Echelon
Developer(s)MADia Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)Windows
ReleaseMay 2001.[1]
Genre(s)Action, simulation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Echelon (Russian: «Шторм») is a 3-D science fiction flight simulator video game developed by Saint Petersburg developers MADia Entertainment. It was published in Russia by Buka Entertainment, and in all other territories by Bethesda Softworks.

Gameplay

Screenshot of gameplay

It involves flying futuristic fighters in combat scenarios. The game can be played locally or on a local area network with up to 32 players. The Russian version of the game is called "Шторм" ("Storm"). Operation: Matriarchy (also developed by MADia) takes place in the same continuity as Echelon.

Plot

In the game, you decide the fate of the entire Galactic Federation. The aggressors from the planet Velian, having new weapons that make them almost invincible, are trying to destroy the Federation and capture all of its colonies. The Velians are ruthless to those who are trying to get in their way. They calmly burn entire planets if they show resistance. The player will have to go from the cadet of the Training Center of the Air Force of the Federation to one of the best Air Force aces, who is assigned the most difficult tasks.

Development

The game went gold on April 27, 2001.[2] The game was originally called Storm but that name later proved unavailable. Pete Hines(Bethesda's director of marketing and public relations) and Bethesda's Todd Vaughn were given the task of renaming the game. One morning Todd came to Hine's desk and said, 'How about Echelon?' They liked the military reference and it just sounded cool, so they went with it, hoping there would be no conflicts. The name idea was sent to Brent Erickson, who was VP of development at Bethesda West the company's subsidiary that developed the Bethesda racing titles for a number of years. Erickson liked the name.[3]

Reception

Echelon received mixed reviews from critics. The game holds a 70% rating on Metacritic.[4]

Jim Preston reviewed the PC version of the game for Next Generation, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Credit to Buka for trying to combined two genres, but predictably it neither soars nor crashes."[9]

Steve Butts of IGN rated the game a 7.2 of 10 saying "In all Echelon is a very welcome addition to the flight sim genre. It takes an approach that most other developers have neglected. Still, the execution and design aren't entirely up to the possibility of the concept. You'll play it, you'll enjoy and, ultimately, put it aside for more traditional games that offer a lot more sparkle."[8]

GameSpot rated the game a 7 of 10 saying In spite of its problems, Echelon does hit close enough to the mark to offer some fast and flashy, but ultimately shallow, thrills.[6]

Awards

Echelon was nominated as "Sci-Fi Simulation Game of the Year" by GameSpot, 2001.[10]

The game was awarded game of the month by the company Matrox.[11]

Sequel

A sequel, Echelon: Wind Warriors, was released in 2002.[15] The game received mixed reviews on Metacritic.[12]

Controversy

There was controversy regarding the U.S release of the game in which Bethesda refused to pay MADia for boxed sales of the game.

References

  1. ↑ "News Briefs". IGN. May 12, 2001. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  2. ↑ "News Briefs". IGN. April 27, 2001. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  3. ↑ Bruce Geryk (July 24, 2000). "Echelon Preview". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 8, 2001. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Echelon PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  5. ↑ Taylor, Martin (October 11, 2001). "Echelon Review". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Osborne, Scott (May 23, 2001). "Echelon Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 1, 2001. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  7. ↑ William "Creamy Smooth" Harms (June 6, 2001). "Echelon Review". GameSpy. Archived from the original on June 30, 2001. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Butts, Steve (June 29, 2001). "Echelon Review". IGN. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  9. ↑ Preston, Jim (August 2001). "Finals". Next Generation. Vol. 4, no. 8. Imagine Media. p. 90.
  10. ↑ GameSpot Readers' Choice: The Best and Worst of 2001 Archived April 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ "Шторм - игра месяца по мнению Matrox". igray.ru (in Russian). May 22, 2001. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  12. 1 2 "Echelon: Wind Warriors Reviews". metacritic.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  13. ↑ Osborne, Scott (May 28, 2004). "Echelon: Wind Warriors Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 10, 2004. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  14. ↑ Mahood, Andy. "Echelon: Wind Warriors Review". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on July 9, 2006. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Echelon: Wind Warriors In Development". August 2, 2001. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
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