- Colony Wars: Vengeance
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Colony Wars: Vengeance 
Cover art of Colony Wars: VengeanceDeveloper(s) Psygnosis Publisher(s) Psygnosis Platform(s) PlayStation Release date(s) October 31, 1998 Genre(s) Space combat simulator Mode(s) Single-player Rating(s) ESRB: K-A (Kids to Adults)
ELSPA: 3+Colony Wars: Vengeance is a space simulation video game for the PlayStation developed and released by Psygnosis in 1998, and sequel to the original Colony Wars, released the previous year.
The game retains the win-lose scenario styling of its predecessor, only now the player controls a pilot, Mertens, who has enlisted in the Colonial Navy.
Finally united and breaking out of the Sol system, the Navy has gained a new leader, Kron, who has motivated the descendants of the abandoned Sol System Navy to the point that the Navy begins active combat operations against the League.
Like the first game, there are several endings, with Mertens directly involved in all of them. As the Navy is struggling from the very beginning to fight the greater League of Free Worlds, all but one of the endings chronicles their failure.
Another addition, that was never used in the next title in the Colony Wars series, was the ability to upgrade the abilities of one's ship.
Completing one mission earned the player one tech point, which, when accumulated, could be used to upgrade thrust, shielding, afterburner, and the turning ability of the player's selected craft.
The game also includes five aircraft (Hex. Wraith, Diablo, Voodoo, and Spook), four of them being space-bound fighters, and the last one being a land mission-restricted craft.
Each ship, like in the previous game, was accompanied by its own set of weapons, most of them often including Anti-Shield and Anti-Hull lasers.
Contents
Plot
There are many plot variations but for simplicity, this article just describes the "winning" plot.
The game picks up from one of the somewhat successful endings of the last game. The League of Free Worlds were able to liberate the majority of the human empire from the Tzar's reign, but were unable to liberate the Sol system from the Tzar or Tzar loyalists (the game doesn't specify). Instead, they isolate the solar system from the rest of the universe by sealing it's warp hole. Decades pass and the planets of Sol, severed from the resources of the rest of the galaxy, decay into poverty and crime. An enigmatic figure, Kron rises to prominence and unites the planets with a view to reconquering the rest of the galaxy's colonies.
The player character (Mertens) assists in the unification and protection of the fledgling new Navy, assisted by his fellow squadron members and close friends, Becks and Klein. After some minor confrontations with rogue human spacecraft, the Navy reopens the Sol warp hole, to launch it's first strike against the League of Free Worlds. At the beginning of this war, Mertens provides a great strategic advantage by single-handedly destroying a League communications array, which prevents the enemies from rallying their full might against the unexpected invasion.
Kron's popularity grows to extreme levels as his hate-filled propaganda against the League inspires the people of Sol. Mertens (who is also the narrator) seems to harbor a fanatical loyalty to him and we are led to believe that most of the Navy feel the same way.
The Navy discover that much of the League's layout has changed in the decades since the first war and that the first system they have invaded, Gallonigher, is no longer the central base of the League. As such, the Navy must travel from system to system to find the heart of the enemy empire. During one intense battle, the Navy is ambushed by a League ace who calls himself The Widowmaker and Klein is killed while saving Mertens' life.
As Kron's agression towards the League grows more fanatical, he creates a gestapo-like military police force called the watch, to seek out and eliminate information leaks. Becks becomes a member shortly after the organization is founded. The watch is portrayed as being a brutal organization that executes anyone it deems to be a potential security risk, often in secret and without trial. The deaths, while suspicious are always swept under the rug as suicides or accidents. Mertens consoles himself with the notion the Kron isn't aware of these atrocities, but his devotion to the leader seems to waiver.
As the war continues, the Navy explores more systems and are faced with some surprising discoveries, such as energy-based lifeforms that live among asteroid belts.
After assasinating "The Widowmaker", Mertens is pressured in to becoming a member of the watch. "Refusal is not an option." By this time, Becks has become the leader of the watch. Meanwhile, Kron's desire for victory grows more extreme. He begins to personally execute subordinates for even the most minor failures. Mertens privately questions the Navy's cause.
Most of Mertens' missions as a watch member are devoted to interrogating the computer systems of both friendly and enemy craft to determine the identity of the League's most effective spy. After several missions, Mertens comes under suspicion by the watch (either losing too many missions or for being too effective, depending on what the player does) and is escorted off to the watch's base for trial, by Becks herself along with other fighters. During this flight, the watch transmits an alert to all Navy craft that it's own leader, Becks, is the mole they've been hunting all along. Mertens is released from watch custody and hunts down and kills Becks. Following this incident, Kron disbands the watch.
As the Navy closes in on the League capital system, a battle is interrupted by the appearance of a large alien spacecraft. The single alien ship decemates most of the League and Navy forces in the area (Mertens is one of the few surviors). It is implied that it was the war that somehow bought humanity to the attention of these aliens. Shocked and terrified by this turn of events, the League and Navy soon realize that they must work together, if there is to be any hope of preserving the human race from this powerful hostile force.
Kron however, is adament in his resolve to eliminate the League, and won't hear of any cooperation with them. Most of the people from Sol, however (including Mertens), realize the futility of continuing the war and abandon Kron. Only a small force remain loyal to him.
Mertens, who by now has built an impressive combat record and is recognized as one of the finest pilots from either faction, is elected to head a joint mission to infiltrate the aliens' base and steal one of their fighter craft for research purposes. After the mission, a powerful new fighter, the "Voodoo" is invented and Mertens is granted the honor of flying the prototype. Armed with this powerful new technology, humanity is able to drive the invaders out of their space. Mertens travels to the aliens' home system and is able to sabotage the complicated device that provides them with warp hole access to other systems, thereby containing them in their own system much like the League did to the Navy in the first war.
With the alien menace removed and the war finally over, both the League and the Navy are preparing to celebrate. However, Kron, with his small force of loyalists, plots to sabotage the newfound peace. Mertens is sent to foil Kron's scheme and then eventually to eliminate Kron's command battleship itself. Mertens is successful, but Kron and his elite fighter escort are able to evacuate the battleship just before it explodes. Mertens pursues them and is able to dispatch the escort fighters and then finally, Kron himself.
Only at the end of the war is the truth reveled: Kron was originally a pilot for the League during the first colony war. He was one of the League's mightiest warriors, but he was also a viscious psychopath. The then-leader of the League, the father, saw Kron's bloodlust as a liability and sent him on a suicide mission in one of the war's final battles above earth. The father thought he had been killed, but in reality Kron had crash-landed on Earth and survived, somehow managing to conseal his identity from the earthlings. Kron swore revenge against the father for betraying him, thus instigating the events of the whole game. Unifying the system of Sol and the second colony war were all done so that Kron could take his revenge on the father. It is never stated whether the father was even still alive in the timeframe of this game.
Sequel
In 2000, a final game was made, named Colony Wars: Red Sun.
Reception
Reception Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings 86.67%[1] Review scores Publication Score Official UK PlayStation Magazine praised the game in issue No. 39, giving it a 9/10 score and summarising with the following statement: "A great game. Buy it Now". It also received an average score of 86.67% at Game Rankings, based on an aggregate of 12 reviews[1].
References
- ^ a b "Colony Wars: Vengeance". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/196952-colony-wars-vengeance/index.html. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
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