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Whilst the Xbox has many first person shooters and racing games, there is one type of genre that has seemed to be forgotten…until now. What is it? Real Time Strategy. Why are there so few? Mainly because the control system for this type of game is more fashioned towards the PC than a games console. This problem has now seemed to be solved by Jaleco.
The story is simple enough, five clans occupy the Goblin planet Ogriss, each responsible for collecting resources in their own area for the great machine being built by their human master, Fraziel, that is until one day Fraziel disappears causing each clan to be cut off from each other, creating suspicions, dividing loyalty and sparking inter-clan warfare. In other words….chaos. Your quest begins as Grommel, the Stonekrusher commander who must unite all the clans and unravel the mystery surrounding Fraziel’s disappearance.
The game starts you off with one clan – The Stonekrushers, but as your progress you eventually get to lead five clans (three of them into battle), each with their own skills and strengths. At the start of each mission or chapter in the story, you are presented with objectives; these can vary from destroying the enemy to searching the surrounding area. The very first mission acts like your tutorial and leads you by the hand instructing you on how to control your army of ten goblins. Ten Goblins? Not much to start off with but as you progress and control more clans, you get to command more goblins, 30 or more troops including the great, massive, gigantic Titans. These Titans are so much fun as they can smash the surrounding areas into rubble in seconds and eat, yes eats, the enemy goblins by picking them off the battlefield and sticking them in their mouths.
Graphics & Control:
The game’s controls are surprisingly simple, a couple of button taps and the pulling of the triggers will have you controlling your army of goblins with no problems whilst you instruct them to destroy everything in sight. The game world is mostly destructible, which works well in the game, as everything you destroy will earn you gold. Gold is one of the main currencies in the game allowing you to upgrade your weapons, armour and unlock the higher stronger classes of goblin fighters. The other currency needed in the game is ‘souls’. Every enemy you defeat, you are awarded their soul and in return for a set number of souls, you can create a new goblin soldier to join your army. The higher the class of goblin, the more souls are needed.
The graphics are not exactly top of the range or pushing the Xbox to its limits but they do get the job done and use a wide range of colours that gives the environment a great look and feel to it.
Sound:
This is where it gets strange, the goblins talk in what only must be Goblinish because I have no idea what language it is but you have been provided with sub titles to read, so you can follow the story. The battle noises are well produced and you can distinguish between the weapons being used.
Longevity:
With quite a few chapters to complete and head-to-head challenges, this game should keep you fairly busy for a while but, and this is a big but, without the presence of Online play, it seriously damages the longevity of this game. The chance of battling clans across the globe would have been fantastic but here’s hoping that this oversight will be remedied in the sequel.
Round Up:
A rather pleasant change from the usual array of games available on the Xbox and a welcomed addition to my collection. This has to be the best Real Time Strategy game available on the Xbox but considering what else is around, this is no hard feat to achieve, but in its defence, it will take some beating with such a great control interface and one that other companies will have to aim at to beat.
This game is well worth a look at.
Pros:
- Real Time Strategy
- Weapons and Magic
- Multi-player offline.
Cons:
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