El-ad Amir @Iirion Claus
Reviews
Genewars (DOS)
Interesting idea, terrible strategy game
The Good
The game's idea is excellent; you need to find various animals, sample them, breed them and then attack your opponent with them. You can breed two different kinds of animals to create hybrids (flying Mules, anyone?), strengthen your animals by sampling others, and all sorts of tricks. A wonderful intro movie presents this idea to the player.
The Bad
The implementation. You have to micromanage three-four odd resource systems, while at the same time attacking your opponent with creatures you accidently manage to pickup. It's tedious, it's not fun, and it's boring.
Another problem is the game's special effects. Your team members scream whenever they need help, your animals do all sorts of terrible noises, the narrator has an annoying voice and the music... Don't even mention the music!
The Bottom Line
One of the worst real time strategy I ever played; too bad, because it could've been a successful turn-based game.
By El-ad Amir on April 29, 2018
Serious Sam: The Second Encounter (Windows)
Onslaught of action in great environments.
The Good
First, read the review for the part one.
Now, after reading... This is the sequel. It has the same advantages as the original; it does not cost very much and there is still no plot, but there are MORE monsters, MORE gore and MORE action. Additionally, the Second Encounter solves one of the biggest flaws of the original game- the constant Egyptian environment. You'll face many new scenarios, from lush jungles to fearsome medieval castles.
The Bad
The game has many battle scenes; while each one is original, some of them are very annoying, especially those that involve monsters zooming chaotically around the screen. Luckily, there are only two such short scenes in the entire game.
The Bottom Line
Still no plot and still no thinking required; just tap the mouse button as fast as possible, frag as many meanies as you can, and play till your head falls off.
By El-ad Amir on February 14, 2002
Death Gate (DOS)
An excellent adventure game
The Good
Unlike other adventure game (the classic quests, especially those from the house of Sierra) this game is not so "heavy". Dying is very difficult, and you'll have to do something completely absurd to die. Most of the riddles are straight forward and require logical thinking, and you'll manage to solve them without having to resort to walkthroughs. There are a couple of nice puzzles in the game, and they're challenging, yet not too difficult.
Two things caught my attention most. One, the voice acting. All of the dialogues in the game are voice acted, and it adds a new level of depth to the game- the player actually wants to hear all of the dialogues, rather than scrolling further.
The second thing is the magic system. Although you have a list of the spells, it's fun to build them yourself from the "runes" your character can use.
The Bad
The fans of the series will be disappointed from the transition. While the original characters remained, they have completely different roles, including the main character...
Somewhere in the middle of the game, one of the characters will reveal the entire plot to you. It's not very difficult to figure it out yourself, but silly to see the designers unfold the complete story in a couple of minutes.
The Bottom Line
Get it, play it. It's fun, easy and not frustrating like other adventure games.
By El-ad Amir on October 14, 2001
Diablo II: Lord of Destruction (Windows)
The Coolness factor.
The Good
It's a good, solid expansion. Many of the original requests for the game were filled, especially the need for higher resolution and more powerful items. The two classes add a lot of neat possibilities for the game, and there are enough tweaks for the old ones to promote completely new gameplay style.
The new acts deserves a mention. Unlike the later acts of the original game, it doesn't require hours of traveling in open spaces in order to complete it, but is rather very straight forward. If you liked the first act of the original game, you'll like that one too.
The Bad
It's the same old Diablo II, nothing out of the ordinary here. You go around the place, smack critters around, hope for good items, on and on for more and more addictive hours.
Another problem is with the game's economy system. As time moved on, powerful items became more and more common, and so Blizzard had to release the expansion with better items. Soon those items will become average on the hardcore gaming scene, and another expansion will have to be released- this is an endless cycle, and other than completely resetting the ladders the only solution is even more expansions.
The Bottom Line
If you're an avid Diablo II gamer, purchase the expansion; if you're going for the most powerful on-line character, purchase the expansion; if you're just having fun with the game, get the expansion.
