Outlive

Innovate not imitate isn't just an overused cliche. It should be the mantra for every game developer out there. Sadly, it seems Continuum ignored this old adage when it produced Outlive. The games industry needs another 2D isometric RTS like Cumbria needed the foot and mouth crisis. While the game isn't bad in any places, neither is it any good. Think Red Alert 2 meets Starcraft and you've summed up Outlive in one fell swoop. The problem is it lacks the gripping gameplay of either of these grand masters.

The game pits three opposing sides (humans, robots and cyborgs) against each other in an all too familiar 2D environment (any similarity with Starcraft, which pitted humans, robots and aliens against each other, is purely coincidental - honest). Lets make no bones about it, this is a pure 'colour by numbers' RTS that does nothing wrong, but also doesn't do anything particularly well. There's the usual far-fetched plot about a total breakdown of society, and how only you can save the day. There are the same old lists of identical buildings to clutter up the map. And the attempts at humour-calling a unit a Dominator and giving it a sultry strict feminine voice - doesn't just fall flat on its face, it falls down, rolls over and dies.

If computer games were people, Outlive would be a chartered accountant. Dull, grey and utterly devoid of anything interesting. No doubt some accountants may be reading this, in which case feel free to write in and prove me wrong. Anything would be better than playing Outlive.