a few eggs (killing the queen is a major points winner too) then get as many troops as possible into the landing craft, all within a strict turn limit. To cap it off, the alien's get reinforcements at a certain point in the game, turning up in your own deployment area and blasting your troops from behind!
Sounds too tough? Well it certainly was for me when I was a kid, but now I know that it is very winable with the correct tactics, a little persevance and a little luck.:smile:
I first played RSII when it came free with one of the speccy magazines back in the day. At the time I was a little too young to fully appreciate the game or progress far in it. However it was definitely a contributing factor to me being so obsessed with war games today.
Perhaps it is just my warm, fuzzy, memories of this game that are forming my opinions. I didn't play RSI, or Laser Squad for that matter, till a few years ago, long after playing XCOM. However, it just seems to be a better package. The aliens, the map, the atmosphere and the objectives of the game.
One of the criticisms that I have read complains about the density of the terrain. The aliens can make long ranged, seemingly impossible, shots but the human player has much more difficulty judging what is in line of sight and what isn't. I think this actually adds to the game. It's wonderful seeing the alien snap a shot off at your trooper then use its remaining TUs to move back into cover. There are definitely areas of the map that a human player can utilise cover and maximise his chances of getting a clear shot..that's strategy I guess.
In the game you've got to deal with the indigenous creatures, fight your way across the map under a hail of fire, storm the alien base and bag a few eggs (killing the queen is a major points winner too) then get as many troops as possible into the landing craft, all within a strict turn limit. To cap it off, the alien's get reinforcements at a certain point in the game, turning up in your own deployment area and blasting your troops from behind!
Sounds too tough? Well it certainly was for me when I was a kid, but now I know that it is very winable with the correct tactics, a little persevance and a little luck.:smile:
Post edited by Caspian237 on
Comments
You're quite right, Rebelstar 2 is superior to the 1st game.
Maybe even better than Laser Squad, I'm not sure though.
I found Rebel Star I a little easy after just a couple of aborted attempts. You either destroy ISAAC or you don't. Rebel Star II on the other hand, wow, in those last few turns with the alien reinforcements closing in and your exhausted guys making a dash for the transport, it really gets the heart pumping. The VP points really add something. There I was, sitting with six points for six dead beasties, then bang, three guys down and I'm suddenly trailing. Only today I pulled a of a last minute win with victory decided by the fate of one poor trooper. He was just short of TU's to get in the shuttle door on the penultimate turn. If he lived I won, if he died I lost. Great stuff.
Sadly I haven't really played Laser Squad enough to do it justice. That'll be next on my agenda.
Laser Squad is much larger in scope and more varied in tactics than Rebelstar II.
That said, Rebelstar II is better than Rebelstar, although they're both lovely titles.
By the way, welcome to the WOS forum Caspian :)
However, Laser Squad with its multiple scenarios and tactics wins hand down for me.
Really, I just finished playing Rebelstar II and had a burning desire to talk about it. This seemed to be the best outlet to avoid raised eyebrows and puzzled looks.
When I was a youth, most of the speccy games that I played seemed to be a bit pointless, with the exception of a few notables such as the Dizzy series. I never could get into games that were played simply to run up a score, or looped back on themselves instead of having a definite end and in many instances were so impossibly hard that they were frustrating (Army Moves, I'm looking at you). I did enjoy them but I was often left feeling a little underwhelmed. It turns out now that I was simply playing the wrong games! Can you believe it? Things like laser squad were avoided because I just assumed they would be too complicated. Perhaps at that time, for me, they were.
What I'm doing now is going back and playing the games that I missed and trying to appreciate them for the innovations that they brought. I'm 9 years old again and everything is a wonderful surprise...woop-de-do :D
If not, you might be in for a treat :smile:
I mostly played the brilliant Atari ST conversion that uses sound clips from Monty Python and Red Dwarf. In fact, if it wasn't for the ST it may have slipped under my radar altogether.
Many fond memories.
I had a similar experience with Laser squad. I picked it up from a bargain bin knowing nothing about it and spending my first goes blowing myself up with a rocket launcher!
These 2 games started a love of turn based strategy games that has never left me.
Wow I have never heard of a version of Chaos like that but it sounds horrible! Like sticking a pair of comedy tits on the Mona Lisa.
Haha, it sounds worse than it is. It's actually pretty dam hilarious. For example, when you succesfully cast magic armour on your wizard, he says.."I'm invincible!"..The Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail if you don't know.
Rebelstar was certainly good for a laugh on two players, but the sort-of cheat I read in Crash pretty much ruined the 1-player for me.. Basically you break through the top airlock on the left hand side and then pile all your players on the left-hand side up there (battle droids first) and into the airlock, but don't breach the door into the moonbase itself. Once you've done that, break in with the small team at the bottom of the map. Once the interior airlock is breached, all the droids in the moonbase start to pile down there to attack the intruders. Fight until the team is dead. Now all the droids are away from your main task force. Break through the airlock and move everyone along the top of the conveyor belt until they're in the corridor outside the ISAAC computer office. (Make sure a battle droid is first.) Blast Torch the security doors with the droid and send it in to deal with any resistance, and then follow up with the squad. (A photoner is handy as the next in line). Blow the crap out of the ISAAC computer. Game Over, you win. (NEW).
I always hated the reset at the end.. If you wanted to play again, you had to reload the frigging game!
I'd have said that the original Rebelstar Raiders was great value for money too though, at least for its time. Most good strategy games then had a similar price and were also written in BASIC, and for your tenner you got the game in a big box, with a proper manual, and three scenarios rather than just the one.
Rebelstar 2 is the best Speccy game. And easily my favourite Gollop game and that includes Laser Squad on the Amiga.
I played it yesterday, getting that score on difficulty 5 after a pretty ropey start.
What's everyone's usual tactic?
I tend to split into three teams. One hugs the top of the map. Usually 4-5 guys, including one photon guy. They tend to be my big scorers in terms of getting in and retrieving eggs. They also usually have to kill swamp monsters.
I send a team along the bottom, again with a photon guy. They generally are there to distract the enemy and use cover to make it into the bottom of the ship where they are on invasion duty.
Team 3 go straight through the middle but hang back a bit. These guys do most of my killing but also are there to deal with the late reinforcements from the left.
Does anyone ever pick up alien weapons?
I'll raid the aliens for weapons of I run out of ammo. The bows were pretty useless though.
It's still great.