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Genesis Rising: The Universal Crusade

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6.3 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 34 critic reviews
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Based on 23 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: DreamCatcher Interactive

Developer: Metamorf Studios

Genre(s): Real-Time Strategy

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: March 20, 2007

Summary

Genesis Rising: The Universal Crusade takes place in the very distant future, three thousand years after what humans believe was the arrival of "the savior". The human race has conquered most of the Universe. They consider themselves a divine race, and think of all aliens as inferior; those that do not obey are punished or destroyed. The dominion of the human race was insured by organids - genetically designed organic machines, easily adaptable to any enemy strategy. Only one part of the Universe remains unconquered. It is the galaxy where the Universal Heart, an enigmatic entity that spawned all life and matter into the universe, is hidden. At least, that's what the humans believe... The player will take on a role of captain Iconah, a battle-hardened fleet commander and a brilliant genetic designer, sent on a quest to explore and conquer the Universal Heart. [DreamCatcher Interactive]

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Games Radar (in-house)

Genesis Rising, with its intriguing twist on the RTS genre, dares you to choose a side, and be counted.

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2404.org

The main quest is challenging and contains a great deal of replay value, not to mention original gameplay that actually works.

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PC Zone UK

I haven't enjoyed an RTS this much in a long time, not because it's spectacularly unique on a gameplay level, but because it has an aesthetic that's just so different from the pervasive goblin-WWII axis of RTS games. [June 2007, p.84]

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PC Format

Dodgy story, also lacking the 3D punch of Homeworld, but a satisfying space opera nonetheless. [May 2007, p.66]

Computer Games Online RO

Genesis Rising is a game with impressive graphics and some innovative ideas. Unfortunately, the stability problems and the questionable implementation of some ideas as well as the unexplained lack of some de-facto features in an RTS drag this title down.

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Game Over Online

Squinch your eyes shut during the movies and click blindly through the dialog segments as quickly as possible, learn to micromanage combat at a high rate of speed, and there is a game mixed in there that is both unique and enjoyable.

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PC Gamer

Though the storyline takes a while to ramp up, it's very engaging and provides a really enjoyable ending. [June2007, p.58]

PC Gamer UK

So many good ideas, but there're the cheese in a mousetrap of punishing difficulty. Proceed, but with great caution. [June 2007, p.82]

GameDaily

Genesis Rising presents many great ideas, but not enough attention was placed on unit management.

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GameShark

What it lacks in finer details and multiplayer functionality, it makes up for in backstory and dynamic, fluid, fast-paced gameplay. It’s not a classic, and it’s no Homeworld, but genre buffs could also do a lot worse.

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IGN

While adaptable living ships warping across the universe sounds like an awesome game, there were too many issues with interface, campaign pacing, and presentation to come out a winner.

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Game Chronicles

Genesis Rising makes a small leap forward in terms of an interesting tech system based on genetics, but then takes two huge leaps back in terms of playability and user experience.

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G4 TV

There are more than a few problems with the game. But there are some really nice ideas suspended down there beneath the crusty surface.

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Gamers Europe

Praise is due to the developers who have come up with a novel idea; however it would appear that they forgot to add a sense of rhythm.

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Gaming Nexus

Although Genesis Rising has some interesting ideas, poor design decisions bury this title quickly. There’s promise here, but that soon turns to disappointment.

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GamingExcellence

Poor interface and bad pacing. The story isn't terribly great either.

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Gamers' Temple

Genesis Rising is pretty, innovative, and a complete mess.

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Hardcore Gamer Magazine

In a genre where games need to be well-oiled machines to be enjoyable, this one sadly doesn't make the grade. [June 2007, p.56]

Next Level Gaming

The concept of the game, the living ships that can morph as the situation changes, if implemented correctly, could have been VERY cool for an RTS game. It’s just too darn bad that the rest of the game fell flat on its face and left the graphics and concept high and dry.

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GameZone

The game has some pretty cool ideas throughout, implementing a new layer to strategy gameplay in the way of upgrades and gene-stealing. Unfortunately, pacing issues, technical problems, and a generally spotty interface kill what the game sets out to accomplish.

