Colony Wars
Colony Wars is a combat game set in space. You, the player, join the League's fleet as a recruit. The missions take place in different space fighters, from the 1st person perspective in the cockpit or from the 3rd person perspective. The ships have separate displays for shields and armor, and the player must switch between weapons specifically designed to damage both. In the simplest case, purple lasers must destroy the target's shields, and then switch to red lasers that destroy the target. The game features advanced lighting and particle effects for the Playstation, as well as a basic simulation of Newtonian physics. The thrusters are only active as long as you hold down the acceleration button. The player can trigger his thrusters and drift, which allows for some advanced maneuvers. The campaign also features multiple endings and branching missions/plot lines that depend on your performance in the previous missions.
Story
In the fifth millennium, Earth's natural resources are exhausted. Therefore, the Earth Empire sends expedition sleeper ships to distant planets where natural resources are abundant and harvests them. The discovery of hyperspace technology accelerates the Empire's interstellar expansion. As the colonies become more prosperous, the inhabitants become dissatisfied as most of their mined resources are used for Earth. A peaceful uprising in the 47th century only leads to the leader of the Earth Empire, the Tsar, personally leading the destruction of a rebellious planet. Stunned by the carnage, the other colonies band together to form the League of Free Worlds, with a man named Father leading the fight. The Empire's colonial navy sends a fleet to attack the League forces in the Gallonigher system, but the League retreats with surprise attacks on the main planet Bennay. When the Navy overextends its forces to attack Bennay, the League lures them into a trap in a nearby asteroid belt, where the Navy fleet is destroyed. The game picks up several months after the so-called Battle of Bennay, when the player character signs up for combat duty with the League, which is mobilizing for war. If the player is successful in Gallonigher, the League will move on to the Draco system. If the player is defeated in Gallonigher, the League will survive, but will retreat to supply bases in the Diomedes system before launching an attack on Alpha Centauri. It is also possible to be sent to Alpha Centauri if you do badly in the Draco campaign.