SpellForce Platinum

cool

As an avid RTS fan my dream was always to get down there and do shit with my little cannon fodderlings. Thank you Spellforce Platinum, I salute thee from a 3rd person perspective.

Highs: A huge, and expansive story will keep you occupied for hours; the amount of detail is actually pretty startling considering it unique property not based on an existing fantasy world or book series. Six different RTS races to play with. Excellent, well scored soundtrack. Unique gameplay blending RPG and RTS elements. Lows: Some clunky translation and English language voice acting (I believe Spellforce was originally developed in Germany, and it shows). Graphic engine was a bit dated even when it came out. Some minor bugs. Characters move somewhat slowly given the huge expanses of the maps. Summary: I first got Spellforce: The Order of Dawn as a pack-in with a video card a few years ago, and it quickly became one of my favorite games. I am not a fan of traditional fantasy RPG games, but for some reason, this one really hooked me and I found the core game play of blending RPG and Real-Time strategy works well.

As an RTS, Spellforce is basic and a lot of fun. It plays like a simplified version of AoE. There aren't many options for units and the economics are simple with a variety of resources. The AI just sends streams of units at you with no regard for tactics. As an RPG, Spellforce is a slow paced hack n slash. Skill points and quality items are few and far between. The story is interesting, but it can get lost during the gameplay. As a combination RTS/RPG, Spellforce is a great way to spend an afternoon. Even with the drawbacks, the game draws you in. The simplicity of it makes it easy to pick up, and the pacing is just slow enough that there's time to enjoy the tiny details of the game world.

I have not yet completed Spellforce, but from what I have played, I have been enjoying it a lot! I feel like I am playing a mixture of Warcraft 3 and Dungeon Siege 1, but it does not have the feel of a clone of either game. There are but two areas that keep this game from being five stars for me. First, the voiceovers are a nice touch, but the actors used are mostly terrible at conveying emotion. This really takes away from my immersion! Second, some of the game mechanics are not very intelligent. Suppose you have a group of 3 healers, 3 ranged, and 3 melee units. If one melee unit takes damage, all three healers will expend their mana pool to heal him simultaneously when only one needed to cast. This example of overhealing is but one of the oddities in the game mechanics that create problems. Even so, the mechanic issues are not game-breakers, thankfully.