I'll admit that the idea for these games is incredibly novel and interesting - an RPG/adventure point-and-click hybrid. And with certainty I can say that no other games like it exist. However, the games are heavily marred by the adventure game aspect and ultimately make them extremely frustrating to play. I won't spoil anything, but there are multiple occasions where timing is crucial, and you're asked to do a series of tasks in rapid succession. Other than the frantic clicking you have to do (heaven help you play the EGA version and have to type the actions in), the tasks don't always make logical sense - it's more Sierra moon logic BS that worked it's way into these games. Ultimately, these games are an exercise in frustration. You'll get stuck and not know where to go or what to do next, and the frantic timing will have you save scumming all the time. If you must play these, avoid the EGA version of the first game like the plague - the combat system is about one of the dumbest and most frustrating mechanic I've ever seen. This goes for the second game as well - play the AGD Interactive version, with reworked gameplay and removal of the stupid alleyway system from the original. Certainly gives these games a try, as the idea is novel and interesting, but they in no way deserve the amount of praise they receive.
First the positives. Order of Battle: WWII sucks you in with exciting turn-based combat, a variety of unit types, and a combined forces air/navy/army control. The game looks good, sounds good, and the combat is fun. But then little things start to add up that make the game frustrating to play. First, there's no undo action when moving/attacking with your units. This would be fine except that often times the reason I want an undo action is because I've just misclicked. In order to deselect a unit, you need to either select that unit again or click far enough away so that you're out of movement range for that unit. This leads to the unit going somewhere you didn't intend to a lot of the time. Then there's the UI. Each unit has a bunch of stats (infantry damage, armor defense, etc.), but the game UI makes it unnecessarily difficult to access that info. Also, turn times are ridiculously long (can last 5 minutes) as you watch the AI move every single unit one by one. Finally, the content offered with the GOG version (the Pacific DLC) is horrible for a first time player. The first 2 missions involve evacuating the Philipines during the Japanese invasion. Ridiculously outgunned, your objective is to avoid being overrun for 25 turns while the Japanese send an army of tanks and infantry on your measly defenses. It's certainly an interesting challenge and I could see it being a blast once you're fairly into the game, but this is not fun for new players. No one wants to get blasted to kingdom come during their first campaign, they want to kick butt! Offer a more satisfying campaign for new players - Blitzkrieg as the Germans or Normandy as the Americans - something people can steamroll through. Pick this up on sale and you'll have fun for a few hours - but ultimately it's a mediocre war game. And I'm not even going to mention the Paradox-esque DLC pricing...
Wow. There’s a lot to say about this game. It can be hard to believe that a 30 year old game can make 50 hours feel like 5 mins, but that’s exactly what’s happened with The Black Gate. The world building and storyline are unparalleled, even today. Playing the previous titles isn’t required, as the game does a good job of introducing characters and immersing you in the world and current events. The story begins with a murder investigation and becomes so much more as you uncover the sinister happenings behind the scenes. The gameplay is incredibly sandbox. Whereas in modern titles, crafting a weapon or potion entails sifting through various menus, The Black Gate is fully interactive. It involves actually hammering heated steel in order to forge a blade, combining water with flour to make dough, and setting up glassware to make a potion. There’s even a location where you can gamble with various mini games. If I have any criticisms, it’s that the combat is a bit janky and the inventory is a complete mess. But these are small complaints completely outweighed by the rest of the game.
Excellent sound design and atmosphere with a fairly decent story. It’s a lot of fun running through a level taking stormtroopers down with the familiar sounds and soundtrack that makes Star Wars great. However, the game is mired by awful controls and poor level design. Where Doom excels in fluid controls and sensible level design, Dark Forces struggles with clunky controls that can make moving and shooting frustrating. Level design is often labyrinthine and confusing, resulting in a lot of wandering and backtracking. If you have the patience though, it’s worth playing to experience Doom in the Star Wars setting.
As a disclaimer: I hadn't played Master of Orion in the past, so nostalgia isn't playing a factor here. I have played many of it's descendants though (Stellaris, GalCiv, Endless Space) and I can say with certainty that MOO2 remains the best 4X space game on the market. Overall, the game leans into its strongest mechanic: the tactical combat. There is a wealth of different weapon types, modifications to those weapons, and positions you can place those weapons on a ship. All of which matters significantly (especially at higher difficulties) and which will change depending on the race you're playing and who you're fighting. Not to mention it's just plain fun taking a ship you've built from scratch into a tactical battle with other ships to absolutely vaporize them - or to find out which loadouts didn't work. The tactical ship design is truly unsurpassed and unlike anything developed since then. This is to say nothing of everything else MOO2 brings to the table - a decently competent AI, excellent replayability, many races to choose from, a custom race designer, tons of research options, etc. Get this game if you're even remotely interested in space 4X, or even generally in 4X games - you won't be disappointed.