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WHAM! Gaming

Genesis Rising may be fun for some but I think most people will find a little boring, especially harvesting ships. It seems like eons can pass you by while you're fuelling up.

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Strategy Informer

Genesis Rising in no way reaches the potential it has bubbling beneath the surface, released all too soon and unnecessarily plastered with imperceptive, charmless patina.

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AceGamez

What I cannot forgive is that the combat is horribly balanced - it is the worst of both worlds, a game that demands overwhelming levels amounts of micromanagement yet provides entirely too few tools and opportunities to make it happen.

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Eurogamer

Some gamers might relish this challenge, but the lack of any in-mission saving combined with unforgiving objectives and an imperfect interface will prove overly frustrating for many.

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GameSpot

Icky space bugs make Genesis Rising interesting. Even ickier tech bugs and design problems make Genesis Rising annoying.

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GameSpy

Genesis Rising is by no means a total loss and there's certainly some fun to be had, but its lofty potential is squandered due to some poor decisions and a rigid design that will only appeal to a select number of players.

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Cheat Code Central

Many of these enemy ships resemble living insects and they are recreated to great effect in this game. They are truly disturbing looking, and while they just beg to be killed, the payoff can be particularly gross due to the bloodbath.

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PC Gameworld

Skip this and go play "Command and Conquer 3" or "Supreme Commander" if you want a fun RTS.

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Yahoo! Games

The gene-stealing and blood-drinking theme makes for an interesting concept with great gameplay implications. But the bottom line is that as a game, Genesis Rising sucks, both literally and figuratively.

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Worth Playing

Despite the unique look and direction this takes on the RTS genre, the feeling of "I've been here before, done this before, and seen this before" pervades the entire experience.

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Armchair Empire

Pity the living ships that make up Genesis Rising. There was such a wonderful collection of ideas that were utilized in such an atrocious fashion that you almost want to put the ships down like a lamed horse. It's kinder that way.

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1UP

It's easy to spend an hour watching these nifty starships float around a two-dimensional plane, but as soon as you start mousing, you'll want to quit.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

There aren’t many space-based RTS titles doing the rounds, but the few that are already on the shelves are almost unanimously better than this broken fun-free nonsense.

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Game Revolution

With a generic plot and terrible ship building scheme, Genesis Rising is lost in space. Hopefully, it stays that way.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 6.3 (out of 10) based on 23 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Misa gave it a0:
Highly frustrating experience... Why do I give it a zero? Because of the good graphics.

Daniel C gave it a1:
Horrible experience. It is a shallow, lack luster, joke of a game. It seems that other than the visuals, no thought was put into this game. If you want a space RTS get Sins of a Solar Empire.

Greg R gave it a3:
the best game ever to be ruined in so many ways. the graphics are nice when they work, the game play is astoundingly fun when you can actually make it to a place that it shows something nice. the patches are non working, and the game its self stopped working on two of my computers for no reason that I can surmise. support is zero from the developer and steam is of no help. the novelty of mutating the ships is great but utterly time consuming if you ever want to change, and in battle is a huge handicap. gene splice before going in, or die. that aside, the game is riddled with bugs if you can actually get it working with random crashes, predicted crashes when large ships are destroyed, memory holes that are impossible to fix and thus result in more crashes, and a loving ability for the game to get bored of playing sound and thus just stop all sound effects, music, et all. great concept, but the game play is weak and quickly getting old, and good luck if you have problems, nobody cares to help and knows how to get it working.

Bryan F. gave it a1:
Could be so much better than it is. Needs more support to fix various bugs and faults.

Joe C. gave it a1:
It really was a horrible game. The ideas were good, but the execution made it a waste of money. Hopefully another company will pick up there they left off and bring true light to the ideas they presented.

Michael A. gave it a4:
Well, it sucks. The gameplay is slow and tedious, it lacks any real depth, and the multiplayer is a complete joke.

[Anonymous] gave it a5:
Not being able to save your game sucks because you could lose your mothership right at the end of a mission and you have to replay the entire mission over again.

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Genesis Rising: The Universal Crusade

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What The Critics Said

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