By El-ad Amir on July 10, 2001
Startopia (Windows)
A rare gem.
The Good
Originality is scarce nowadays, with recycled ideas all over the gaming scene. Watching something fresh and new is very exciting. Startopia is fresh.
The game recycles many old ideas from Dungeon Keeper, Theme Hospital and Theme Park, but it has many new ones that make the game different from his ancestors. There are many areas you'll need to cover at once: crew recruitment, room and space management, trading with passing spaceships, and even conquering new sectors in the station. The interface combines all of those fields to easy to find, easy to use, friendly looking buttons, most of them one mouse click away.
Another GENIUS idea is the BioDeck. A third of your station is devoted to growing plants, and when you enter it you have four new buttons: land height, moisture, heat and water. By using these buttons you can create fascinating terrains, each growing its unique plants and attracting its unique races. You can build a high, snow-peaked mountain, looming above a nice pool, whose shore is as dry as a desert, and when the plants start blooming you end up with an amazing graphical display.
The Bad
The battle scenes quickly become very crowded, with lasers flying all over the place. Although they're not very fancy, thirty warriors battling each other lower the game speed considerably.
The Bottom Line
An excellent game that all gamers should at least try, and probably purchase.
By El-ad Amir on June 15, 2001
Emperor: Battle for Dune (Windows)
Yet another C&C
The Good
Westwood did a wonderful job creating a 3D strategy game. On one hand, you have useful features and neat units, with great graphics. On the other hand, you don't have to use all of those features, and gameplay remains smooth and straight forward. The interface hovers above the battlefield without hiding anything, and you can easily build and order units and structures.
The Bad
You can smell Red Alert at each and every action you do; the Ordos tanks even have Russian accent! Gameplay is identical to each and every other Westwood strategy game, with similar tactics and controls, similar units, similar tech tree and similar structures.
Of course, every Westwood game MUST have that one unit that spoils everything, much like the Mammoth on Tiberian Sun or the Kirov Airship on Red Alert. Well, Red Alert has about a dozen units to ruin your day, ranging from an Ordos unit that acts as a nuke for 2000 credits, through the teleporting Guild NIAB Tank that can destroy your opponent's base in seconds and then run away to safety, to the IX Projector that creates an identical replica of one of your units for free.
It seems that every Westwood game must have such units. It's not like they break the game, or make one side better than the other; they simply make it tedious, turning it from resource management and tactics to "who will get the super unit first". I'm all for uniqueness, as unique units and interesting ideas make a game fun, but until Westwood learn to balance their units, I will stay with other strategy games.
The Bottom Line
Don't bother unless you're a big fan of Red Alert, C&C, etc.
By El-ad Amir on June 14, 2001
SkyRoads: Xmas Special (DOS)
A terrible maps pack.
The Good
It's the same old SkyRoads, the good ol' game of jumping and accelerating.
The Bad
The new maps are a pain in the kisser. Some of them will require dozens and dozens of retries till you find that one missing fuel tile or manage to jump on the right moment while on full speed.
Some of the new maps are a COMPLETE disaster, and consist of several parts that each one will require dozens and dozens of retries till you solve them. Unlike the previous game, I gave up and finished only 27 of the 30 maps.
The Bottom Line
Unless you want to take this game is a personal project and waste a couple of weeks finishing all of the levels, just test it out and then return to the original classic.
By El-ad Amir on May 3, 2001
SkyRoads (DOS)
Fun.
The Good
It's fun. Thirty roads, ranging from simple dexterity games (do a combination of eighteen keys in three seconds, or you die) to maps that require thinking, innovation and a bit of intuition. You always know that when you're bored you can activate good ol' SkyRoads and play one of the levels you already finished a dozen times.
The Bad
About four of the puzzles are VERY frustrating, and the above combination of eighteen keys in three seconds becomes a tiresome reality. You don't HAVE to finish all of the levels... Or maybe you do? :)
The Bottom Line
You can download it for free from Bluemoon Interactive's site, takes about three minutes. Why not doing so right now?
