Dune 2000 (1998) - MobyGames

Dune 2000 is a remake of the classic Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty, updated for Windows. In this real-time strategy game, you can play one of the three houses: the noble Atreides, the insidious Ordos, or the evil Harkonnen. Each has different sets of units and tactics while maintaining an overall balance. The Atreides have air superiority and rely on their honor and alliance with planet natives, the Fremen. The Ordos rely on guerrilla tactics and superior technology, as well as mercenaries. The Harkonnen just go brutal, with no care for lives of their own troops or destruction, as long as they are victorious.

Unlike the original, the cutscenes happen after every mission, with a live-cast this time, like already seen in Westwood Studios' Command & Conquer franchise. A 16-bit colour mode is the default setting, setting the game's graphics on par with the Command & Conquer games that came before it, while an 8-bit colour mode is available as an option in the game's settings.

Everything from the original is back: sandworms, the spice, the Fremen, the known structures and the map of the planet, and even the intro cinematic is an enhanced live-action/CGI version of the original one.

Continuity

There are references to Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty, of which Dune 2000 is a remake: the manual says that the mentat Ammon of House Ordos was executed. Ammon was the mentat who assisted the player in the Ordos campaign in Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty. This makes Dune 2000 seem like a sequel and not just a remake.

Fremen language

There is some Fremen language heard in the videos. For example in the Atreides campaign, when Noree Moneo gives coffee to Kari, he says "Subakh ul kuhar" (Are you well?). When he mentions the Fremen hostages, Kari says "Tahadi al-burhan! Taqwa!" (Ultimate challenge! Price of freedom!).

Frank Herbert created Fremen words as corrupted versions of modern Arabic, showing how they will evolve in the future. For example "subakh ul kuhar" is from modern Egyptian "Sabah El Kheir".

German version

In the German version, death cries were removed and the blood which shows up after killing an infantryman was colored black.

Online servers

The game's online servers were migrated from the official Westwood Online infrastructure to the community-run XWIS (XCC WOL IRC Server), under approval and sponsorship from EA's German office on 20 October 2005. The Westwood Online domains have acted as a redirect to XWIS services since then, requiring no additional steps from the user to access the servers short of registering an account.

Sequel

The game Emperor: Battle for Dune is a direct sequel to Dune 2000. The beginning of Emperor: Battle for Dune shows the Ordos ending sequence from Dune 2000. This the first game by Westwood Studios in which the victory of the evil side is made part of the canon.

Universe errors

Although the game is based on the Dune universe and follows its background, the scenario doesn't fit in the timeline established by the novels. For example, there was no emperor Frederick IV, and Arrakis was not the place of war between rival powers. The Atreides campaign mentions Duke Leto, indicating that the timeframe is that of the original Dune novel. In Leto's time, the emperor was Shaddam IV.

While the House Ordos is inspired from the Dune Encyclopedia, their insignia seen in the game is not the one shown there, but the insignia of House Wallach.

In the Atreides cutscene where the Fremen Kari is introduced, Noree Moneo tells the player: "She's Naib... Fremen Death Commando". In Herbert's novels however, the Death Commandos are called Fedaykin, not Naib. A Naib is the leader of a sietch and is typically male.

Information also contributed by Boston Low.