 |
| | Gameplay
Sound
 | | Graphics
Value
|
| |
| | Publisher: Virtual Programming  Genre: Adventure & RPG | | | Min OS X: Any Version CPU: G3 @ 350 MHz RAM: 128 MB |
| |
|
Everybody likes sarcasm, right? Apparently developer Mirage thought so when they developed Another War. After all, the amount of sarcasm abundant in AW blows any other RPG out of the water, far and away. The slapstick comedy and sarcasm soon get old however. Once that happens, AW turns out to be just another dull, uninspiring RPG with numerous tears that show painfully what Cenega took, and unfortunately didn't take, from other RPG's. It’s a shame Mirage does not know how to sew.Game play: The Circling Dance of Death After a poorly made cut scene that looks to be thrown in at the last moment recedes, you begin. Upon first stepping off a pile of junk scrap your driver calls a truck, you spy a secluded tavern revealed by the dull street lamps flickering bulbs. You walk inside, and find your friend. You know nothing but of what he wrote to you - except that he needs your help. A few mouse clicks and a lengthy conversation later and your friend and you are brutalized by a group of Nazis.With that spectacular intro, it seems AW started off fairly well. Too bad it only gets worse from there. It’s the sad fact that AW would have passed as "good" a few years ago but now in our current age with competing games such as Neverwinter Nights and the like, AW comes up as lacking. Another War is a full-fledged RPG, which means turn-based combat (or real time in this instance) and leveling up and outfitting your characters. A handy feature allows you to freeze time and issue commands to your character; this is especially helpful in large-scale battles that require precise strategy. That’s the explanation for the RPG newcomer. For the veteran, just rip the HUD and combat from Fallout and the mechanics of Baldur's Gate and you'll get a rough idea of what AW game play has and doesn't have. However, before you get to actually play, you must create your character. You first choose your particular character. The Strongman is self-explanatory - just don't go picking him thinking it means MP 40 goodness, because it doesn't. Most of the time he fights best with his fists. Next up is the Thief - fast and agile. This guy is proficient with pistols and picking locks. Lastly, is the Intellectual. Naturally, you would assume this nerd would be the equivalent of say a wizard but it turns out he delivers ass-kicking via rifles. After choosing your character, you must set aside a pool of skill points into seven categories. Strength, which determines attack power, weapon usage and the number of items a character can carry. Agility is a character's ability to inflict damage and his speed in evasion. Intelligence opens up extra information from NPCs. Endurance is a meter of how many injuries a character can take. Charisma is the influence your character has over others. Speed is how fast your character can move, and lastly, Luck influences the probability of certain events/combat maneuvers. The story itself one could care less about. You (the player) get a message from an old friend that he needs help. This friend of yours is an art dealer who got himself into some hot water with some ill-pleased Nazis. Upon meeting him, you are taken hostage. From here there are many twists and turns that build up to the climatic finale in the hellish icy tundra of Leningrad in search of ancient artifacts sought by the Nazis and the Russians. These artifacts’ mysterious power are unknown but it’s your job throughout the campaign to make sure whatever power they possess do not fall into the German’s grasp. It doesn't help that each character has incredulous amounts of text for you to read, even if they aren't important NPC's. These pages of text are very rarely voiced and instead the player must read through them, which normally wouldn't be a chore if you didn't have to hunt down pertinent information in the middle. You are given multiple reply options but most of the time it doesn't affect anything, which is disappointing. Players may find AW's storyline interesting, I did not however, as the driving force behind the character's actions seemed lacking emotion. The character's lack charisma and originality, and you feel little towards what happens to them. The one part of the game that at the very least kept me from catching some Z's was the sarcasm and humorous situations. The sarcasm just gets tiring and overplayed later in the game but I never got tired of the comedy. One instance in the game has you confronting a gravedigger in a cemetery. He expresses his inner pain to you, which is actually a raging ass ache, delivered by the blunt end of a Nazi's beat stick. His request? That you bring him some kind of crème or butt-ointment to ease his pain. A simple first-aid kit suffices. Its situations like these that *might* keep you interested but only if they were as numerous as the sarcastic quips. Perhaps the one unique take on the RPG genre AW has is the setting. Unlike fictitious fantasy settings, AW takes place in the 1940s during WWII. The impact this has on the environment is great, as everything has its foundation in reality and the weapons and characters all reflect that time period. Suffice to say, you'll be pumping Nazis full of Luger lead en mass.
|
|
