Hacker Evolution

Publisher: exoSyphen Studios
Developer: exoSyphen Studios
Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Release Date: May 07, 2007 (EU)
Number of Players: 1 Player

We recently got the opportunity on a full copy of Hacker Evolution (from Giveaway of the Day [which I will talk about more later]), a new game about hacking for the PC.
The game has a lot of themes that remind me of the Matrix/that movie that had that computer named HAL. You play as Brian Spencer who is a former Intelligence Agent (AI backwards, pretty tricky) for the US. Set in the future, a new kind of internet connection has been made that allows files to be set at the speed of light. So that it messes with the Time-Space continuum and allows files to be sent before they are even requested. The game describes it as a Time warp digitally. When it was made, there was an AI put in place to make sure the internet technology never screwed up. And guess what? It screwed up.
It all starts when the NYC Stock Exchange got hacked (or at least that’s what the government thinks) and you have to figure out who did it. The game features a very very very helpful tutorial and is pretty realistic (with the exception of the crack and decrypt commands, it’s never that easy).

After going about the game, I find that it’s music is really helpful to keep the game fun (else you might go insane trying to hack the idiot who logged in to the exchange’s site right before the attack). Remember the game is extremely hard. Sometimes you have to guess (other times you have to cheat, which gets annoying). Money is also a problem in the game. Beware of high trace percentiles.

Hacker Evolution is a unique twist on the puzzle genre, as the puzzle this time around is figuring out the correct way to hack into a series of computers and servers to complete each mission. The story goes that by 2010, a new way to send information has been discovered that moves at the speed of light. Unfortunately, it starts to become sentient, and instead of destroying humanity as such a program might in science-fiction movies, it begins to cause chaos in an attempt to evolve and survive. Playing as a hacker, it's up to you to help set things right and restore order to the world's information superhighways.

For those who haven't played around in DOS before, there's a tutorial to help you get started in the game, but even with that tutorial, it's not an easy time. I did get stuck on one occasion and had to start over. The game looks good, though there isn't a whole lot to look at, and the controls are mostly keyboard-based, but if you get lost, they're just a help command away. All in all, Hacker Evolution is frustrating at first, but in the end, turns out to be a pretty decent game.

System requirements
Windows ME/XP/2000/2003 or Vista
Microsoft DirectX 8.0
Pentium® 1 GHz processor or faster,
512Mb RAM,
200Mb free disk space
16Mb DirectX 8.0
compatible videocard Microsoft compatible keyboard and mouse

Screen Shots

Download