Often overlooked, this classic is a true original. I cant think of any game since that has tried to emulate it, wich is strange when you consider hwo much fun it is. Strictly speaking it is an RTS, but with RPG elements attached. The growth of your main character is decided by the choices you make during the campaign. This mainly takes place when picking missions. Initially, you will be welcomed by all five gods, and they all offer missions for you. Picking a certain god will give you a summon and a spell at the present tier from that god. So your spells and creatures will vary very much depending on your coiche of diety(s). But beware, the "good" gods wont like it if you side with the evil ones too much, closing of their paths. Dont worry too much though, the gods play their own games and make alliances above your head. Opportunities for shifting alliances and backstabbing might come from unexpected sources. The coolest thing about the game is how different the story is experienced when you replay and choose different gods/missions. Play the game in a certain way and you will encounter the antagonists "right hand" early and often. Pick different missions and you will never encounter the scoundrel, only hear rumors. A common complaint is the difficulty of the game. This 100% dependant on your choice of missions as that control what creatures you can summon and what spells you can cast. Adding insult to injury, some missions are just plain easier or harder than the other choice. If you want easy mode, make sure to pick the mission that lets you summon gnomes. Rather slow ranged unit, but their attacks are instantaneous(!) and never miss(!). Summon these in high numbers, focus the enemy wizard first and you will win any map(except the last one) by soul attrition warfare.
While not as good as the first game in the series. It is nonetheless a good game. The story and characters are good and tie in with the first game. This is actually more of a prologue, and i wont spoil it. It does, however, avoid making you feel like an errand boy/rat killer. The biggest plus is world(s) design and i can recommend people to play through the game only to witness all of it/them. Most changes from the first game bring to closer towards a single player MMO. Gear dropping randomly with common/rare/epic tiers, well aside from set items. Chachter evolution is done with talent trees complete with respeccing. This can really change the way you do combat. Caster, Melee, Summoner, etc. Sadly, melee is vastly better than the alternatives, especially with passive lifedrain on hit able to fully heal you each time you use your melee ability. But the others are fun enough for early/mid game until you realise that 5-10min fights could be 15-30sec fights.
This is game is outright amazing. You go into it expecting a hack 'n slash game, but it surprises you with so much more. If this game needs to be compared to any other, i would compare it with the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Especially playing through it on the PS3. Yes, you read that right, Zelda. OoT is so present in the game, you might wonder if it is a reskin+upgrade. Dungeons mimic the old temples with puzzles, fighting and bossbattles rewarding a heartcontainer. The worldmap looks very similar and shares mechanics aswell. Your items include a boomerang(shuriken), the bow(gun) and even a hookshot as well as many others. And ofcourse, you get a horse that you can use that bow... -errr gun, from. Like OoT, progress of the story is linear, but the world is packed with secrets and upgrades. Piece of hearts exist with new names and the system is adopted to also work with your power or "wrath" bar. Skulltulas are replaced with Legion tokens but work the same way. There is also a "sidequest" to give you a great, op upgrade ala biggoron sword. Play it yourself, and you will see many, many more similarities. Combatwise, the game is very smooth with many evolving/growing moves. High mobility and and interesting foes will keep you on edge, atleast if you play on the higher difficulty. The combat is too easy otherwise. Theme-wise, youre on the now devasted earth where mankind is extinct following a war between Heaven and Hell. Lots of religious references and a slightly gothic(not the game) feel while you stand off alone against both factions. Be the biblical Frank Castle!
Nothing short of the pinnacle of fast paced, pure fps. Set in purgatory. Spectacular.
