Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Black & White 2
Platform: PC
Release date: 10/07/05
Published by Electronic arts
Black & White 2 is a god-sim, calling on you to lead your people to take control of a series of islands. Your followers participate in a range of activities at your bidding, based around the principles of gathering, building and fighting.
The game judges your actions and decides whether you are a benevolent or malicious deity. The way you treat your people will inspire them to act accordingly. Be kind and they will be peaceful and calm, or torture them and watch as they become savage and war-like. You choose, if you wish, to follow a path of diplomatic civilisation-building, or lead your people into bloody conquest.
What Black & White 2 falls down on is its control system. Your will is represented by an amputated floating hand. This single method of interaction is used in all areas of the game, quickly causing frustration as the hand is slow to respond in situations where fast action is demanded. The hand is also used to control your point of view and proves equally inadequate to this task. The difficulty in focusing on a section of the map where action is taking place can lead to you arriving a few minutes after your last follower has died.
These issues cause Black & White 2 to feel unsatisfying, leaving the player praying for something more substantial.
Matt Stone
Platform: PC
Release date: 10/07/05
Published by Electronic arts
Black & White 2 is a god-sim, calling on you to lead your people to take control of a series of islands. Your followers participate in a range of activities at your bidding, based around the principles of gathering, building and fighting.
The game judges your actions and decides whether you are a benevolent or malicious deity. The way you treat your people will inspire them to act accordingly. Be kind and they will be peaceful and calm, or torture them and watch as they become savage and war-like. You choose, if you wish, to follow a path of diplomatic civilisation-building, or lead your people into bloody conquest.
What Black & White 2 falls down on is its control system. Your will is represented by an amputated floating hand. This single method of interaction is used in all areas of the game, quickly causing frustration as the hand is slow to respond in situations where fast action is demanded. The hand is also used to control your point of view and proves equally inadequate to this task. The difficulty in focusing on a section of the map where action is taking place can lead to you arriving a few minutes after your last follower has died.
These issues cause Black & White 2 to feel unsatisfying, leaving the player praying for something more substantial.
Matt Stone
# posted by Matt @ 5:45 AM 
