Dungeon Keeper 2

The Good
There is simply nothing out there like this game. Well, that's not true -- Black & White and Startopia come close -- but DK and DK2 were first. It's a RTS, it's Sim Dungeon, and more! And the evil narrator who advises you as the game goes on is wonderful, dryly funny when you're doing well to downright threatening when your game is going poorly...

The Bad
It's got a sharp learning curve, and demands careful perusal of the manual. Even then, you can have fun in the "My Pet Dungeon" mode, that lets you tunnel around and learn as you do.

The Bottom Line
The game is basically a real-time-strategy game, viewed isometrically, with some interesting twists thrown in by the ability of you, the Dungeon Keeper, to add traps to the tunnels you dig. You must recruit creatures through Portals you capture, and mine gold to pay them, and build rooms to house, feed, and entertain them while you get them to achieve your nefarious goals.

The Good
Dungeon Keeper 2 inverts the typical game setting, allowing the player to harness the forces of darkness and defeat the good. You do this in several ways including providing lairs to attract monsters, planting traps, and tunneling into the Hero Domains.

The story revolves around collecting crystals held by the Heroes, which would be better off in your taloned hands. Each level begins with your selecting another province on a map to attack. An omniscient voice tells about the current situation and what obstacles you may face and then you can begin building your dungeon.

Using imps, magically created creatures, you carve your dungeon out of the rock and then designate certain areas to be a room. Rooms include lairs, torture chambers, and combat pits. The rooms you have determine which creatures enter your dungeon. As you acquire creatures you have to ensure that they have a place to sleep, food to eat and money. They can also be motivated with a slap.

Most levels have the general objective of slaying all the hero creatures; some are more specific- requiring you to capture certain areas. A few are timed which provides a good challenge.

The game’s graphics are dated, but still very serviceable. The predominant dungeon view is an overhead shot, fully 3D and rotatable. You can also possess creatures and explore your dungeon first hand. While this is nifty and you can see how different creatures perceive the world, this isn’t that useful. There are certain actions that can only be handled in the First Person Perspective, but nothing vital. In the Possessed mode, you can also fight, but DK2 works poorly as an FPS.

The omniscient voice I referred to earlier provides hints and warning messages and provides some comic relief. The voice has a hollow, ominous echo that works well. Each room has unique sounds, the traps sound great, combat effects are fully realized. The AI is largely good, but I noticed that the enemy AI in the FPS mode was not as good as the overhead view.

The Bad
For me the biggest weakness in DK2 is its incompatibility with Windows XP. Some people have been able to run it, but since I’ve upgraded I haven’t been lucky.

I found some of the earlier levels to be too easy and starting from scratch every time was a little old. I also wish I had more control over the creatures in my dungeon.

The Bottom Line
It's a demented Sims or Majesty for the dark hearted.

The Good
Oh no! Another 3D game! I hate 3D games! Uh...hey wait a minute...this one's actually playable...hmm and no bugs either. Wow, if they managed to make a 3D game without bugs...then boy it's worth a try!

For some stupid reason, I thought Dungeon Keeper had to do with Dungeons and Dragons...which is why I bought it in the first place. Although I should've known from all the hints and clues starting from those 2 idiots on the cover art...ah...some mistakes turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

This is the first kind 3D RTS I've played. Some idiot on another review said this is a C&C clone? Either he's never played C&C or didn't pay close attention, or I'm the one who's blind. Either way, unlike C&C, in this game you actually welcome any additional difficulty or additional enemies that come knocking on your door - Bring it on!

A lot of RTS games are quite irritating when if comes to difficulty. To them (C&C, AOE, etc.), difficulty has to do with the enemies starting with additional resources, but less on actually difficult AI. In Dungeon Keeper 2, you don't have to worry about sudden sneak attacks early on the game that suddenly flattens your empire.

This game is all about tactics and strategy in the pure sense. In this game, your more of a "governor" than a military chief. Like other RTS, its a combination of building prowess and military might. Most RTS's focus on military might where buildings are just a means to an end. In Dungeon Keeper 2, its the other way around. Military might is mediocre compared to the importance of buildings. Your survival practically depends on your analytical mind of arcitectual engineering. You have to plan and place rooms as if your were a city planner. You have to maintain a balance of the various different rooms (buildings) you build that will eventually support your hellish armies. You can create various traps and defenses to defend your domain from enemy attack, while commanding your own troops to do what they were payed to do. The good thing about attacking in this game, you don't have to watch your troops 100% of the time. For some strange reason, I'm not complaining that I don't have full control over my troops...this coming from a military control freak. They must've done something good.

Another thing is that in relation to the story line (which isn't bad but needs work), I've discovered that there are bonus units you can have. Like priests and Dark Angels. Unfortunately for my IQ level, I failed to get them, but the game continues. So I had it a little difficult compared to those who followed the plot.

Last but not least, the game has a positive...er evil sense of humor. I really love that torture chamber. The cut scenes are so funny! My favorite is the monster using chickens as a double stick.

The Bad
Well, once in a while, I would wish for smoother graphics as those goblins and imps look kinda weird sometimes. But that would mean an introduction to whole hell of bugs, so I'm happy regardless.

I think the tutorial or certain special abilities need further explanation. It took me forever to find out you could actually convert enemies without killing them in the torture chamber. No one told me you had to heal them! Why would anyone want to heal a prisoner while he's being tortured? Little things like that would be nice to know.

The FPS (Possessed Mode) is kinda awful, playable but if you don't have to, don't use it. That's probably what the developers had in mind in the first place...wouldn't want to change the game more exiting as a FPS than an RTS.

The Bottom Line
You know, having horns may not be a bad idea...