Posted February 10, 2010
No Mr Bond, I expect you to be subject to the brutal tourture of a Michael Jackson routine followed by cymbals to the head.
This game is simply fantastic, it could be said that it's not "up there" in strategy with Command and Conquer, but to put it in the same category is simply... well... wrong. It's a different type of strategy game, and even when played on easy it presents a hell of a challenge keeping your money in check.
Graphically the game resorts to using comic styles that simply don't die, it's slightly simillar to "The Movies" by Lionhead Studios in its cartoon simplicity (reminding all that Elixir Studios who developed this game were led by an ex-Lionhead prominent figure Demis Hassabis). The graphics can't really be faulted, still today I enjoy the cartoon styles, pretty and vibrant decor helps the game's 60's/70's stereotypical Evil Genius feel and all the characters look pretty damn cool, with attention to as much detail as you can have in a cartoon environment. Oh yes, and I'm running it on a laptop, notouriously innefective with games, but it runs smoother than my pinstripe suits... and that's saying something.
Gameplay wise, it is again, damn good, but... and there's always a but, it can be overcomplicated at times and there are some circumstances when the game gives you a situation not explained in the tutorial all of a sudden (such as the agents on the world map destroying your units) and such things certainly scared me off the World Domination Screen for a bit, innevitably leading to financial trouble. Secondly it can be a handfull, personally I like it, complication is my friend, but for the newer strategy player it's maybe not a great starter, watch various screens, agents breaking in, somehow blowing up parts of the base, power goes down, security blind spots, minions ignoring the agents until tagged, makes you want to tear your evil bald head off, but as I said, I like this, it's a plus for me but begginers might not want to try to hard on a first attempt, as you really need to play the main game to get the full ropes, not just the tutorial. It makes you think and really strategise at times, while others may allow you to enjoy an agent falling prey to your gas cage trap in the front door... MUHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Finally, soundtrack. I will keep it short. Exellent. James Hannigan who has composed for other epic audio games, Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 for example, does a brilliant job in bringing the vibe to your home, I bought speakers for my laptop and I'm happy I did. Thought the audio seems a fair bit louder on pause menus than in game, it was worth buying from G.O.G. as you can then download the soundtrack seperately and yes, it's that good.
So overall:
Graphics: 10/10: Simple, no screwing about, and hard to look dated.
Gameplay: 8/10: Great, but not perfect, rare glitches and sometimes overcomplicated.
Soundtrack: 9/10: Yes, I know I said exellent, but it's not a big soundtrack, short and sweet.
Overall: 9/10
Good looking, Very Fun and a simply overlooked strategy game. Worth every penny.
This game is simply fantastic, it could be said that it's not "up there" in strategy with Command and Conquer, but to put it in the same category is simply... well... wrong. It's a different type of strategy game, and even when played on easy it presents a hell of a challenge keeping your money in check.
Graphically the game resorts to using comic styles that simply don't die, it's slightly simillar to "The Movies" by Lionhead Studios in its cartoon simplicity (reminding all that Elixir Studios who developed this game were led by an ex-Lionhead prominent figure Demis Hassabis). The graphics can't really be faulted, still today I enjoy the cartoon styles, pretty and vibrant decor helps the game's 60's/70's stereotypical Evil Genius feel and all the characters look pretty damn cool, with attention to as much detail as you can have in a cartoon environment. Oh yes, and I'm running it on a laptop, notouriously innefective with games, but it runs smoother than my pinstripe suits... and that's saying something.
Gameplay wise, it is again, damn good, but... and there's always a but, it can be overcomplicated at times and there are some circumstances when the game gives you a situation not explained in the tutorial all of a sudden (such as the agents on the world map destroying your units) and such things certainly scared me off the World Domination Screen for a bit, innevitably leading to financial trouble. Secondly it can be a handfull, personally I like it, complication is my friend, but for the newer strategy player it's maybe not a great starter, watch various screens, agents breaking in, somehow blowing up parts of the base, power goes down, security blind spots, minions ignoring the agents until tagged, makes you want to tear your evil bald head off, but as I said, I like this, it's a plus for me but begginers might not want to try to hard on a first attempt, as you really need to play the main game to get the full ropes, not just the tutorial. It makes you think and really strategise at times, while others may allow you to enjoy an agent falling prey to your gas cage trap in the front door... MUHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Finally, soundtrack. I will keep it short. Exellent. James Hannigan who has composed for other epic audio games, Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 for example, does a brilliant job in bringing the vibe to your home, I bought speakers for my laptop and I'm happy I did. Thought the audio seems a fair bit louder on pause menus than in game, it was worth buying from G.O.G. as you can then download the soundtrack seperately and yes, it's that good.
So overall:
Graphics: 10/10: Simple, no screwing about, and hard to look dated.
Gameplay: 8/10: Great, but not perfect, rare glitches and sometimes overcomplicated.
Soundtrack: 9/10: Yes, I know I said exellent, but it's not a big soundtrack, short and sweet.
Overall: 9/10
Good looking, Very Fun and a simply overlooked strategy game. Worth every penny.