Posted April 28, 2010
Bust out your credit cards, folks....THIS is the game you have been waiting for. I have been playing computer games since Tombstone, on my Texas Instruments TI-99-4A. Processors have been Commodore 128D, 8088, 286, 486, and five different Pentium-based computers.
I cannot tell you how many PC games I have purchased...it truly is in the hundreds. Out of ALL the games I have ever play, across all platforms, across all genres, THIS IS THE ONE!
What makes it so good? Hmmm...where to start.
One part civilization builder. Settling towns is a blast. There is an excellent tool that tells you EXACTLY what your max population will be over a given square, along with the production, and gold bonuses. This eliminates the guesswork, while also educating you on what to look for in determining where to settle.
The monsters running around the countryside force you to make difficult decisions on when and how to build more military units...each may also require food and or gold to sustain. You just cannot send a settler out...it will be chewed up in a hurry!
So. Guns or Butter. Develop that Farmer's Market, and get more food per turn, or build that Sawmill, and create Longbowmen! You can't develop just one or two towns, as they just won't generate the revenue to pay for the upkeep for various facilities. It is a delicate balance between expansion, and military conquest.
The title of the game has "Magic" in it, for a reason. Magic is a resource, to be managed...the amount, your skill, research, and use in combat. The use of magic is both strategic, and tactical.
Developing your initial skills is quite a minigame in itself!!! Determining what schools of magic you want, in addition to the other skills you have provide a near limitless number of permutations.
In closing, I have invested as much time in this game as any other game I have ever played...followed by World of Warcraft, Sim City 3000, X-Com, Civilization IV, and Railroad Tycoon 2. Throw in Master of Orion, and a few others. I have NEVER looked forward to repurchasing a game more than this title. Buy it. Now.
I cannot tell you how many PC games I have purchased...it truly is in the hundreds. Out of ALL the games I have ever play, across all platforms, across all genres, THIS IS THE ONE!
What makes it so good? Hmmm...where to start.
One part civilization builder. Settling towns is a blast. There is an excellent tool that tells you EXACTLY what your max population will be over a given square, along with the production, and gold bonuses. This eliminates the guesswork, while also educating you on what to look for in determining where to settle.
The monsters running around the countryside force you to make difficult decisions on when and how to build more military units...each may also require food and or gold to sustain. You just cannot send a settler out...it will be chewed up in a hurry!
So. Guns or Butter. Develop that Farmer's Market, and get more food per turn, or build that Sawmill, and create Longbowmen! You can't develop just one or two towns, as they just won't generate the revenue to pay for the upkeep for various facilities. It is a delicate balance between expansion, and military conquest.
The title of the game has "Magic" in it, for a reason. Magic is a resource, to be managed...the amount, your skill, research, and use in combat. The use of magic is both strategic, and tactical.
Developing your initial skills is quite a minigame in itself!!! Determining what schools of magic you want, in addition to the other skills you have provide a near limitless number of permutations.
In closing, I have invested as much time in this game as any other game I have ever played...followed by World of Warcraft, Sim City 3000, X-Com, Civilization IV, and Railroad Tycoon 2. Throw in Master of Orion, and a few others. I have NEVER looked forward to repurchasing a game more than this title. Buy it. Now.