''Steel Reign'' is a vehicular combat

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed by Chantemar Creations and

Sony Interactive Studios America 989 Studios was a division of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) that developed games for PlayStation consoles and Microsoft Windows, Windows personal computers. Their games include ''EverQuest'', ''Twiste ...

and published by

Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...

for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

. It was the only game to be developed by Chantemad Creations, which was absorbed by Verant Interactive, now

Daybreak Game Company Daybreak Game Company LLC is an American video game developer based in San Diego. The company was founded in December 1997 as Sony Online Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment, but was spun off to an independent investor in ...

Reception

''Steel Reign'' received mixed to negative reviews. ''

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...

''s Steve Harris liked the game, opining that it offers a good balance of realism and arcade fun which is enhanced by the selection of vehicles and weapons, but his three co-reviewers all said that it looks and plays like a generic first generation PlayStation game, with mostly non-interactive environments, rough and pixelation textures, and lack of color. One of them, Ken "Sushi-X" Williams, also argued that the selection of vehicles is meaningless since one tank is obviously superior to the others, and even with the weakest tank the game is boringly easy. Like ''EGM'', '' Next Generation'' found the game's simplistic action dull and comparable to first generation PlayStation games, concluding that "Had ''Steel Reign'' been released at the same time as '' Warhawk'', it may have seemed more impressive. As it is, it's just another action title with lots of guns and explosions."

Glenn Rubenstein Glenn Rubenstein (born March 2, 1976) is a writer, director, and journalist based in Northern California. Journalism Rubenstein has been a columnist for the ''San Francisco Examiner'', ''Sports Illustrated'' for Kids, CNET's (now defunct) GameCen ...

, writing for ''

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

'', instead contended that the game has a frustrating level of challenge, and praised its

full motion video Full-motion video (FMV) is a video game narration technique that relies upon pre-recorded video files (rather than Sprite (computer graphics), sprites, vector graphics, vectors, or 3D models) to display action in the game. While many games featur ...

sequences, selection of weapons, multiplayer mode, and soundtrack, assessing that "it definitely ranks in the top 10 percent of what is currently out there." ''

GamePro ''GamePro'' was an American multiplatform video game magazine media company that published online and print content covering the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software. The magazine featured content on various video ...

'' found the maze-like level designs in ''Steel Reign'' irritatingly restrictive, and while agreeing that the multiplayer mode is fun, felt that it was soured by the fact that matches are so short, they are nearly outlasted by their load times. They summarized that "Every time a bright side to this game pops up, it's pummeled by four problems. This one's a rental at best." ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' gave the game an above-average review, a few weeks before its U.S. release date. ''

The Electric Playground ''EP Daily'' (formerly ''The Electric Playground'') is a daily news television show that covers video games, movies, TV shows, comic books, collectibles and gadgets. Created and executive produced by host Victor Lucas, and his Vancouver, British ...

''s

Tommy Tallarico Tommy Tallarico (born 1967 or 1968) is an American video game music composer, sound designer, and television producer. Since the 1990s, his company Tommy Tallarico Studios has produced audio for many video games. He co-hosted the television ser ...

gave the game a 6/10, while co-host Victor Lucas gave it a 4/10.

Notes

References

External links

* {{moby game, id=/playstation/steel-reign 1997 video games 989 Studios games Multiplayer and single-player video games PlayStation (console) games PlayStation (console)-only games Science fiction video games Sony Interactive Entertainment games Tank simulation video games Third-person shooters Video games developed in the United States Video games set in the future