Genesis Rising
- March 19, 2007
- Metamorf
Get on Steam"Genesis Rising" is a unique space real-time strategy game set in a universe where humans, viewing themselves as divine, seek to conquer the last independent galaxy. As Captain Iconah, command a living fleet and uncover the location and purpose of the "Universal Heart" in a non-linear single player campaign. The game features scalable RTS mechanics and a co-op mode for two players to control one fleet.
Reviews
- The concept of customizing ships through genetic upgrades is interesting and unique.
- The game features beautiful graphics and an intriguing space opera storyline.
- For those willing to troubleshoot, the game can provide enjoyable gameplay and challenging missions.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and stability issues, making it difficult to play.
- Many players report that the game fails to launch or crashes frequently, especially on modern systems.
- There is a lack of proper support and updates from the developers, leaving many issues unresolved.
- story30 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story features an intriguing space opera concept with living ships and well-produced cutscenes, but it suffers from significant execution issues, including bugs that prevent players from progressing through missions. While some players appreciate the unique ideas and strategic elements, many criticize the narrative for being shallow and unengaging, compounded by frequent crashes and technical problems that hinder gameplay. Overall, the story has potential but is marred by instability and lack of depth.
“This game is worth a few bucks now just to see the nice art style and check out the living ships and the out-there space opera storyline.”
“There is a story, and there are a lot of cinematic scenes, very good scenes inside the game that follow the story, and they are very well detailed and very well made.”
“All that said, the game itself is really good and has everything from voice acting to cutscenes and a story with some deep religious undertones if you care for that, and if not, then you still get to blow lots of stuff up and capture enemy ships and bases.”
“Shallow and not very interesting story.”
“It's a shame but this game doesn't work and shows no signs of ever being fixed, loads of errors when you run it and the first mission in the campaign won't load properly.”
“This looked like a fun game and worth a punt at £2, but it seems the campaign doesn't work as on mission 2 it does not spawn a ship for you, thus you cannot do anything.. a real shame.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful art style and organic ship designs, while others criticize the outdated visuals and technical issues, particularly on unsupported hardware. Many users report difficulties in adjusting graphic settings, leading to crashes and performance problems, especially on lower-end systems. Overall, while the graphics can be visually appealing, they are hampered by compatibility issues and bugs that detract from the experience.
“This game is worth a few bucks now just to see the nice art style and check out living ships and the out there space opera storyline.”
“The graphics are beautiful, the soundtrack is good, you have the option to react in briefings when you talk with some characters.”
“The idea of organic ships is original and the graphics are quite nice while exploring and battling other factions.”
“The graphics are an eyesore to look at, even with it being made over a decade ago.”
“Sadly, the slightest adjustment in the graphic options will result in a flurry of error messages, and trying to launch a tutorial, campaign, or skirmish will promptly crash the game.”
“Game is unplayable on a laptop with Intel HD graphics - won't even start!”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 56 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews are highly polarized, with some players finding it slow, boring, and plagued by poor controls, while others appreciate its solid and challenging aspects, particularly in space battles. Many agree that the game has potential but suffers from execution issues, particularly with mouse controls and AI difficulty. Overall, the gameplay is seen as mediocre, with significant room for improvement.
“Cool mechanics; nice meaty ship models; pompous in-game goals.”
“The gameplay is solid and challenging with some nice and hard space battles.”
“The game concept is good, but the gameplay does not feel right.”
“Gameplay is atrocious and slow, and not interesting in any way.”
“The gameplay is boring and the controls are slow to use.”
“The mouse controls are terrible; the vertical and horizontal speeds seem to fluctuate wildly, and the gameplay is absolutely frustrating.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with users reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that hinder gameplay, particularly in the campaign mode. Many players express frustration over the game's unfinished state, leading to a disappointing experience overall. Despite some acknowledging that the issues aren't entirely unforgiving, the consensus is that the game suffers from significant stability problems.
“I tried to like this game, but it's too buggy and unfinished.”
“Unstable mess freezes too often to finish missions.”
“I was really hoping for something to keep me busy while I wait for Homeworld Shipbreakers, but all this did was keep me busy reading forums on how buggy this is!”
- music4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as a mix of appealing and generic, with some users appreciating the soundtrack while others find it unmemorable. Overall, the music complements the beautiful graphics, enhancing the experience, but technical issues may detract from the enjoyment.
“The graphics are beautiful, the soundtrack is good, and you have the option to react in briefings when you talk with some characters.”
“Plus the music and visuals are quite appealing, so if you can get it to work then it is easily worth $5 or more.”
“I would love to recommend Genesis Rising because of the concept, the music, and being able to enjoy the dying genre of space RTS.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game's cutscenes are poorly optimized, leading to performance issues. Additionally, players are advised to select the high-performance NVIDIA graphics processor for better overall performance.
“The ability to select the preferred graphics processor allows players to choose the high-performance NVIDIA processor for an enhanced gaming experience.”
“The optimization options provide a significant boost in performance, making the game run smoother and look better.”
“The game features well-optimized settings that cater to a variety of hardware configurations, ensuring that everyone can enjoy it.”
“The cutscenes are unoptimized and suffer from significant performance issues.”
“There should be an option to select the preferred graphics processor, specifically to choose the high-performance NVIDIA processor.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy is criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling that the game is designed primarily to generate revenue rather than provide a quality experience, leading to a sense of abandonment post-release.
“Another THQ cash grab; release the game, cash in, and abandon it.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative and detracts from the overall experience.”
“It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game fully without spending extra money.”
