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Armies of Exigo

Armies of Exigo is in my opinion the spiritual successor to both StarCraft and WarCraft 3, until StarCaft2 comes out or WarCraft 4 I will be playing Armies of Exigo. It is simply one of the best handling RTS games that I’ve ever played, and I played just about all of them.

We said at the start of the review that Armies of Exigo is in danger of disappearing under the huge mass of titles that arrive in the build up for Christmas. If you're a RTS fan though this is definitely one game you shouldn't just pass by. Graphically and technically it's a far more satisfying RTS than many you can buy and had we been unaware of who the developer was, I would have said that Blizzard had designed a game that combined Starcraft with Warcraft. Yes it offers only a little innovation and I suppose this will not impress everyone but as a RTS experience it feels very good and sometimes we just want a game that does most things right rather than a game that's full of innovations of which only a handful of them actually prove to be useful. If you're looking for a classic RTS experience this Christmas then avoid the big, franchised games and take a chance on Armies of Exigo. You won't be disappointed.

Armies of Exigo is een pracht van een spel. Supermooie cutscenes, veel aandacht voor detail op alle gebieden en zowel de muziek en geluidseffecten zijn een streling voor het oor. Bovendien speelt Armies of Exigo soepeltjes, je hebt het zo onder de knie. Heel vernieuwend is het niet, zeker de ondergrondse gameplay had wat beter uitgewerkt mogen worden. Met werkelijk unieke ondergrondse gameplay was Armies of Exigo zo goed als af geweest, nu vraag je je soms af wat het nut ervan is. Over het algemeen is Armies of Exigo echter een dikke aanrader, die wat mij betreft zelfs de beste RTS van dit moment mag heten.

There is a new Real Time Strategy game on the market and it wants nothing more from you than take up all of your time. This game is entitled Armies of Exigo and it is developed by Blackhole Games. What new features does this RTS offer that others don’t, and does this game have what it takes to keep you entertained during this busy holiday season? Read on to find out!

Armies of Exigo on tuotantoarvoiltaan näyttävä, erinomaisesti tehty mutta suunnittelultaan keskinkertainen. Jollei ole mahtavan brändin perillinen, peli joutuu ansaitsemaan arvostuksensa omin avuin. Ja siihen tarvitaan järeämpiä aseita kuin loistava alkudemo.

Pierwsze, co rzuca się w oczy po uruchomieniu gry, to piękno przedstawionego świata. Dawno nie widziałem tak wspaniale wyglądającej gry tego typu. Kraina fantasy czaruje gracza różnorakimi krajobrazami: miastami, wioskami, jaskiniami, lodowcami – wszystko jak z bajki. Zapomnijmy o 2D, czekają na nas pełne trzy wymiary. Do tego kod gry oferuje dość wysoki poziom interakcji z otoczeniem, który ma często bezpośredni wpływa na rozgrywkę. Tak więc, do strony graficznej produkcji nie mam najmniejszych zastrzeżeń. Przy tym wymagania sprzętowe są na bardzo akceptowalnym poziomie i bezstresowa rozgrywka możliwa jest na sprzęcie średniej klasy. Poziomy ładują się szybko, tak więc zapotrzebowanie na pamięć operacyjną nie wydaje się być zbytnio wygórowane. Liczba obiektów w ruchu często dochodzi do liczby dwóch setek, a mimo to, zabawa jest komfortowa – wielkie brawa. Zaznaczam przy tym, że modele nie cierpią na brak niewystarczającej ilości wpakowanych w nie polygonów.

Zum Teil knochenharte Echtzeit-Strategie im traditionellen Stil. Taktischen Tiefgang bekommt das Spiel durch die unterirdische Kampfebene.

Kampfschreie erfüllen die Luft, als die beiden Armeen in der Ebene aufeinander treffen. Die brennenden Geschosse der Katapulte reißen tiefe Löcher in die Formationen, doch die Menschen werfen nicht das Handtuch. Selbst als die riesigen Oger durch die Reihen fegen, preschen die Krieger mutig voran, weichen gewaltigen Keulenschlägen aus und treiben ihre Speere in die dicken Körper der Bestien. Ein Kämpfer in Rüstung steht inmitten seiner gefallenen Kameraden und überblickt das Schlachtfeld. Plötzlich trifft ihn ein Pfeil, feige abgeschossen in den Rücken.

