Hostile Waters

[thegayhare]

In my review of older games (which started with Stubs the zombie) I've stumbled across what must be one of the most interesting and unique games I've seen in a while

Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising is a unusual vehicle based strategy game

It takes place in 2032, 20 years after the last war was fought on earth.   The war was basically a popular uprising against national governments.  The old powers that be lost that war and a new age of peace was created.  there is a central world council to govern the world, and the monetary system has been done away with.  nano machines produce food and clothing and consumer goods free of charge on the streets, and similar miracles of modern technology make sure everyone has plenty to eat and cloths on there back.

But the old guard didn't just die out.  towards the end of the war they squirreled away a massive stockpile of weapons, and they have been researching new tech for there upcoming war.

When the war does come the new government is forced to try to relearn war.  They raise one of the great weapons of the last war the Antaeus Cruiser.  A massive warship that had been scuttled at the end of the war.  It's damaged from it's time on the bottom but it's massive nano factories are still operational.  Your given command of this ship you get to build and customize the war machines.  you can also remotely pilot them or give control of the vehicle over to one of the many dead men under your command.   All  Crew members of an Antaeus ship had something called the Soulcatcher chip implanted in there skulls.  This chip made a copy of the soldiers mind at the moment of death and backed it up in the computers.  You can download these old soldiers and send them out to war once more. 

It's interesting because they each have there own personality.  They will bitch and moan if you ask them to do something not in there skill set... for instance Patton the Tanker is constantly whining because as of yet I haven't given him a tank (don't have any)  complaining that the machine gun on his chopper is just a pea shooter.  They also talk to one another  Two of the female pilots are often bickering back and forth.  other members will congratulate one another on a kill.  cut each other down and the like.

another thing that's interesting is the cut scenes.  I mean it they really help you understand whats going on.  There is a scene right after you finish repairs on the ship that takes place between your handlers (Walker and Church)  where they are talking in a darkened room

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLR-WXDcsFI

It realy helps set the tone of the game...

I haven't finished it yet but if you can find it it's a great old game

[Rakala]

That's all well and good but you forgot to mention what system it's for.

Seriously, I've played a little bit of this. I wouldn't exactly call it a gamer changing experience but it was pretty cool.

[thegayhare]

sorry I don't have any game systems so I play them all on PC

I didn't realize that was a mandatory part of the process here

*sheepish grins*

[Paladin Sheppard]

I was soo cheesy once I got the laser/sniper for this...I mounted it on a light chopper and just sniped all the objectives....

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I was soo cheesy once I got the laser/sniper for this...I mounted it on a light chopper and just sniped all the objectives....

Ah, a man after my own heart.


On a plate. ;-]

[Arcalane]

I was soo cheesy once I got the laser/sniper for this...I mounted it on a light chopper and just sniped all the objectives....

Ah, a man after my own heart.


On a plate. ;-]

That time in UT was like having a Guardian Angel. A Guardian Angel with a sniper rifle and uncanny accuracy. Also a penchant for killstealing.

Hostile Waters is quite fun, and it ran surprisingly well on XP... you can pick it up off www.gog.com for miniscule amount of money. I can vouch for their legitimacy, as I have bought half a dozen games off of them with no issue. Despite the name, it does have some fairly recent, but it also has plenty of classics such as the Descent, Fallout and Freespace series.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

That time in UT was like having a Guardian Angel. A Guardian Angel with a sniper rifle and uncanny accuracy. Also a penchant for killstealing.

I don't remember being _that_ accurate.

Maybe it was just the low ping, when I had it on my gateway?

... I have to say, I'm wondering if I should get HW and see if it runs under wine...

[Tipod]

Just bought this yesterday and let me say right now, you're in for a real treat on mission 9.

And by real treat, I mean you're going to absolutely hate it.

[thegayhare]

Just bought this yesterday and let me say right now, you're in for a real treat on mission 9.

And by real treat, I mean you're going to absolutely hate it.

Oh yeah mission nine was a pain in the ass

but I'll admit I had alot of fun tearing up in the puma acros the landscape

[Arcalane]

Which one was #9 again? That one where you have to be 'stealthy' or something? I hated that one.

I reinstalled HW a few minutes ago and miraculously it works perfectly on Vista. It even supports widescreen resolutions!

[thegayhare]

I'm currently on mission 20... where you have to be stealthy in a massive tank and collect energy