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   Up to its release this week, Genesis Rising was one of those games that we didn't shy away from showing our enthusiasm for. The game info, screens and trailers revealed over the last months by Metamorf Studios and publisher DreamCatcher seemed to preceed a majestic space game, one that every Homeworld and Nexus fan should have looked forward to. But... there's a major "but". If the first couple of Genesis Rising reviews are anything to go by, this isn't quite the "space odyssey" we were hoping for.

   I myself still refuse to trust them for now (which is why I won't even mention the average score... yeah, it's that bad), until I get around to playing the newly released demo version of Genesis Rising, hopefully later tonight. The 536 MB demo is available for download locally if you want to give it a try, and it includes the game's epic intro cinematic, 3 tutorial missions and 2 single-player missions.

   The full version of Genesis Rising: The Universal Crusade was also released on March 20, and is available from DreamCatcher for $39.99. This is Metamorf Studios' first project, promising to incorporate the best elements of strategy and role-playing games, and casting the player in the role of "a battle-hardened fleet commander and a brilliant genetic designer" (fight clichés with clichés?), "as you control a fleet of fully customizable organic ships in an attempt to conquer the last region of the galaxy: the Universal Heart, an enigmatic entity that spawned all life and matter in the universe. At least that's what the Humans believe...".

   In other sci-fi news, Stardock Entertainment and Ironclad Games sent word that 4X space strategy fans interested in the upcoming Sins of a Solar Empire can join in the beta on March 27, by pre-ordering the game for $44.95. The limited-feature beta will initially be single-player only, and will feature a single playable race. To go along with the announcement, they also sent us a couple of huge new screenshots, showing Sins of a Solar Empire in full 1600x1200 glory. See them in the local gallery.