Eine Geschichte, wie wir sie aus anderen Titeln kennen: Dunkle Elfen, finstere Ritter und weitere mies gelaunte Kreaturen wollen sich die Fantasy-Welt Exigo unter den Nagel reißen. Dazu schicken sie ihre Armeen auf die Erdoberfläche und legen auf ihrem Feldzug ganze Dörfer in Schutt und Asche. Nichts, was den Bewohnern von Exigo den Abschluss einer Altersvorsorge sinnvoll erschienen ließe - Grund genug, dem blutrünstigen Feind entgegenzutreten.

Fantasy RTS, a genre everyone will know by now due to the big hits, Warcraft 3 anyone ? The whole genre in known because the world is filled with creatures we don't get to see in normal life like orcs and elves. And of course there are always a couple of humans that are trying to lead a peaceful life in between this bunch of, mostly, irregulars who like most to kick everyone else out of their world. To this goal, schemes are made along with temporary alliances a volonté, all in all a bit like Belgian politics. EA liked the concept and therefore released Armies of Exigo, a game that gives you the chance to clear the world from all the evil that's roaming around. The question is only if Armies of Exigo can go beyond average or remains in the shadow of the big games that rule the genre. Find out in the following lines.

Armies of Exigo hätte ein Knaller werden können! Die abwechslungsreichen und packenden Missionen lassen mich ebenso wenig los wie die spannende Story. Zudem liefert das Spiel am laufenden Band bildhübsche Massenschlachten mit tollen Einheiten. Von der coolen Idee der zwei Ebenen ganz zu schweigen. Ärgerlich, dass es dennoch nicht zum Strategie-Superhit reicht: Der fliegende Wechsel zwischen zu einfachen und zu schweren Missionen nervt – und auf eine an allen Ecken schummelnde KI kann ich ebenfalls verzichten. Wem das egal ist, der bekommt langfristig motivierende Strategie in einer stimmigen Fantasywelt.

Exigo is undoubtedly a decent game. But unlike Rome, discovering this isn't quite so easy as installing it. Allow me to explain...

Armies of Exigo impose sa propre identité malgré ses nombreuses ressemblances avec Warcraft III. A moins d'être un fan intégriste du titre de Blizzard, vous y trouverez vite compte

It's not as polished or as expansive as Warcraft III, but Armies of Exigo's multileveled gameplay advances the RTS formula nonetheless.

What's got three well-tweaked races, a lulu of a real-time 3D engine, and more fantasy melodrama than Viggo Mortensen and Liv Tyler in a Gondorian sauna? If you said Warcraft, you're forgiven - it's the gold standard, after all. This year, however, there's a new kid on the block, and its name is Exigo -- as in Armies of Exigo. Despite its dripping homage to said gold standard, it still manages to distinguish itself with a mature game system, a prodigious (albeit predictable) story, and a few modest innovations that make this one of the better RTS affairs of 2004.

Armies of Exigo is zeker geen slecht spel maar haalt lang niet het verwachte niveau, en dat is toch wel wat teleurstellend.

Armies of Exigo seems to take too much from too many other real-time strategy games, and fails to capitalize and to create its own niche. However computer players tired of the WWII strategy games may enjoy the change of pace Armies of Exigo can offer, and hence a perfectly good reason to pick up a pretty decent game. I enjoy the game, and the online offers some decent replay ability, but the lack of innovation seems to do it in for me. I feel like I’ve played Armies of Exigo before, just like every other real-time strategy game. The biggest thing it has going for it is the ability to fight underground, and thus, attack from all angles at anytime, but this new feature just does not do it for me, and does not make me feel that Armies of Exigois innovative enough. I welcome it to a crowded genre, and look forward to a hopeful sequel to continue to improve the game, as this is a solid foundation to continue on.

Il était une fois un monde médiéval, où un Empire puissant régnait sur des contrées aussi heureuses que peuvent l’être des contrées dont les habitants ne connaissent pas encore le Star Academy. L’Empire est majoritairement habité par des Humains, ces créatures bipèdes si fragiles mais si imbues de leur valeur. Mais on y trouve aussi des Elfes et autres créatures chères à tonton Tolkien. Les ennemis de l’Empire se trouvent être des monstres regroupés sous la bannière générique des Bêtes. Orques, Trolls, Ogres et Hommes-Bêtes (à ne pas confondre avec les bêtes hommes) en constituent le gros des forces. C’est également un monde de magie. Sinon, le tableau ne serait pas complet. Un beau jour, une troisième faction vint à faire son apparition. Les Déchus sont des extra-terrestres peu amènes qui ne veulent pas spécialement téléphoner à la maison, comme ce bon vieil E.T., non. Ils sont plutôt là pour prendre leur part du gâteau d’un monde devenu soudainement très étroit. Vous préférez exigu ?

