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King Arthur himself lies ?t death?s door, laid low b? a mysterious, magical disease. Demonic beings known ?? th? Formori h??? invaded England, spreading chaos ?nd confusion ?n th??r wake. In th??? troubled times, William Pendragon, young son ?f th? king, m??t ride out ?nd unite h?? father?s shattered country.
Game: King Arthur II
Platforms: PC (Reviewed)
Developer: Necore Games
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Released: January 26th, 2012
MSRP: $39.99
If th?r??s anything th?t King Arthur II gets r?ght, ?t?s th? game?s idiosyncratic fantasy setting. Hungarian developers Neocore Games blend Arthurian legend w?th real history ?nd high fantasy t? ?r??t? a believable, complex world, full ?f scheming lords ?nd powerful faeries. It ???s a cynical, dystopian fiction ? don?t expect th?t greedy abbot t? h??? th? peasantry?s best interest ?t heart ? ?nd th? way th? game presents religious conflict (between pagan druids ?nd Christian priests) ?nd political infighting (between ambitious knights) ?? creative, nuanced, ?nd adult.
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England?s vulnerable provinces ?r? sumptuously rendered ?n th? game?s colorful campaign map, wh??h bristles w?th t?n? trees, miniature castles, ?nd creepy Formori spikes. Bathed ?n a somber, autumnal light, th? map even helps t? set th? game?s uncertain mood.
Unfortunately, looking g??d ?? map?s entire purpose. In contrast t? th? first King Arthur game, wh??h allowed players t? carefully manage th??r many provinces, King Arthur II provides l?ttl? ?n th? way ?f grand strategy. Players w?ll spend th??r time ushering William Pendragon ?nd h?? army through a largely linear series ?f quests. Th?r??s n? option t? split ???r army ? f?r much ?f th? early game, players ?r? confined t? a single unit stack ? ?nd intimidating Formori adversaries spend turn ?ft?r turn stomping around ?n ?l???, waiting f?r th? game t? deploy th?m ?n th? service ?f th? ?l?t. I lost track ?f th? number ?f times I spotted a juicy looking castle, r?ght ?n th? path ?f m? army, ?nl? t? b? t?ld th?t ?t ????ld n?t b? occupied ?t th?? time? f?r n? apparent reason.
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Questing ?n King Arthur II ?? a curious affair, a return t? th? days ?f text-based adventure. Wh?n ???r army arrives ?t a quest marker, th? game advances th? ?l?t via paragraphs ?f exposition ?nd th? efforts ?f a goofily overworked narrator. B? choosing between ?n array ?f different responses, players w?ll follow a branching path through th? ?t?r?, accruing bonuses ?nd penalties, depending ?n th? wisdom ?f th??r choices. In ??m? cases, th?r? ?r? even simple puzzles, mazes, ?nd detective ?t?r??? t? complete.
It?s a surprisingly fun system, b?t ?t exposes th? essential problem w?th King Arthur II: f?r a game th?t?s billed ?? a ?Role-playing Wargame,? th? developers ?r? clearly more comfortable ?nd effective wh?n th?? stick t? role-playing. Th?? ?? immediately apparent th? first time th? game whisks ??? out ?f a text-based interlude ?nd deposits ??? ?n th? battlefield.
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Th? prospect ?f Total War-style combat w?th fantastical unit types ?? ?n appealing one ? look ?t th? popularity ?f th? ?Third Age: Total War? mod f?r Medieval II: Total War. All th?t obvious potential, h?w???r, ?? r??n?d b? Neocore?s execution.
An uncooperative camera ?? th? real-time strategy mode?s initial mistake, m?k?ng ?t hard t? effectively position ?r even see ???r units ? th???re ?ft?n blocked b? th? game?s oversized UI, ?r b? th? game?s profusion ?f trees, wh??h ensure th?t much ?f ???r time fighting w?ll b? spent watching red ?nd blue outlines duke ?t out under dense foliage. Total War veterans w?ll miss familiar features, l?k? th? ability t? tweak rank ?nd file numbers using a simple click-?nd-drag. Useless, voice-acted alerts quickly become r?g?-inducing. ?Y??r men ?r? going t? die,? th? game repeats over ?nd over, until ????re ready t? shout back ?nd point out th?t a. th?? ?? a battle ?nd b. ?n battle, people generally die.
More seriously, th? game fails t? account f?r th? basics ?f th? tactical wargaming ?t intends t? deliver. Flanking provides n? discernible advantage, th?r??s n? fatigue meter (units w?ll r?n ?nd fight tirelessly, forever), ?nd cavalry never seem ?bl? t? properly charge. Moreover, th? crucial concept ?f unit morale ?? totally missing. Entire battalions ?f soldiers w?ll fight t? th? last man, even ?? th??r comrades die ?n droves around th?m. Instead ?f cagey, strategic battles won via clever tactics ?nd careful maneuver, King Arthur II delivers b?r?ng, insipid wars ?f attrition.
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A cursory look ?t th? game?s forums suggests th?t th? voice-acting ?nd morale problems w?ll b? eliminated ?n ??m? future patch, wh??h ??n?t come a moment t?? soon. In general, King Arthur II ?? riddled w?th bugs, n?t unlike another recent medieval warfare game, Firefly Studios? disappointing Stronghold 3. Purchasers ?h??ld expect t? contend w?th frequent crashes t? desktop, low frame-rates, ?nd ?t l???t one quest th?t gets stuck ?n ?n infinite loop, allowing n? progression.
Though th? game w?ll n? doubt improve w?th time, gamers w??ld b? wise t? avoid King Arthur II. Despite ??m? br?ght spots, th?? ?Role-playing Wargame? delivers ?n ?nl? half ?f ?t? promise ? th? less ?m??rt?nt half.
Pros:
- C??l setting
- Attractive, evocative graphics
- Quirky, ?ld-school RPG questing
Cons:
- Deceptively linear gameplay
- Limited strategic options
- Broken, unsatisfying combat
- Frequent bugs
Final Score: 40/100
Source: http://spotgames.info/king-arthur-ii-review/
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