Perimeter [PC]

From Russian developer K-D Lab comes Perimeter, a real-time strategy game that's literally ground-breaking. Rather than fighting on the same map the entire game, Perimeter lets players tear down mountains and raise chasms to make space for their buildings, as well as morph units into different configurations. It's nothing if not flexible.

Although Perimeter's plot -- a sci-fi tale of humanity fleeing Earth -- isn't anything unusual, the way it's told is decidedly odd. There's little beyond mission briefings and an occasional cutscene to give you background on the missions, and you'll be switching between the two warring human factions frequently. It's up to the player to figure out the jargon their superiors use.

While this approach does give the game something of a mysterious and futuristic atmosphere, it doesn't encourage the player to feel involved with the conflict. It's hard to sympathize with either faction when you're swapping sides every few missions, and never sure who -- if anyone -- is telling you the truth. It's like watching C-Span.

But if you're looking for a game to show off a new system, Perimeter's perfect. It's the best-looking game we've come across in some time -- stunning-looking, and laden with high-tech special effects and finely detailed models. Crank the detail to the max and it'll bring most systems to their knees, but that's the price of progress.

One resource is all a Perimeter base needs. Energy, created in power stations that must be connected together in a network, is used for buildings, tech upgrades, unit creation, and consumed by certain fixed weapons and buildings.

Modifying terrain is also important when setting up a base -- you'll need to send out nanobots to reshape the landscape until you have sufficient level space to start constructing. It's not a colossally significant once you're up and running, but keep in mind that certain units can tunnel under flattened-out areas and damage your buildings from underneath.

Another of Perimeter's unique aspects is the way you create units. You can only build three types: soldiers, officers, and engineers, and none are much use on their own. Instead, they're automatically grouped when constructed, and each group can then be morphed into one of around 20 different unit types, depending on the makeup of your group and the tech buildings you've constructed.

Once morphed, you're not stuck with the new configuration -- it can be changed repeatedly. So you might decide to morph your group into rocket-firing hover tanks to cross an abyss, and once on the other side, switch to tunneling units to attack the enemy base from beneath. Being able to completely change your units, even in the middle of a firefight, opens up all kinds of interesting tactical opportunities, and it's perfect for the indecisive warrior.

The system's flexibility is held back by a couple of restrictions. First, there's the unit limit -- only 250 of the basic units can be built. When you consider that a mid-ranking tank might be made from approximately 15, hitting the limit becomes too easy. It's not necessarily a problem, but it's something players need to weigh heavily when planning strategies. Secondly, these units can only be addressed in groups of identical type, and the number of groups you can command is heavily limited.

Powerful and cheap base defenses go a considerable way to alleviate this restrictive-seeming mechanic. Put a bit of thought into your design, and your base should be able to take care of itself. And if you do get into trouble, your buildings have an impenetrable energy shield that can be activated at any time, though at great cost. It's a little like classic real-time strategy Total Annihilation in that it suits defensive players. If your bases spread toward each other, you'll end up doing as much fighting with buildings as with mobile units.

If your defenses are broken, you're in trouble. A player can capture enemy base facilities quickly and easily, either by hooking up an isolated, powerless section to your grid or by extending your shield around enemy power nodes. Like the classic board game Othello, a few moves can change the appearance of the battlefield completely, and not necessarily in your favor.

Many of the single player missions are disappointing -- they don't require strategy so much as they do trial-and-error and perseverance. Often, only one specific tactic will work. When you're let loose in a more open-ended environment, the artificial intelligence starts to show some cracks. It's good at picking out weak spots in your base layout, but it's not so good at coordinating an attack or capitalizing on a breakthrough.

But Perimeter's uniqueness is enough to keep the single-player campaign compelling. Multiplayer's also included, so if you can track down an opponent, you should be well on your way to an entertaining fight.

Innovation in real-time strategy games is rarer than poop from a rocking horse. While Perimeter's gameplay doesn't always work perfectly, it's refreshing to play a strategy title that stands out from the crowd both in its concept and its graphics. If you're fed up with cookie-cutter RTS games, give it a try.