Mass Effect (2008, RPG)

A 3D Shooter made RPG

Graphics - 8.5
Sound - 8.5
Gameplay - 8
Difficulty - 8
Overall - 8.5

I know that Mass effect is classified as a Role Playing adventure game. But having played it and finished it i got the feeling that it was more a Third Person Shooter (TPS) game with Role Playing elements rather than other way around.

The story in Mass effect is undoubtedly one of the better ones. But it could have had a bit more twist and turn to it to sweeten it up. Gameplay is mostly based on TPS combat and rely very little on RPG elements. And although there are many side quests most of them feel like running errands than actual quests. Its likely that you'll fail a quest because you are unable to find a location rather than being unable to understand what to do next.

There will be plenty of fighting in ME.

The downside for me was the inventory which definitely gave you the feeling that this game was a port. In most PC RPG games you get a more complex inventory that mergers it self with different aspects of the game and even allows you to use items in quests. But this is not the case in Mass Effect . In fact you don't even have to bend down and gather up things since all items automatically go into your inventory as soon as you make a kill. Another annoying fact was that if the inventory was full there was no way to make room for new items unless you destroyed existing ones.

The Graphics , Voice Acting and Fighting is very good and is enjoyable most of the time. But there seem to be a few AI issues with enemy combatants relating to side quests. And then theres the driving. Occasionally on certain missions you'll have the pleasure( Or Displeasure in my case) of driving the "Mako". Although driving around in this thing should be a lot of fun, its definitely not. Fortunately you'll spend more time walking about than driving.

Meet the "Mako". Thankfully you dont spend too much time driving it.

The Bottom line

All in all if you're looking for more adventure and Role playing rather than Fighting then this game is not for you. But if you enjoy a lot of fighting and a little bit of Role playing mixed up with it then you should try this game out.

Imperium Romanum (Statergy - City Builder, 2008)

A game that could have been so much more

Graphics - 8
Sound - 8
Gameplay - 5
Difficulty - 6
Overall - 7.5

Rome has always been a imagination point for many city building games. Imperium Romanum can be classified as another attempt to give life to an ancient city that has fascinated us for many a year.

The game is your typical city builder. Build your city, keep your citizens happy and fight off the occasional barbarian horde are the basic goals. My first impression of the game led me to believe that this one, unlike previous games such as the Ceacer series, would have more emphasis on warfare. But i was disappointed to find out that it was not.

One of the more interesting aspects of the game is the use of Tablets. Each Tablet represents an Event such as a Good harvest a Plague or even a hostile invasion. You would expect that these events occur based real time such as the mission time. But its not. In fact you, are in control of the events that occur in the game. This is done by clicking on the Tablets that are available on each mission. For example a barbarian tribe would not attack your settlement when a a given time has expired. Instead it will attack you when you choose the relevant Tablet.

The game looks great and does give out a very polished up feeling. But it lacks innovation that would shake off that "been there done that" feeling. The lack of a proper campaign and the use of Tablets to give out missions take you away from the real time feeling that all city builders should have.

The Bottom line

Keeping the bad points aside Imperium Romanum would be a good game for all newcomers to this genre and would provide a decent level of satisfaction for those who are more experienced.

Sins of a solar Empire (Statergy, 2008)

An amazing game that enriches you

Graphics - 8.5
Sound - 8
Gameplay - 8.5
Difficulty - 7
Overall - 8.5

The thought of a Real time statergy game of massive scale has always been a exiting one. Especially when the background to the game is space. Over time there have been games such as "Conquest frontier wars" and "Sword of the stars" that have given us a glimpse of the potential of space RTS and TBS games.

SOASE can be classified as a combination of games such as "Sword of the stars" and "Conquest Frontier wars". The game takes place across multiple star systems where the obvious goal is to expand your own empire while at the same time ensuring the distruction of your enemies empire. Playing a game across such a huge battle feild can be a daunting task, however the games interface is designed well enough that managing your empire is as easy as a walk in the park.

May be the best choice here is a tactical withdrawal.

The game graphics look sharp and are able to cater even low end systems. Game play is smooth and battles look majestic. The units them selves have a fair amount of variety but i got the feeling that the game was missing level 3 ships. After frigates and cruisers the game only allows you to build capital ships which not only take up a lot of resources but are only available towards the end of the game.

Another interesting feature of this game is the leveling up of capital ships. Capital ships become more powerful and have more abilities as they level up. The game also features a well designed tech tree, Allowing you to boost your empire and explore new statergies. And for those hard core gamers Achivement points are up for grabs.

The AI however is something that needs a lot more polishing up. Most enemies will either fight or flee depending on who has the bigger fleet. The game also lacks a compelling storyline that would have been great but make no mistake, this game is so good that you will spend endless hours plotting, calculating and controlling your empire as you try to become the supreme ruler of the galaxy.

The Bottom line

Sins Of a Solar Empire is a game that is worth every penny.

Universe At War : Earth Assault (Statergy, 2007)

A game that promises much

Graphics - 7.5
Sound - 7
Gameplay - 7
Difficulty - 7
Overall - 7.5

From the beginning of its announcement UAW:EA has received a lot of attention. And I for one was looking forward to playing this game for a long time. But after having playing this game, i just cant shake off the feeling that this game did not deliver on its promise.