By El-ad Amir on April 29, 2001
Abuse (DOS)
A brain sucking thrill
The Good
In my opinion, the most important thing in a game is the fun-aticism factor. Sure, it might be repetitive; sure, there are only five types of enemies or so; but it's so fun, you can't stop! You will find yourself frantically pressing on the arrow keys, jumping and shooting and jumping and shooting at several dozen enemies jumping on you from all directions.
Another neat option is the many weapons in the game, from the basic laser gun through the amazing flame thrower till the Star Wars Light Saber. You'll find yourself playing just to find the next weapon, if not for the ending.
The Bad
Some of the puzzles are nearly impossible! I found myself reloading the same level more than a dozen times in order to get the right combination of keys required. Luckily, those puzzles are rare, only two or three in the entire game.
The Bottom Line
Wonderfully made. This side scroller will be an excellent way to spend your time.
By El-ad Amir on April 27, 2001
Black & White (Windows)
One of the worst strategy game created lately
The Good
The game's general idea is very nice. Playing a God, "educating" your villagers and creature, choosing a moral path, etc. etc. Another neat option is the way you choose spells- each spell has an icon (for example, fireball looks like a spiral). If you want to cast a spell, you move your mouse according to the symbol, and then you can cast it- very efficient.
The Bad
The implementation. First of all, the game's interface is terrible. The designers wanted to simplify things, so your only way to control the game is by using the mouse, and placing various objects on various locations will immediately set them up to the appropriate role. Unfortunately, taking fifteen villagers and changing their job will require about forty mouse clicks... Which leads us to the next downfall- the game's micromanagement. Every little detail has to be managed by the omnipotent God, because the villagers are too stupid to take care of it themselves, so you'll find yourself delivering wood and food (the game's two resources) through a dozen villages instead of playing the actual game.
The Bottom Line
Good idea, but a terrible interface killed it. Don't buy it, rather save your money for WarCraftIII or Emperor.
By El-ad Amir on April 20, 2001
Serious Sam: The First Encounter (Windows)
The best FPS you'll play for a long time
The Good
EVERYTHING. Serious Sam is a game with nothing but action. The plot is almost non-existant, the puzzles suit 3-years-old, and the blood is flowing like a river all over the place. The only thing you'll do in Serious Sam is blow things up, with a variety of deadly weapons.
The game already has a powerful fan base around it, ever since its original demo was released. New maps and mods are created daily, and the top sites (whose links you'll find on the Related Sites section) are filled with tutorials which allow even the scrubbiest player to create cool additional features for the game.
As an added bonus, Serious Sam wasn't created by a well-known company, therefore it's published as a "budget" game- ie, it only costs 20$!! That's nothing compared to the newest 50$ monstrosities (like Tribes 2, another modern FPS)
The Bad
Nothing. This game is meant for the sole purpose of having fun and watching the gore fly over the monitor, and it fits this purpose well.
The Bottom Line
Who needs plot? Who needs thinking? Serious Sam is the 21st century reincarnation of Doom, with amazing graphics, powerful engine and great sound and SFX. If you call yourself a fan of FPS, or of gaming in general, go and buy it- NOW.
By El-ad Amir on April 11, 2001
Sacrifice (Windows)
Confusing at first, but amazing after some practice.
The Good
This RTS throws all of the traditional aspects of such games to oblivion. The point of view is completely changed, the resource system is almost completely ignored, and playing on a defensive "porcupine" strategy will be futile in the latest stages of the game or against other human players.
The game is all about combat, and you feel it running in your blood alongside the adrenaline, Coke and popcorn. You constantly run around, constantly cast spells, order your troops, and hope to make the right decisions under time pressure- because there is no pause in war. Although someone who just watches the game or the screenshots might find it unnerving or annoying, the player won't be able to get out of his chair after the first few minutes.
