Fun game in disguise
Written: Apr 20 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: fun to play, scenarios are great
Cons: camera control, plot gets a little lost from time to time
The Bottom Line: If you like RTS, I think this one will excite you. It is better than most out there.
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| dmarusz's Full Review: Myth 2: Soulblighter for Windows |
Myth II is a hidden treasure that I almost missed. I tried this game because I found it in a bargain bin for quite a little. But, that is not why I almost missed it. After all, this is how I buy most of my games. Low price, easy system specs and fewer bugs (usually.) Oh, wonderful bargain bins. But, I digress.
The reason that I almost missed out on Myth is the game control. The largest problem of this control is the camera. Myth uses a unique, to put it gently, way to pan, rotate and center the camera. It is a hard system to control at first, and it takes a while to get used to it. I would say that the first 1/3 of the game I spent trying to control my camera while keeping my guys in view. I was used to the camera beyond this point but even then I would not say that it was second nature. I'm betting most people would find the same experience.
My "guys" that I'm trying to follow around with my camera would be the lists of troops in this real time strategy (RTS) game. It is set in the time predating cannons but not explosions. Huge dead and non-dead creatures fight for their world. Dwarves and humans are your kin. Almost everyone else is not. Your goal is to win nonetheless and keep those dead guys at bay.
So, you follow different sets of moving troops around with your hard to maneuver camera angle. This should not suggest that the camera is weak. It has good capabilities. However, it is just non- intuitive. This nature can seem even worse when other foibles in viewing come to present.
The main foible I had was the zoom. The zoom worked, but its effect was reduced. As you zoomed out, you changed camera angles from about 30 degrees from horizontal to about 45 degrees at full out. In effect, your view is reduced by taking on a more top-down look. This tends to counteract the idea of zooming out in the first place. You zoom out so that you can see more, not so all your men look like ants. You in turn never get to see the full amount of hordes that are bearing down on you without panning.
I think this 30 to 45-degree shift was, in part, used to demonstrate the actual 3-D space that this game delivers. In Starcraft, per se, the scenery looks 3-D but the model is not. You can never look behind something. Here, you can. From this point, the game is enjoyable. You will probably feel that you can look at any nook and corner.
The down side of true three dimensional space is that graphics suffer, especially in Myth II's time. The graphics are poor even compared to its time rivals. Trying to enhance the image though pixels or rendering techniques will not make it much better. In my case, it also made my mouse pointer start blinking. I actually played most of the game at the lower settings.
This game was not full of audio. It had a reoccurring music in the background but was sparse with sound otherwise. The sound effects were good and gave into humor when voice sampling. This mixed with the fact that blood sprayed everywhere in battle made me laugh often ... which now makes me wonder about myself. You can turn off the blood if you are worried about turning into me. Leave me to my shame.
The game playing experience, once gotten used to, is rather satisfying. It is not your standard RTS. You do not need to mine gold or tree chop. Instead, within each mission you are given a certain amount of men. Your goal is then to keep at least one of them alive and complete the goal. You might think that this would get boring but they mix and match objectives, and scenarios to keep it fun. So, you are not stuck doing the same "go here, attack, and take over this camp" rerun.
I also liked the level of competition. The game does not try to overwhelm you with the opposition. It's not a cake walk either. I think most would find it challenging and creative.
The plot of the game is good but, like with many RTS games, thin. You are given an overall map that they show you briefly between missions. After about the seventh or eighth, you have no idea where you have been or where you are now. I believe games should try to be more than a string of fights. Myth II slowly meanders above this line. There probably aren't even enough twists, turns and intrigue to satisfy most gamers. Overall, it probably deserves a B-.
After all is said and done, the good points remain enough to recommend this game to certain few. The game play and the fact that it is a nice break from the regular RTS, make me give this a thumbs up. It is a little unbalanced but like I said before it is a hidden gem. Although, with Myth III existing, it appears that this is not such a hidden secret.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
dmarusz
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Member: Dave Maruszewski
Location: Maryland
Reviews written: 56
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
Long live the comic book and PC game! At least for me.
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