Rate the game: the initial verdict of Orgahs

[Doug-Thompson]

I gave this puppy a 10.

Is it perfect? No. Is it the best historical strategy game on the market, in any format? Absolutely. Is it a vast improvement over RTW in every regard? Absolutely.

Were our complaints and requests taken seriously and addressed? Absolutely.

Did CA turn away from fantasy and drop laughably stupid units like Egyptian chariots in Roman times and bare-breasted warrior witch women who shriek while their hair's on fire? Yes, Yes YES, thank the mighty gods of computer simulation, yes. Bull warriors and such nonsense have disappeared, an absolute triumph in the fight for plausible historical seriousness and not having your game spoiled by obvious, ludicrous fantasy elements.

The tactical combat is not up to the realism and detail of such hard-core sims as Combat Operations, for instance, but it's far, far better than RTW. Movement and kill rates now make generalship in these battles mean something.

Last night, I made a mistake in a battle and the AI quickly and appropriately punished me for it. That was refreshing. I'd left my general's unit alone, something I commonly did on RTW, and the enemy's crusader knights lunged for him. It was too massive an assault to be random. I had to fight hard and won the battle, but lost my general. I also had time, though not much, to do something.

This game is head and shoulders above RTW, it's only competitor at this level of history-based gameplay.