The Bad
For the traditional strategy player, who is used to top-down view like Starcraft's, controlling the game will be difficult at first. The minimap isn't very useful, and the only part of the battlefield you see is the location of your wizard- so defending against two enemies that attack from different locations will be troublesome.
Another problem is playing multiplayer games with more than two players. Once the host of the game dies, all of the game information is transferred to another computer (resynch) and it might take a while, espacially with slow connections.
The Bottom Line
If you're a fan of strategy game, give this one a shot. If you're a fan of first person or third person shooters, give this one a shot. If you consider yourself a gamer at heart, give this one a shot.
By El-ad Amir on February 26, 2001
Escape from Monkey Island (Windows)
A wonderful game, and yet a terrible disappointment
The Good
There's no such thing as "Monkey Island" without the excellent music. This time, the original MIDI theme got escorted by a full orchestra- including trumpets and drums. It's a pleasure just to hear the game... The character's voices are wonderful, with each character having a unique accent which adds a new layer of personality.
And, of course, there are the jokes- there's nothing I can say about them... They're there, they're nice (not very original, but nice) and that's about it.
The Bad
It's a lethel dose of Monkey Islandlessness... There are many qoutes and ideas that got ressurected from the original Secret of Monkey Island, and I simply don't feel it's a new game. I meet the same characters who has the same jokes (Carla and Otis?! C'mon...) I've the same opponents and the same challanges.
Another problem is the new point of view. The game has an odd, isometric 3rd person perspective, and the controls are odd and uncomfortable, resembling Alone in the Dark. Personally, I prefer using the mouse to point and click like a normal person, rather than running around with bowls of pretzels.
The Bottom Line
Or like I said to my friends- Monkey Island 5 will be...
Holocaust on Monkey Island - The First Person Shooter
By El-ad Amir on January 28, 2001
The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici (DOS)
Complex and intriguing.
The Good
The core of the game is its resource system. The player has to manage dozens of different resources, building a complex system of buildings that provide each other with the required supplies.
The Bad
The game's advantage is also its bane- the gameplay is very slow. Setting up the most basic colony can take up to 15 minutes, and then the real game begins, with the player building more and more different structures all around the map.
The battle system is very schematic, and the final hours of play end up with repetitively building military structures and attacking, without any thought or sense of purpose.
The Bottom Line
If you have a lot of free time, play this excellent strategy game.
By El-ad Amir on January 22, 2001
The Settlers III (Windows)
Tedious, boring and slow.
The Good
Much like its predecessor, Settlers 3 has a fascinating resources management system. You'll have to find your way through dozens of different buildings which can only be built under specific conditions.
The Bad
Unlike the intuitive and straight-forward way used in Settlers 2, this game is annoying. All of the buildings look the same, and you never know whether a building is well supplied or not. Additionally, you need special structures to get more workers, which adds to the general chaos, and there are no roads to ease management.
The Bottom Line
The new graphics are great, but losing some of the original's mechanics was a mistake.
By El-ad Amir on January 22, 2001
Metal Fatigue (Windows)
Wonderful idea, terrible implementation.
The Good
BOTS!! Everybody likes gigantic robots with big swords, that chop through other gigantic robots with big swords. The game has neat robot mechanics- you choose parts to construct and then combine them together for a robot, and you can steal parts from opponent's robots.
I also liked the three maps system, the game works on three planes in the same time (ground, air, underground), with each plane having its own advantages. This opens a lot of space for strategy, because you have to control all three planes (or at least two of them) to have any fighting chance.
The Bad
The game is too average. It has average graphics, average music, averge (and predictable) plot... There are a lot of interesting ideas, for example, the robots, intriguing resource collection system, combining defense structures and others, but the overall game isn't flowing: you don't feel any progress when you advance in the game, just more and more boring missions.
The Bottom Line
If you're a diehard real time strategy fan and you tried all of the popular games (or, if you like GIANT ROBOTS!!) grab this game and give it a try; otherwise, it's not worth it.
By El-ad Amir on December 30, 2000