The story line is not great but its not bad either. In UAW:EA three alien races battle for control of earth. And each of them have their own agenda. You'll start off by playing a tutorial campaign as the humans. In which you understand very fast that fate of the human race depends on the three alien races battling out each other.

The fate of Earth will not be determined by Humans

For a statergy game UAW falls behind by allowing a very limited number of units to be present at a given time. A total pop cap of 90 is just not enough. As far as graphics are concerned the game looks pretty good. But you really cant enjoy the view because the camera cant be pulled back enough. The disadvantage of the camera is evident as you constantly have to use the mini map in order to manage your base properly.

The unique game play of each faction is definitely a good point. Each faction collects resources and manages its base in a totally different manner. This gives the game a lot of variety

Using a Walker is by far one of the high points of the game

You will also notice that for some reason researching is not available in the 1st 2 campaigns. And it appears that this limitation only applies to the player and not the opposition AI which was a bit of a let off.

The game also lacks good flying units with each faction having only one or at most two basic units. But the game makes up for it by providing you with a wide array of ground units to choose from.

The Bottom line

All in all Universe at war will provide you with a good entertainment but don't expect it to blow your mind off.

Dawn of magic (RPG , 2007)

A poor game with a horrible interface

Graphics - 6.5
Sound - 7.5
Gameplay - 3.5
Difficulty - 5
Overall - 3.5

The thing about RPG games is that you cant be absolutely sure about weather a game is good or not until you've played it for at least 5-6 hours. But the good thing about Dawn Of Magic is that you get a pretty good idea of how bad the game is very early on. And that's probably the only good thing i can say about this game.

With mediocre graphics, an average interface, boring story line and an absolutely horrible game play experience its not too hard to think as to why this game is not rated too highly. When compared to its competitors Dawn of magic falls behind heavily on all categories.

The Bottom line

With the amount of RPG games around you're better off playing something else than Dawn Of Magic.

Fantacy wars (Turn Based Statergy , 2007)

A refreshing game with smooth gameplay

Graphics - 7
Sound - 8
Gameplay - 7.5
Difficulty - 8
Overall - 7.5

In a time where Real Time strategy games have taken a hold of the gaming industry, most players look at Turn based strategy games with a bit of skepticism. And like many gamers , Fantasy Wars is such a game that i looked at with a considerable amount of skepticism. But having played through one campaign and half of the next one i must admit that i am pleased with what i got.

First things First Fantasy wars lacks many aspects to it that would have otherwise made it a fantastic game. Mediocre Graphics and Music, Fairy good Storyline and a unpolished looking interface hinders this game from obtaining its full potential.

Dont let the graphics fool you. Its the game play that makes this game attractive

But there are many more aspects that make this game more enjoyable as well. The game play is as smooth as it can be. From attacking on high ground to defending cities the game adds certain variables that always keep the gamer their toes. The inclusion of hero's, abilities and a fairly wide array of spells also brings in a few plus points for this game. And the fact that there were no bugs in the game was a real bonus for me.

The Bottom line

All in all you should play this game if you enjoy TBS style games and enjoy a change from time to time.

Neverwinter nights 2 : Mask of the betrayer (RPG / 2007)

All that you hoped it would be.

Graphics - 8
Sound - 8
Gameplay - 8
Difficulty - 8
Overall - 8.5

Let me start off by saying that i am a huge fan of RPG games and that the original NWN2 was a bit of a let off for me due to wide array of bugs within it. And because of that my expectations of NWN2:MOTB was not too high. But having finished the game, I now hold a completely different opinion about it.

Compared with the original the expansion is a huge improvement. Better graphics, Better Music and hell of a lot better adventure element brings back the true RPG experience that was missing in the original. And the fact that almost all of the bugs that were present within the original have been fixed was a huge relief for me.

The biggest downside for me was that the game was just too short for me to enjoy completely. And although there are a few new classes and prestige classes available all of the new ones just seem like a combination of the existing classes. There are some aspects of the game play also that was a bit of a let off But explaining those in detail may turn out to be a bit of a spoiler for some.

The Bottom line

The game is a absolute must for gamers who love RPG's. The game may be short but every second that you play is absolutely worth it.

The Settlers : Rise of an Empire (Statergy / 2007 )

Same old name... Same old game.

Graphics - 7
Sound - 7
Gameplay - 6
Difficulty - 6
Overall - 6.5

For me the settlers has always been a game that has been existing in concept. The idea of managing a city with a hint of fighting has always captivated my interest. But Alas This game falls short of filling the expectations i had about it.

Settlers is a city building game with a pinch of fighting tossed into it. And as it is with most games of this type. The objective is to build up a nice big city, protect it with your army and drive out enemy.

The focus of the game should have been resource management but the game falls short of providing a challenging enough environment for gamers to really engage into. The graphics, animations and sound are all better than the previous settlers. But its the game play is what really puts this game down. What is most surprising is that these errors were clearly visible in the previous settler games and have not been corrected.

For example in almost every mission you have to build your city from scratch, and this means wasting several hours of game play just getting your city up and running. The combat is also as lame as it has ever been and although a few new concepts and units have been added, the game still lacks the intensity of combat that you would have liked it to have. All other aspects of the game are pretty much average leading to a score of 6.5.

The Bottom line

If you have been a fan of the settlers series then you should definitely try it out. Else its better off trying out the demo first before launching your self into this game.