| |||
|
Games A kind of magic�Spellforce� brings out the best in stagnant RTS genre By Matt Leppard Did you know : Rock star David Bowie wanted to play the Elf lord Elrond in the recent Lord of the Rings movies. GAME: Spellforce
Spellforce is a real hidden gem. If you look at the box � and ignore the scantily clad female warrior on the front � you�ll see that it�s a real-time strategy (RTS) game that borrows very heavily from the now-boring Lord of the Rings-style elves-and-orcs fantasy world. But it�s something of a gem, because if you can bring yourself to enter yet another world of magic, mysticism and mini-people gathering resources, you get a great game. Spellforce also nearly manages to bring a first-person perspective to the genre. It fails because the act of zooming in right up close to the characters can make your eyes melt and renders the game unplayable. But full marks to game publisher JoWood and developer Phenomic for trying, and every so often, zooming in is a temptation too great to resist. WHAT�S IT ABOUT?There�s almost no point in giving the introduction to the Spellforce story as it may put you off the game and isn�t necessary to playing it. But for those interested, 13 mages have destroyed their universe bickering over who�s in charge. Now it�s up to a good mage named Rohen to put it all back in place � with your help as a rune warrior. Unfortunately, balancing it all out is a dark mage who, predictably, has other plans for the universe. All of this is well and good, but after watching it the first time, I didn�t bother with it again. It�s unnecessary and actually detracts from the game. HOW DO YOU PLAY IT?Like Against Rome, also from JoWood, Spellforce is blessed with one of the best tutorials around. Normally, I skip tutorials reasoning that as I have a bachelor of science degree and can understand physics and stuff, I don�t need to bother with game tutorials. However, both Against Rome and Spellforce have proven me wrong, and the Spellforce tutorial really is necessary to get the most out of the game. Unfortunately, this is also where you will start to experience some of the game�s few low points: The voiceovers are embarrassingly bad at best, and sometimes you�re left to fathom what to do after the menu telling you what�s expected of you disappears. However, these few complaints aside, Spellforce is easier to play than most RTS games. All the normal stuff is there � instructing workers to construct various buildings, slaughtering deer, mining and the like, but the game isn�t complicated. Easy point-and-click fighting also stops this aspect of game play from ruining everything as it does in similar titles. As to the first-person perspective, zooming right in so the game becomes a role-playing game is a bonus; it looks sumptuous and really adds to the setting. Unfortunately, it�s as good as unplayable, but adds another dimension to a great game. THE FINAL VERDICTUltimately, Spellforce takes a tedious tale and transforms it into a good, solid game by taking the best aspects of the RTS genre and making them more playable. Actually, forget that, not more playable, just playable, and, more to the point, enjoyable. If you can put up with the lifeless voice acting and rubbish storyline, then Spellforce is definitely worth a spin. Hints and tipsBefore you even think about buying Spellforce let alone cheating, check out the official site at spellforce.jowood.com. If you like what you see and decide to shell out the 699 baht for the game, you might want to speed things along with the tips and walkthroughs at www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/ spellforce/hints.html. Vocabulary gem (n): in this use, a person, place or thing that
is especially good
| |||
-- Go to top of the page -
Go to Home page -- |
 |
