First off I want to say I'm not a fantasy general veteran, in fact I can't even remember playing the original game. So I went into it pretty blind. So my review is based on that. I bought the game because I watched a bit of lets plays and thought it looked interesting and the reviews both here and on Steam were amazingly high, so I took a shot at it and normally for me with any sort of strategy game my first activity is to go to the skirmish and multiplayer modes (if applicable) to see what is on offer. Right there was the major let down. The way they sold the skirmish mode quite honestly underdelivers massively. Which makes me think that the primary feature of the game is the campaign and it is primarily pitched at fans of the original and not really anyone else. While I haven't touched the campaign yet the skirmish is very shallow and not even remotely worth anywhere near what the asking price is. The campaign might be good but paying $57 AUD for just a campaign of a not-particularly deep game is not at all worth it. Moreover on the Steam forums the devs mentioned that there was play by email support, which might exist but all of the multiplayer is locked behind "online-only" DRM. Which is my final gripe. I buy games on GOG to avoid DRM, even with multiplayer (Remember offline LANS? I do) and an increasing number of their releases are relying on online services to facilitate multiplayer. For this game you have to login to "GOG" service (Which can't be done offline) or Slitherine which is a straight login. Despite the fact that a game like this would normally have a hotseat mode or could implement play by email in a way that does not require a login. For now I'd say hold off on purchasing this and/or wait until it's heavily discounted.
This is a great game and I have it on steam and have enjoyed playing it on and off since it's released. (I pre-ordered it there) However aside from the game itself, this game suffers from a growing trend on GOG which is that it is not in fact 100% DRM-free. It falls under the category of playable without DRM, but only in single player. The multiplayer aspect is completely locked to the Paradox multiplayer platform and is locked behind a paradox account login screen. There is no direct IP or LAN play. The game cannot be played in multiplayer without an internet connection and logging in. That is a form of DRM. So the game while great, if viewed under the auspice of GOG and it's DRM-free pledge, this is a subpar release. As I said though, this is an increasing trend with GOG games where the MP is locked behind either GOG Galaxy reliance, forced internet connections or in this case an actual login screen. If the game needed this to function I could probably forgive it but I can't think of any reason why such a system would be needed for any purpose other than DRM. TLDR: So the game is great, this release not so much.
First off I want to say this is a great game. Very cute and very fun to play. The game play is solid. If I was to give a review based on the game play alone it would likely be a 5. However I shop at GOG strictly to avoid DRM. Avoid it like the plague. This includes any and all third party services that render a product non-functional OR limited. Sadly like many games coming to GOG now this one falls into the limited category. To play multiplayer in this game in any way, shape or form you need an internet connection to connect to 'matchmaking service'. I am being deliberately vague as that is literally how the game presents it. Doesn't even seem to have any additional functionality other than being a third party service that you HAVE to connect to for any multiplayer. Now you might think "Why is that an issue?" My answer would be, because that is a form of DRM. It is a system by which the multiplayer portion of the game is only functional with the internet. So if you wanted to play the game in a non-internet based LAN. You are out of luck. I think GOG really needs to revise how they present these games and remove the 'multiplayer' tag and replace it with 'online multiplayer' or even just 'online' as there are plenty of old games I play multiplayer in a LAN that do not require an internet connection. I get the need for ease, I even get the need to have matchmaking. What I do not get is how a company can stick by the DRM-free when forced third party matchmaking is DRM. It might not be heavy handed DRM but it is still "You want to use this feature of our product, you connect to our service". That is DRM. What happens in 5-10 years if the matchmaking goes down? I don't like gimped products and I'd like to be warned in the future if such a product is to be gimped. (limited) in such a way.
First off I want to say, like many others I've been waiting for this game to hit GOG for a very long time now and I absolutely do not regret the purchase and would encourage anyone to purchase it as well. There are caveats though. This is NOT the original version. Now I know what some might say "What are you talking about!? YES IT IS!" well, no it's not. Awhile back (I think a year or two ago now) IG2 was 're-released' for tablets/phones. I actually bought it for the phone because while I own the original disc version it isn't very Windows 7 friendly. The tablet version was basically the original with updated HD graphics and control schemes to make it functional for mobile. THAT is what this version is. That isn't to say it is significantly different from the original, quite the contrary. The thing is because this version is that version it has a few issues that clearly need to be worked out such as resolution issues that require editing a config file to fix (Not difficult so not a priority) as well as hotkeys not working properly. (namely the speed keys which if you're an old school player of IG2 you'll know they're absolutely essential) The positives are that the graphics being HD look a crapload better than the original. They are smooth and crisp and the game actually plays very well in that. Now one additional change that I wasn't going to mention but I decided I would is that the multiplayer has been changed. I tried it locally with two computers to see how it worked and the truth is I'm not entirely sure what the design intent behind the multiplayer is, it seems to be like many older RTS games such as WC3 where it limits you to ONLY LAN play. As in there doesn't appear to be any DIRECT IP play now. Which coincidentally means no internet play (without GOG Galaxy? not sure) unless you use VPN/tunneling. A slight disappointment, but better than no multiplayer like the tablet version. Still a 100% worthwhile buy. Will give 5 stars when issues are fixed.
Like other reviewers, I own this on other platforms. The DRM is one of the reasons I don't play it more. Luckily the GamersGate version with patches can be less DRM menacing, but the DRM still exists in the install. I would love nothing more than to get this DRM-Free but it's overpriced here, especially when you already own the game. The game itself is very solid though. Will probably get it when it is on a significant sale.
