Game:

Steel Reign (1997)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 15:30

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Steel Reign is a pretty good tactical mission-based action game with a small sense of humor where prosperity is fading fast as tensions grow between fellow nations and the only answer is all-out war. In the year 2030, people suffer from a world-wide depression and military domination, and the fate of the war lies on two exceptional Military Designers, Gerald Storm and Lewis Reign. Both having been accepted into the prestigious Military Institute of Technology, they excelled in the field of Armored Assault Vehicle Design and Implementation. Upon graduation, they were immediately sent to command assignments in the "Crimean Conflict", rising to the rank of General Officers in record time.

The two were so skilled and competitive (with an almost antagonistic relationship) that Storm, shortly after his appointment as the executive aide to the Chief of Staff, used his influence to have Reign reassigned to a remote facility in the nuclear-ravaged wastelands of what used to be the Southwestern United States, where he would command the development of the next generation of armored assault vehicles. Storm, who was soon mad with power, began his own personal revolution by gathering his commanders and declaring martial law, and he now wishes to steal the plans and technology behind Reign's experimental "Super Tanks". However, Reign copied his plans to a CD, destroyed his work station, and has prepared his own followers to combat Storm and his revolution. Armed with a variety of super tanks, the two groups hurdle towards the final confrontation.

In the game, you can play with several tanks, each with their own special weapons or traits. Some have more defense, others have multiple shields, a few more are highly maneuverable with the ability to strafe, etc. Combining the single and multiplayer levels, the game has over a dozen stages, and sports decent audio/visuals as well. The main story is nothing you haven't seen in a game of this type; you attack various designated hotspots, fend off enemies, and the missions are very simple in their entirety. However, just because they're simple doesn't mean that they are easy; the game is rather difficult in some spots and this is partially attributed to the strange controls around corners and near walls, where your tank may spaz out and the computer can get in some cheap shots. There are also multiple routes on stages and it may require several attempts before you find one that's safe or one with less enemies so that you don't waste your ammunition.

At the end of the day, Steel Reign is a fun game that's somewhat obscure and less-appreciated. Here's a video of the game in action. Enjoy.