When you first take a look at Armies of Exigo, it's pretty clear what the developers had in mind - this is a Warcarft clone through and through. Which makes sense – the developers, Black Hole Entertainment, is a small formation of hardcore real time strategy geeks from Hungary. Not that this is a bad thing by any means, as Blizzard has been too enamored in MMORPGs to care much about their real time strategy fans, and WarCraft 3 left some disappointed. Armies of Exigo is unashamed of its roots, and mimcs Blizzard's classics to the point of near-copyright infringement.

Overall, while Armies of Exigo doesn’t reveal a lot of innovation, it has some entertaining moments. (And if you can last until the final campaign, one mission lets you control demons. Demons, I say!)

Cóż z tego jednak. Samą grafiką można się cieszyć przez pierwsze pół godziny może, a potem daje o sobie znać pozbawiony wyobraźni i oryginalności, toporny i archaiczny gameplay. Możliwe, że w jakiś sposób przemówi on do zatwardziałych fanów gatunku, ale szczerze mówiąc mamy teraz na półkach tak wiele naprawdę świetnych, zarówno w single jak i w multi, gier real-time-strategy, że ta akurat może zostać z czystym sumieniem pominięta, bo w zasadzie nie oferuje nic oprócz ogranych schematów – i piękna grafika nic tutaj nie pomoże. Na szczęście jest to tylko pierwsza gra zespołu Black Hole - może następne będą bardziej odkrywcze?

While there's nothing truly new or innovative in Amies of Exego, the game's developers have taken successful elements from previous RTS games, added to the mix some of their own features and produced a generally polished product. Not memorable, perhaps, but definitely playable.

Als je echter zoekt naar zo'n knap uitgewerkte retro-kick als Warcraft, Starcraft en Dark Colony … dan is dit jouw ding. Zoek je naar vernieuwing of een gestroomlijnde moderne gameplay, dan moet je het elders zoeken.

The perfect game for that nostalgic masochist in your life.

Despite its goregous graphics, this real-time strategy game seemingly ignores all the advances that the genre has experienced over the past several years.

Côté multijoueur, en revanche, on retrouve toutes les options à la mode et outre le classique deathmatch, il est aussi possible de participer à des captures du drapeau ou à une partie de roi de la colline. En revanche, on regrette un peu que le mode escarmouche se limite au deathmatch et que l'on ne puisse pas participer à des CTF ou à des King of the Hill en solo. Petite originalité tout de même : il est possible de faire une partie... d'échecs ! Non, vous ne rêvez pas ! Une carte reprend la disposition d'un échiquier et vous déplacez vos unités à la manière des pions sur un jeu de plateau. Un petit plus qui n'apporte rien au jeu en lui-même mais qui est assez sympa. En somme, on se retrouve avec un bon petit STR, mais il y a fort à parier qu'il ne fera pas date dans l'histoire du jeu vidéo comme a pu le faire un certain Warcraft 3 avant lui.

Apesar de ser uma obra bastante caprichada no aspecto técnico e se basear nos grandes jogos do gênero, o design de mapas pobre e a impressão de já ter jogado isso umas três vezes não ajuda.

Supposing you've never played Warcraft, Myth, or any other significant RTS game loosely based on Tolkien's fantasy universe and supposing you've never read one single page that JRR Tolkien wrote or seen a single trailer, let alone any of the movies from the LotR trilogy. Supposing that that is you, there is a slight, very slight chance you might find Armies of Exigo original. However, if you are like me and you've played all the games, read the book and watched the movies several times over, you'll find Armies of Exigo to be THE most blatant copy and probably the most plagiarized game you've ever played in your life.

AOE (for short) is a traditional, old school strategy game. It may not interest those that are fans of the new style of RTS games but it appears that it was developed to test what the old guard has learned after so many years of RTS gaming. I found this game to be more of an exam than a test. And by exam, I mean someone putting the rubber glove on.

Here’s to the fall guy. You know, the guy who gets stomped on instead of the hero, the one the villain rips to pieces just to show the audience that he’s a tough mother. These guys usually aren’t worth any words - they’re just fodder separating the good guy from the bad guy.