Assuming the role of interplanetary gun-for-hire Valdemar, you find yourself in the middle of a great mystery involving warring empires, mysterious "allies," and a chase after a mysterious superspaceship known as the Red Sun. As Valdemar completes missions, he earns money that can be used to upgrade weaponry needed for each increasingly difficult mission. Red Sun serves up an impressive array of weapons, including lasers, missiles, shields, and other countermeasures. Acquire enough cash and you will want to upgrade to a better (read: faster, sturdier, more expensive) spaceship in which to carry on the fine fight. Red Sun's sense of variety and customization ultimately makes this title one of the better space-combat games available on any platform.

As with the other Colony Wars games, impressive in-game movies help advance the story line. Still, we found these interstitial segments to be way too short to be truly effective. Also, while space jocks will love the spectacular explosions that enemy crafts leave behind during their demise, we found that many enemies are too easy to beat (which makes those explosions just a bit less impressive). It's hard to get too excited about a hollow victory. Perhaps the simplicity is due to complaints that its predecessor Colony Wars Vengeance was too hard (which indeed it was). We couldn't help feeling that many enemies were flying their fighters with their eyes closed.

Red Sun really doesn't add new gameplay elements that haven't already been seen in the first two games, but then again why fix what's not broken? Still, some innovation would've been nice. Despite the flaws, Red Sun is still a class production that pushes the (rapidly) aging PSX hardware as few other titles do. This game is worthy of your time and credits. Even if you missed the first two chapters, Red Sun's ease of gameplay during the initial levels makes this the most accessible title of the series. No doubt about it, even if you think the best space dogfights took place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, you shouldn't miss Episode 3 of the Colony Wars series. Colony Wars veterans and newbies alike will find that Red Sun, despite some issues, could make even Luke Skywalker green with envy. --Mark Brooks

Pros:
1.) Beautiful graphics, sounds, and music deliver the feel of a Hollywood space opera
2.) Wide variety of ships and weapons to purchase and sell when needed
3.) Appealing to both fans of the Colony Wars games and those new to space combat

Cons:
1.) Many enemies not very aggressive until late into the game
2.) Cut scenes are very brief
3.) No real revolutions in gameplay