Zuxxez returns to Earth

When German publisher Topware collapsed in February, a new company called Zuxxez was set up by former CEO Dirk Hassinger and a group of other Topware survivors to take over the publisher's games division and its Polish development studio, responsible for the Earth 2150 series. Four months later Zuxxez has launched its website with details of some of the projects it rescued from the chaos at Topware, including a range of real-time strategy games based on the latest versions of the Earth 2150 engine.

First up is Earth 2150 : Lost Souls, which picks up where the original game left off, with the Earth about to be destroyed and the remaining people fighting to get a place on the evacuation shuttles. As well as featuring another set of campaigns and new multiplayer maps based on cities such as Amsterdam, San Francisco and Vienna, Lost Souls will also come with a map editor and EarthC scripting system for creating your own units and campaigns.

Also on the way are a pair of World War games, both of which use the same basic engine as the Earth 2150 series. World War II : Panzer Claws takes you from the invasion of Russia in 1941 through the collapse of Italy and the D-Day landings in Normandy to the German's last-ditch offensive in the Ardennes during the winter of 1944-45. Meanwhile World War III : Black Gold goes for a more contemporary feel, with a selection of advanced weapons systems and a combination of land, air and sea units to command.

It's not all about 3D real-time strategy games though, and there are a number of other projects in the works at Zuxxez. If you are looking for something a little more sedate there is Jack Orlando, an unusual looking detective adventure set in 1930s America, and Knights & Merchants : The Peasants Rebellion, a medieval real-time strategy game. Looking further ahead, early 2003 should see the arrival of a turn-based tactical combat game called Rabid Dogs, which claims Jagged Alliance and the films of Quentin Tarantino as its influences.

For more details and screenshots of all the games, head over to the Zuxxez website