Rose Tinted Retro - Dune 2000

Command & Conquer may be widely credited with popularising the RTS genre, but the first real proof of concept for it was older sibling, Dune II. So titled as to position it as a direct sequel to Frank Herbert's original novel of the same name, despite the fact such a thing already existed in literary form, the game pioneered many of the base building and resource gathering mechanics that would become staples of the digital tank bothering movement. At the turn of the millennium, Westwood saw fit to issue a remake of sorts, imaginatively titled Dune 2000, with updated graphics, sound and more.

As with the novel series, the game is set on the desert planet of Arrakis some ten thousand years into the future. Although Arrakis is a sandy, desolate wasteland, it's the only place in the universe where the spice melange can be found, a substance that grants greatly extended life, prescience and is also required for space travel. Your task in the game, a far cry from the often complex political machinations of other works in the franchise, is simply to pledge allegiance to one of the universe spanning Imperium's Great Houses, the Atreides, Harkonnen or Ordos, and conquer Arrakis for the purposes of wealth and glory. 

The DNA of Command & Conquer is obvious from the start, as Dune 2000 runs on a modified version of the Red Alert engine. Indeed, many an RTS fan no doubt wrote the game off as a shameless clone at the time, but underneath the surface is a touching love letter to one of the 20th's Century's most important Sci-Fi novels. Yes, it's wrapped in a familiar package, but wonderful little touches that'll be lost on the uninitiated, such as Fremen responding "Muad'Dib?" when you click on them, or your adviser shouting "Wormsign!" when one of the franchise's famous sandworms is about to make an appearance and swallow your spice harvester whole, will delight committed Herbophiles.

In a vacuum, the game is a very average RTS - the balancing of the three factions is way off, and although replete with lovingly crafted cutscenes, the single player campaign is dull as dishwater, as missions rarely deviate from tasking you with simplydestroying an enemy base. Dune 2000's sequel, and Westwood Studios' final dalliance with the franchise, Emperor: Battle For Dune introduced full 3D graphics and attempted to freshen things up by offering up the opportunity to ally with other side factions, such as the Tlilaxu or Spacing Guild. Despite this, it and Dune 2000 faded into relative obscurity, having been met with a muted critical and commercial response. 

I first dived headfirst into Frank Herbert's masterpiece at the end of last year, and am currently on second sequel, Children of Dune. Having played Dune 2000 long before, I was somewhat familiar with the setting, but going back to the game having read some way into the novel series, I now have a new found appreciation for it. Proof, I think, that this is and always was, strictly one for the fans.

Dune 2000 is not available to purchase on any digital storefront at the time of writing, but a multiplayer only build, that features a slightly updated interface and support for resolutions up to 1920x1080, is included the classic Westwood open source OpenRA project that was the subject of another post a while back. Ebay would be the only port of call for a physical copy, however.