SpellForce 2 - Anniversary Edition

*Spoiler Free* Despite already owning the gold edition, I decided to buy this for the promise of bug fixes, given how much of a buggy mess the steam version of Faith in Destiny is. First thing, Not all of the bugs are fixed. In fact I have yet to see anything changed from Gold. Some camera issues are still there, and there are still a few typos (eg, the Pact Tower description still says "Tower of the Realm"). Therefore, I have decided to judge this as nothing more than an engine update. It looks shiny. Not 2017 graphical standard, but slightly better than the gold edition. I still love the design of some of the units, particularly the Pact. Gameplay wise, it is a Hybrid RTS/RPG, but I always play in the RTS camera angle. You can equip items and choose abilities to be a warrior, mage, tank, necromancer or a jack of all trades. Its fun. Though the main bulk of your strength is your army itself, the Avatar and the heroes are essential for victory, and good resource/base management is something that needs to be learnt, although not to the extent of Starcraft. This is a lot more casual. The campaign is still fun. The voice acting can be a bit poor at times for minor characters (just listen to Sentry Rottgar in Norimar), however the major characters are fairly decent. The Major characters are fairly interesting, and the story is relatively ok. You will recognize some things from Spellforce 1. Free game is definitely my favorite thing in these games. I don't like how the Dragon storm version starts you at level 15, as I prefer to start from the beginning and work my way up. The Free game isn't exactly balanced for it, as the first few missions can be completed with literally just your Avatar and a few heroes. Meanwhile the normal version, where you start at level 1, doesn't allow you to play the Shaikan. Why could they have just not merged the two? Would I recommend it. Yes. Yes I would. As long as you like the previous spellforce games. Or RPGs AND RTS games.

This is my favorite game of all time. I've spent 30 years playing almost exclusively RPG games, with only a few strategy/RTS games thrown in. Nothing has captivated me like this game did. Not Elder Scrolls, not Fallout, not Mass Effect, not Dragon Age, not The Witcher, not Infinity Engine games. I still can't get over the fact that I had the most fun out of all of them with a RTS/RPG hybrid. As other have said, this is not the best RTS, and it is definitely not much of a RPG, but it combines the two really well. My favorite feature - and I honestly think this is why I like this game so much - is the fact that you can zoom down from overhead RTS view to over-the-shoulder RPG view. It is actually possible to play most of the game as a third-person RPG, only zooming out to get your RTS elements up and running. The best part about the RTS, in my opinion, is the ability to zoom in and see your troops fighting en-masse in 3D. Eat that, Skyrim civil war 10 soldiers per "battle" nonsense. Since you are a hero and not just an invisible general, you can rampage about buffing and healing your soldiers, or nuking the enemy like a badass. The balance is well done, since you are much tougher than the RTS combatants but you cannot easily charge into the fray because several enemies will deplete your health in no time. If you are a RTS fan you might not like this game because it is definitely not a challenging RTS. However, if you are a RPG fan like me, you may find this game a great change of pace. I've played through this as RPGy as possible and the RTS elements enhance rather than detract from the experience. You want to be Gandalf in the battle at Minas Tirith? This game gets you closer to that feeling of "Hero in battle" as any other. Tip: lean towards magic in your skill choices, or at least be a hybrid - straight up melee gives you fewer options in combat. Oh, the included add-on is very good too.

This game is a decent follow-up of the interesting but flawed Spellforce. The graphics are better (though not impressive) and the game is still this interlinked islands in which you sometimes use only your heroes, sometimes you build an army. Though the game is a bit slicker, we still find the same problems that the first Spellforce had : clunky interface, non-existant AI, rather unresponsive units, and above all terrible writing (or localization ?) and horrible voice acting. The plot is serviceable but really formulaic, so don't expect a lot here. The RTS part is pretty weak though, in fact much weaker than Spellforce 1 one, which was just as broken but more ambitious. Overall, there is a feeling of well-meaning but somewhat amateurish work, and again the worst problem is the writing/dialogues, which are often downright confusing and in all case pretty mediocre, feeling more like pretexts than actual lines a real person would say. Yet, the varied maps, a very solid length, a rather evocative world and the ability to make the player's imagination fill in for the game's shortcoming manage to make it a somewhat pleasant experience. I wouldn't really recommend it, but I can't say it's bad.

SpellForce 2 is a rare mix of RPG and RTS game. You are in control of group of characters, but a few of them (heroes) has their own inventories, skills, etc. You can also gather resources, construct buildings and create armies, like in typical strategy. Take this atypical mechanics, mix it with great soundtrack and nice graphics (for a 2006/2007 game), and you will have one of the most unique experiences in PC gaming ever. Brilliant game!