Review: Mount and Blade: Warband

Genre: Role-Playing

            Mount and Blade: Warband is a shining example of just how amazing games from an independent producer can be. Though visually it has the technical equivalence to that of a game made over five years ago, its engaging combat system is just as good as or better than any other role-playing game out today.

Gameplay

           

            In Warband, you can either play the single player campaign or multiplayer. In single player you gather and army and fight a range of enemies from bandits to armies of enemy kingdoms. Your goal overall is to control the most amount of land, which is almost always done by force. The majority of the game is spent fighting, and this is where the game is most enjoyable. What makes combat so fun is that you control every movement of your character from blocking to attacking. You also must choose which direction to attack or block, which can be very difficult if you aren’t paying attention to your enemy. At times, you may have a hundred or more people at a time engaging in battle, and it is these hectic times where you really need to think ahead in order to win.

            Multiplayer in Warband is just as fun as in single player, but also is far more challenging. It is recommended that you play through single player before you play online just to get familiar with all of the weapons and fighting strategies. Though multiplayer is very fun, it lacks any incentive for you to stay and continue playing like many other online games. There is no progression between games, you always start with the same standard choice of equipment each new game, and this definitely detracts from the experience.

Graphics

           

            You might be a little surprised to discover that Warband was released in early 2010 because of its lacking graphics. Though it is very basic looking, it isn’t horrible and many of the castles and stretches of land look nice. However, some areas tend to look a little too bland and barren, such as desert areas and forests. This doesn’t hurt the game too much since the main focus is combat after all.

Conclusion

            Poor visuals aside, Mount and Blade: Warband is an excellent game with a long lasting single player and challenging multiplayer. It is a good change of pace from the usual role playing game and anyone interesting in in-depth medieval combat should pick this up.

Gameplay: 9.0

Graphics: 6.0

Lasting Appeal: 8.5

Overall: 8.9

Review: Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Genre: Horror Adventure

            Real gripping horror is hard to come by in games. Usually most that claim to be scary offer short lived instances of shock or minor feelings of uneasiness. Amnesia however shows us how terrifying games really can be.

Gameplay

            In Amnesia you control your character in a first person view. The entire game takes place in a very large seemingly endless castle. You go through the castle solving various puzzles while avoiding getting killed by some unknown monsters following you. If you encounter one, the only thing you can do is run and hide. Your lack of any defense can really make you feel paranoid and uneasy throughout the game. Amnesia could benefit from more game mechanics other than running, hiding, and puzzles, but at least they work well here.

Graphics

            Amnesia is a dark game, a very dark game. You have a lantern however, but only a limited amount of fuel. The little light the lantern gives off combined with the dark halls of the castle make for a very creepy feeling. The castle itself is nicely decorated with nice rays of moonlight shining through windows. On a technical level, Amnesia looks good, but compared to other games out today it certainly isn’t near the best.

Conclusion

            Chances are Amnesia will scare you, and it will scare you often. The whole experience will last you about 10 hours with little to no chance of replay. Though it may feel repetitive at times, its amazing atmosphere and fun puzzles make Amnesia a great game that any horror fan should pick up.

Gameplay: 8.0

Graphics: 8.0

Lasting Appeal: 6.5

Overall: 7.9

Review: Sim City 4

Genre: Simulation

            Like its predecessors, SimCity 4 is a game of creating and managing your very own cities. You control ever part of your town from where roads go to how high taxes are. Though the formula hasn’t changed from SimCity’s initial release, SimCity 4 offers great new changes to the series that creates new levels of depth.

Graphics

            SimCity 4 is not spectacular looking. For a game made in 2003, it is decent with sharp textures when zoomed out a distance. However when zoomed in the game tends to look a little blurry. Regardless of this cities look nice with their good variety of buildings and vehicles moving around. It would be better if you were able to see the city in more than four viewing angles, but then again this is an older game.

Gameplay

            Basically you create a city in SimCity 4, big surprise. You start out with empty land and a set amount of money. You create roads, power plants, water facilities, parks, zones for people to build buildings, and what ever types of buildings you find in the average town. The strategy involved here is what to build where and when. Each area in town has certain desirability to it which relies on factors such as crime rate, pollution, and education. Rich people are not going to want to move into your city if you create zones for them to build near garbage dumps. Also, high tech industries won’t build anywhere near you if all of your citizens have an IQ of 50. The fun in SimCity 4 is managing all of these constantly changing demands and eventually creating the largest city you can.

Conclusion

            SimCity 4 can easily be played for hours on end. It can get frustrating at times, especially in large city scenarios where you are trying to expand more. Frequently it is nearly impossible to manage transportation and jobs at this point unless you think everything ahead completely. In any case though, SimCity 4 is an amazing city simulator that really tests your micromanaging skills.

Gameplay: 8.6

Graphics: 7.0

Lasting Appeal: 8.8

Overall: 8.7

Review: Myst Online Uru Live

Genre: Adventure

            Back in the early 90’s, Myst was one of the best selling computer games on the market. It’s easy to play point and click nature appealed to a wide audience back then and still does today. After four new Myst games, the final one was released: Myst Online Uru Live. Initially it was a pay per month title but after its disappointing start and near death, it is now offered for free.

Gameplay

           

            Myst games are all the same in that you are a nameless character who wanders around solving various logic puzzles. You can walk around, move levers, push buttons, read papers, look at diagrams and grab certain objects in trying to progress from level to level. The puzzle difficulty in game ranges from basic and straight forward to nearly impossible to complete. However, if you manage to solve one of these extremely hard brainteasers, you will feel very accomplished. The only thing holding the game back from being extremely immersive is its awkward camera and character control.

Graphics

            If you’re stuck on puzzles in Myst Online Uru, which you inevitably will be at some point, the good thing is that the game world is always very interesting to look at. Environments range from the desert to underground cities to fantasy islands in the sky. Each of these places are beautifully constructed with their own unique feel. Though the textures and lighting effects may not be the best, they get the job done and are enough to draw you into the game world.

Conclusion

            Lasting about 30 hours, or more depending on how much you get stuck, Myst Uru is an excellent free game. At first it may be difficult to understand how to play, with the game’s lack of any tutorial, but in time you will get the grasp of things. Some may be turned off by the puzzle difficulty, but they are all within reach if approached from a logical perspective. Myst Online Uru’s main feature is its engrossing environments and level design, and just for that it is worth a free download… and who knows, maybe you’ll beat a few puzzles.

Gameplay: 8.0

Graphics: 7.5

Lasting Appeal: 7.5

Overall: 7.9