Grov
Reviews
Age of Wonders (Windows)
AoW sets the standard for future fantasy TBS-games.
The Good
Well, this is my favorite game of all time, and here I will try to explain why...
First time I played the game I was not that impressed, and put it on the shelf for a month. I tried it again later, and was hooked. The cartoon-like graphics which I found boring at first, after a while showed to add to the feeling of the game. And the large amount of units makes this game never boring, you never know what kind of ugly creatures youll find in a dungeon, and one battle is never like the other.
Also the music is the best music I ever heard in a game (it's made by Michiel van den Bos).
One fun aspect is also the play by E-mail feature. It's more fun than it sounds.
Also the support from the developers is great. They frequently visits the gamers forum and reflect on game suggestions.
The Bad
The AI could be better, and the map editor could have more story-telling features (even if the developers added some features after gamers suggestions).
The Bottom Line
A turn based fantasy game, taking place in a beautiful world with a lot of different creatures.
By Grov on April 12th, 2002
Rally Trophy (Windows)
Old cars are cool, otherwise same old rally-gaming.
The Good
The developers has really focused on developing the cars. The result is very realistic handling and sounds. It's great to hear that Saab V4-engine revs up, a classic sound to all rally spectators that remember the old days.
A fun thing is that these cars have either front- or rear-wheel drive. As all other rally games only features 4wd-vehicles, most players are up for a real challenge when driving a rear-wheel drive car for the first time. The handling is different for all cars and very realistic.
Because the cars are old, the game developers has been able to add some nice damage effects to the cars. Actually the nicest ones I've seen in a rally game.
The graphics are ok I guess, but are not special in any way. Just the kind of graphics you can expect from a rally game.
As I said, sounds are amazing. There are pictures on the rally trophy website, that shows the recording of the sounds. The pictures show a Ford Escort and a Mini cooper with microphones in the engine compartment, behind the exhaust pipe etc.
The Bad
Well, the championship option is the same crap as in all rally games. You must finish in the top 6 positions (why? please tell me why!) to continue to the next rally. You also have to finish first in some rallys to unlock some of the cars. All this is annoying, and the main reason why rally games has no replay value what so ever. Give us all the cars, all the tracks and a realistic rally championship option, please!
The Bottom Line
A rally game a bit more realistic and difficult than the others. Fans of classic rally cars will not be disappointed.
By Grov on March 18th, 2002
Etherlords (Windows)
Cool game idea, but some patches are seriously needed.
The Good
1. The inventive gameplay. The idea of computerizing a trading-card game works really good.
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Graphics are great.
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Music is great
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Many creatures.
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You can download other players decks of cards and match them against your own deck. This is probably the most fun part of the game.
The Bad
1. The strategic gameplay is not as fun as it could be. -
The AI is...not intelligent.
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Multiplayer only available in duel mode! You can't play hotseat either duel or strategic.
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No map generator, and no map editor.
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Since this is based on card games, luck plays a big deal. To big.
The Bottom Line
This is a good game, and could be fun to play around with until you get your hands on HoMM4 and AoW2. The game development was rushed to get the game out before christmas, and this is why there is no multiplayer abilities when this is written. But it is said that full multiplayer support will be added later. Also a map editor will be made available.
Buy this only if you're a hardcore Turn-based fantasy fan.
By Grov on March 5th, 2002
Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia (Windows)
Classic game, but graphics really need improvement.
The Good
Well, it's a fantasy TBS, what's not to like? :)
Addictive gameplay.
Good music.
Multiplayer support is great. Hot-seat rocks!
The map editor is great. The amounts of maps available on the internet makes this game last forever.
The Bad
The graphics are actually horrible, even in TBS standards.
The world map looks to unrealistic. Some people may say this doesn't matter in this type of game, but realistic surroundings add to the feeling of the game. Compare with Age of Wonders.....
The number of resources is too big. I never found all this resource-hunting funny.
The Bottom Line
It's a classic game that everyone should have played. It has its ups and downs, but when you play it you get stuck for hours, and a game like that can't be bad...
By Grov on December 21st, 2001
Sid Meier's Civilization III (Limited Edition) (Windows)
Same game as Alpha centauri.
The Good
I'm not a civilization fan, but still play a lot of turn based games, and think I have the right to review this game anyway....
In the beginning of the game you explore the continent you start at, and this is more fun than anything else in the game. You really want to know what's on the other side of those mountains....
Another good thing is the interaction between the different civilizations. The diplomacy system is very complex.
The Bad
What I don't like is the fact that I played this game a few years ago, then it was called Alpha centauri. It's the same game! Yes, the units have been changed and the graphics are beefed up a little, but basically it's all the same. You can wonder what took them so long to produce this game, when it's just a copy.
The game is sloooooow! On a big map the AI turns can last for 5-10 minutes (I'm not kidding, 5-10 minutes).
The city management is boring.
The Bottom Line
A bad copy of a game made several years ago. Only civilization freaks should think about buying this game, and even they may be disappointed.
By Grov on December 21st, 2001
Patrician II: Quest for Power (Windows)
Miss "Pirates!"? This one will keep you occupied... for half an hour.
The Good
The idea of this game is not completely new, it was done with "Pirates!" about 100 years ago... But still, it's has some nice new features.
Basically you travel around northern Europe with your ships, trading goods, and building trading posts in different cities. This is quite fun, you check around for prices and buy goods as cheap as possible, and see you treasure increase. The prices of the goods change with the different seasons, and Sometimes you ships are attacked by pirates, and you can fight them with your cannons (much like "Pirates!").
The towns are full of people walking around, and if you click them they tell you what they think of you and their town. Just watching them is quite amusing.
The Bad
It gets boring. Even though the game has many features like city managing and keeping a business together, it's to much focus on the trading. You can't buy fish and sell wood for a 100 times without it getting boring.
The interface is horrible and really anti-intuitive.
The english translation could be better.
To me it feels like this type of game started and ended with "Pirates!".
The Bottom Line
If you like historical games and trading games, and you find this game for $5 or lower, then you might concider it....
By Grov on December 20th, 2001
Motorhead (Windows)
A classic racing game, all racing-game fans MUST have played this
The Good
This game is a modern classic. Digital illusions really show off their extreme skills as programmers with this one. (I bought some Digital Illusion shares after playing this title, and man was that the best investment I have ever made :) ).
I usually don't like arcade-style racers, but this one is different. The feeling that you are going really really fast is there, and the cars are not glued to the road like in other arcade racers.
The tracks and the environment around them are nicely modeled, and the darker night-tracks have a nice feeling to them.
You can also "paint" your car in your favorite colors!
The Bad
One bad thing, not only in this game though, is that you don't get to drive all cars and tracks from the start. It's very frustrating to first drive the bad cars, then get to drive the not-so-bad cars etc. Just give us 10 cars that are all competitive from the start!
Also there is no view from inside the car! Gamers who wants realism and always use this view, will be disappointed.
The Bottom Line
A high-speed game with nice feeling and graphics. Any racing-gamer will like this one, both arcade and realism fans.
By Grov on December 20th, 2001