TerraWars: New York Invasion

TerraWars: New York Invasion logo.

TerraWars: New York Invasion is a sci-fi FPS developed by Philippine-based game developer Ladyluck Digital Media and was published by American publisher Tri Synergy on June 28, 2006. It features a single-player campaign as well as multiplayer modes for co-op, deathmatch, and team deathmatch. It was marketed internationally and originally retailed for $19.99.

The game is set in a post-apocalyptic scenario where aliens have invaded Earth, and the player must journey through Manhattan Island in New York City on a mission that could help win the war.

The game was met with mostly negative reviews.^{[note 1]}

Two Philippine newscasters from GMA Network, Vicky Morales and the late Mike Enriquez, voiced the characters of Amanda Lopez and Captain Morgan respectively.

The game was developed using LithTech Jupiter. It was a game engine developed by Monolith Productions and was first used in the FPS No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way. Some tools from the engine's previous incarnations, like LithTech Talon (example game: Aliens Versus Predator 2), can be used to perform game modifications like replacing in-game assets.

Other games developed using LithTech Jupiter include the live service Korean FPS games Sudden Attack (2005) and Combat Arms (2008).

TerraWars was met with a majority of negative reviews and is widely considered to be one of the worst games of 2006. The game was a Reader's Choice finalist in Gamespot's 2006 "Flat-Out Worst Game" award where it obtained 784 votes.^[1]

In November 2022, the entertainment website Screen Rant published an article entitled "The 25 Worst Video Games Of All Time, Ranked According To Metacritic". Its author, Christopher Hodges, ranked the game as the 21st worst game.^[2]

In an interview with Hackenslash in 2007, LadyLuck founder and then-president Luis Mañalac admitted that the game was not successful and said that it was "a learning experience" for them.^[3]

Ladyluck Digital Media had planned to release a live service sequel called TerraWars Online. Its development was eventually discontinued.

1. The game has a 24% rating on Metacritic as of February 14, 2023.

1. Gamespot's Best and Worst 2006 - Dubious Honors: Flat-Out Worst Game. Circa 2006. Gamespot team. Gamespot. Retrieved on 2024-05-23.
2. The 25 Worst Video Games Of All Time, Ranked According To Metacritic (snippet). Updated November 23, 2022. Christopher Hodges. Screen Rant. Retrieved on 2023-02-15.
3. Ladyluck strikes back with online shooter. 2007. Alexander Villafania. Hackenslash. Retrieved on 2023-02-18.