You know those people that post 5 star reviews of games they played as a kid, ignoring whatever flaws or imperfections it might have in favor of simple nostalgia? Aren't those people annoying? ...yeahhhhhh. In my defense, not all the reviews here are obsessively glowing, and there are certainly some over-hyped stinkers on this site. And, keeping in mind this is a chess game, it's a good product. I learned to play from this, first being amused by the combat animations, then intrigued by the game itself. I was with the style of the additional versions, but still, a neat game.
I know how badly you want a modern day successor to X-Com. Believe me, I've been there. This one isn't it though. It looks OK on paper but not a single thing rings true to its predecessor during game play. Bad graphics, terrible voice acting and an ill-advised real time combat system make the game largely unrecognizable. Try one of the open source remakes (notably UFO:AI) instead while we wait for a commercial alternative.
Like a few other reviewers I've seen here, I bought this game based on the generally glowing recommendations on this site. I found, however, that there was surprisingly little of interest to do. There appears to be a large world with stuff happening and lots to do, yes, but nothing that compels me to want to do anything. Combat is unexciting, trading is unexciting, locales and npc's are somewhat lifeless. I just couldn't get into it. I readily acknowledge that this appears to be a great game for some people; but be warned before buying, you might not be one of those people.
I played this game on my cousin's computer when it was new, and then forgot the name and was unable to locate it again for years. Coming back to it was joy. The environment is imaginative and gameplay compelling. I do have a few nitpicks from a modern perspective. This game is hard; dying never loses you too much progress, but it will still happen with astounding frequency. Many of these are trial and error deaths, you must try different approaches until eventually one results in survival. Additional checkpoints are appreciated, though a save feature would still be nice. Puzzles are often frustrating as well, it not being clear what the goal is, or whether you have made success impossible accidentally. It remains a great game, however.
This phrase applies as well to the game itself as the numerous blocked paths and inaccessible places in the world. The scenery is pretty, but voice acting is bad, character models are atrocious (even by 2002 standards) and gameplay is... well, there isn't any. Puzzles are simultaneously trivial and obtuse. The story didn't really grab me either, contrary to what I've read in other reviews. There plenty of adventure games out there without glaring issues like these, so hit those before you feel the need to check this out.
