Hostile Waters was a real time strategy game released by British game developers Rage Games Limited in 2001 and was, in many respects, far ahead of its time. For a start it wasn't just an RTS but combined elements of vehicle command and even some rpg like elements into the game play. Added to this its plot, voice acting and level design were extremely evolved, such as to challenge many of the games being released now some eleven years later.
In the opening cinematic we're treated to the game's back story which has a world wide revolution starting in 2012 which brings an admittedly ludicrous prediction of peace and prosperity to the entire human race. Some twenty years later what little security apparatus exists in the benevolent world government discovers that a cabal of some of the former dictators have got their hands on advanced military technology and wish to, you guessed it, conquer the world. So far, so standard, you, the unseen player character is given charge of a vessel, The Anteaus, the first of the 'adaptive cruisers' which has been lying dormant beneath the ocean waves since the final battle of the revolution and told to get it up and operational again. Hence begins an extensive single player campaign in which you are introduced to a whole range of highly enjoyable staples of modern science fiction tropes - nano-technology which builds the fighting craft that you command instantly - soul chips in which the minds of dead combat veterans have been captured allowing you to delegate command of other vehicles - blue prints for an ever escalating series of more powerful weapons (indeed there are several missions where the acquiring of such is your only objective) and then the story takes a change for the strange and we get.... spoilers
An alien infestation to be combated.
As I said a lot of this is now pretty standard fair, but the entire package, for when it came out made for a fresh and exciting game, one in which the combat and story dovetailed into a memorable experience. Perhaps though the thing which lifted Hostile Waters up to being a cult classic was the verve of the voice acting. It had, for its day a fair large and eclectic cast. but at its heart were a trio of quite brilliant performances from British SF legends Tom Baker, Paul Darrow and Glynis Barber, who starred in Doctor Who and Blakes 7. Between the three of them it became worth playing the game over and again just for the pleasure you could get from their narration and dialogue. When you remember that this was also a great game (all be it with now sadly dated graphics) with involving missions and fantastic settings it's a little sad to realise that it was never made it that big. It was at best a sleeper hit, one which some few people remember with huge fondness but others, even dedicated gamesplayers from that era, have no knowledge. Still it went on to influence many other later games, not to mention, books and tv series, so I guess that's not too bad a legacy.
All the same if you can happen across a copy, and get it to work on a modern pc, no easy thing for sure, it's definitely checking it out.