Dune 2: The Building of a Dynasty

Developer: Westwood Studios

Publisher:  Virgin Interactive

The grandaddy of the RTS genre created by the now defunct Westwood Studios (thanks a lot, EA) was a landmark achievement back in the day, sure there were other games similar to it before it like Stonkers and Herzog Zwei, but nothing quite like this.

In Dune 2 you control one of three different military factions who are sent to the desert Arrakis to mine the rare and valuable spice Melange, though this is really just a backdrop for the action, sure the cutscenes look great and even feature voice acting (impressive for a 1992 release), but the game doesn't really have anything resembling a plot.

I also enjoyed the weird techno songs featured in the game, I've never really heard anything quite like it, but they fit the game's mood rather well.

The game itself though is still really fun as you build huge bases and construct bigger and badder armies with each passing mission and the final battles are absolute chaos with you versus three different armies who allied themselves against you, but don't worry, for better or worse the A.I. in this game isn't the best so you should be fine.

Although you get to pick between three different factions the differences between them are a bit too subtle, as you'll only really notice them in the last few stages, I also found it annoying how you're forced to click every unit individually instead of choosing a group and then giving out the orders.

On the technical side of things Dune 2 could use some improvements, but the basic formula itself is still fun, especially when you play as the Harkonnen and you unlock the Death Hand, which is basically a nuclear missile that can level an entire base in one hit.

Protip: The Harkonnen are overpowered.

Pros:
- The first RTS game to use the formula we all know and love
- Good soundtrack
- The Cutscenes are pretty impressive for the time

Cons:
- Having to pick each unit individually is a chore
- Factions are unbalanced

Final Grade: B

The game's packaging is pretty easy on the eyes (excuse the wear and tear on my copy). It makes smart use of the artwork found in the actual game, depicting a soldier with some windtraps in the background the box art feels very fitting for the game.

The Instruction manual is a very simple notebook, this could be to either save costs or to give you the impression that these are the notes you take as an army commander... I choose to think it's the latter. 

In it, you'll find some basic exposition of the game's plot and very detailed information for every unit and structure in the game so it does make for a good (if short) read.

Finally, my version also came with a Virgin games catalog, that's always a nice nostalgia trip.

Packaging Grade: B