If you like the board game, wait for the next edition
Written: Jul 30 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: can play alone, new rules
Cons: slower, glitches and bugs
|
|
|
| martytdx's Full Review: Axis and Allies For Windows |
NOTE: This review is for those who have already played Axis and Allies in the board game. If you would like to read my review of the board game, use this URL: http://www.epinions.com/kifm-review-603C-B78C3CF-3984CDED-prod1
I was introduced to Axis and Allies in college, after being a long-time Risk fan. Those childhood hours of playing Risk with friends were still fresh in my mind when a new friend asked if I had ever heard of Axis and Allies. I hadn't and figured I would play.
I got killed, of course (although it was a dice-dependent game, there is a bit of strategy involved. First timers are pretty much doomed.) So I started playing the game, and was hooked after that first time.
I played all through college, where there was usually at least one or more people who would get involved. After college, however, getting several friends together to play a board game for 5 hours had proven MUCH more difficult. So, when they finally came out with a computer version of the program, I snapped it up.
The computer is NOT a human, and that is perhaps the most sorely obvious problem with the game. The graphics are nice, and most of the feel of the real game is there on the PC. You still play the basics in much the same way as in the board game. But there are some major pros and cons of the computer version:
PROS:
1) You have a whole selection of new rules to choose from. These allow the game to get more interesting, and in some cases actually improve on the original. Examples of this are allowing subs to submerge to avoid attack, giving battleships two hits before being destroyed and allowing parajumpers in bombers. Most of these 2nd Edition rules are great bonuses.
2) Single player & Multi-player support. No longer do you have to get a group of friends together to play. You can play single player or get your friends to play online. There is even a feature to email moves back and forth.
CONS:
1) Computer AI is BAD. It is rare that I have lost a game - and usually that is because of a single battle that goes horribly wrong. Even playing against the '5-star generals' on the other side is hardly compelling.
2) Hard to see whole board at once. The way the screen is designed, you get to focus on one portion of the globe to make your units easier to see. However, this often makes you overlook something going on in another area, even if you try to scroll across the globe.
3) LONG TIME TO PLAY. Not only is the AI not all that challenging, it is slow as well. Much of the gameplay can take quite a while to go through, sometimes as long or longer than the actual board game!
Overall, the game is enjoyable to play, particularly if you like to win. But it gets tired quickly because the AI is just not challenging enough. I have even tried stacking the odds and still usually win. I haven't used the multi-player feature because none of my friends want to do so, so I don't know how that is. But I do know that given the choice, give me a table and the board game over the PC & software version.
I have heard that there is a new version (Iron Blitz) out that addresses many of the problems of the original version, but I can't find it anywhere. If I do, I guess I'll review that as well!
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
martytdx
|
 - Top 200 |
|
Member: Marty
Location: New Jersey
Reviews written: 478
Trusted by: 177 members
About Me:
Doing what I can to try new places, restaurants, books and beers.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2008 Shopping.com, Inc.