Summary
Science fiction covers many sub-genres across video games, film, television, and literature. Video games have taken on many of these sub-genres, fromThe Outer Wildsand its contemplative nature toRatchet & Clankwith its intergalactic, action-packed adventures, all the way toZortchand its goofy, satirical first-person action.
Military science fiction, concerned with portraying military organizations and how they might apply technology in the far future, is a relatively loosely defined genre. Many games could fit into its definition, thanks to a great number of titles taking on militaristic themes, largely due to them using combat and violence as a conduit for gameplay mechanics.
The firstQuake, developed by the pioneering id Software, was built around a patented blend ofscience-fiction and fantasy, with its diverse locations, enemies, and weapons. After the release of the innovative debut, the game’s immediate sequel, the aptly namedQuake 2, took the series in an entirely different direction, pitting players against the vicious Strogg in a military sci-fi setting.
The game’s opening cinematictells it all, promptly filling the player in on the menace known as the Strogg before displaying a battleship brimming with gun turrets approaching the enemy’s home world. Fans of fast-paced, frenetic first-person shooters with a focus on arena combat and expressive movement should certainly consider blasting throughQuake 2, especially if they’ve never played it before.
This expansive, ambitious combination of real-time strategy and 4X games takes place on the iconic planet of Arrakis, otherwise known as Dune, and features a slew of thematic mechanics and systems in keeping with the universe laid out by the novels. From the powerful, dangerous sandworms that prevent safe long-distance travel, to the attrition that comes with the hostile desert,Dune: Spice Warsoffers thematic challenges that force players to adapt their strategy from game to game. The game’s source material may also concern itself with ecology and religion, butDune: Spice Warsfocuses predominantly on warfare and politics.
Dune: Spice Warsis a real-time strategy game with a focus on macromanagement over micromanagement, much more about broad-strokes strategy than the minutiae. This is facilitated by a territory system that has players fighting over large chunks of land in a bid to control their respective villages, gaining access to that territory’s unique benefits and preventing attrition in that area. The diversity of the playable factions and their unique units and research trees also make for a replayable experience.
Known for its harsh and unforgiving gameplay loop, deeply tactical combat encounters, and strategic layers,XCOM 2is an incredibly replayable and constantly challenging strategy game that puts players in command of a paramilitary group during an alien invasion. The game’s focus on military combat and alien technology makes it a great military science-fiction game for fans of turn-based tactics and strategic management.
XCOM 2is built around tight-knit combat encounters in which players must make use of cover and flanking mechanics to complete objectives while keeping their team alive. Interspersing these compact missions is the base-building/management layer of the game, tasking players with conducting research and managing their roster.
One of many games to try its hand atadapting theStar Warsuniverse,Star Wars: Republic Commandois a surprisingly gritty title that puts players in the shoes of clone commandos, battling through a variety of missionsset during the struggle of the Clone Wars. The game’s first-person action and squad-based mechanics make for a shockingly engaging campaign even after all these years, but the immersive user interface, world-building, and loyalty to the source material make for a patently faithfulStar Warsgame.
The personalities and bantering between the core team of commandos, however, is arguably what makesStar Wars: Republic Commandoso special. They often turn even the dullest moments of the game into memorable ones, and this is what truly elevatesRepublic Commando.
This sequel to the groundbreaking cover-based shooter,Gears Of War, is a faithfully constructed continuation of the action-packed grim-dark story laid out by the first game. The strong military themes of a crack team fighting a losing war against an apocalyptic foe, the dark world and the story within, and the character moments dotted throughout, are some of the franchise’s greatest strengths, and it could be argued thatGears Of War 2makes the best use of them.
Gears Of Waras a series is, as its name suggests, entirely focused on the act of war, and its dark, oppressive tone rarely lets up. The intuitive third-person gameplay, grim story, and memorable characters makeGears Of War 2worth revisiting, even today.
Some fans may favorHalo 2for its diverse campaign, butHalo 3deserves props for rounding off the original trilogy in a satisfying manner, putting a cap on Master Chief’s story for the time being. The short but dramatic campaign may not break boundaries with its military sci-fi story, but it’s good goofy fun for fans ofB-movie science fictionand military themes.
TheHaloseries in general is certainly worth playing through in chronological order, if players are to get the most out of its bombastic sci-fi story, battling alien foes across a diverse variety of exotic locations and storming beaches with gung-ho marines. Let’s not forgetthe killer soundtrack, either.
