Liquid Entertainment takes the formula of its debut game and successfully fills it with D&D's Eberron.
PROS:
* Fine implementation of the Eberron universe, at least in its aesthetical and lore layers: Dragonshard manages to introduce machines without abandoning the overall medieval fantasy setting (see below).
* Dragonshard demonstrates that Liquid Entertainment really learns from its previous mistakes. Almost every faux pas that marred the gaming experience in Battle Realms was fixed and improved (but see below).
* The mixture between RPG and RTS doesn't look as forced as it is on other games, Warcraft 3 included (but see below).
* Resource gathering is shrank to the barest minimum! And no pawns/peasants are required!! :D
* Hero units really are a part of your army so important that they clearly show respect to their heroic condition. I mean, they are not simple beefed-out common units.
* Unit micromanagement is not as tedious or confusing at it is on other games, since most of the job is already automated by the game's engine.
* Intelligent interface that groups and lets you select units of the same type to control them or issue orders without having to define them as a separated group of units.
* Detailed graphics that, although they aren't specially outstanding, manage to become more than the sum of its parts; specially in the landscape and environmental departments.
* The plot is very predictable and cheesy, but it is convincing and keeps you hooked to it.
* Lots of main and secondary objectives per level gives you plenty of things to do. Boredom is not something that Dragonshard provides, indeed.
* As erecting and keeping a base is not a fundamental part of the gameplay, and since the enemy doesn't attack unless you go out and fetch him, you can dedicate your time to explore the map and completing the objectives.
* Nice soundtrack that really fits into the mood of the game, and sometimes even creates it.
* The campaigns are not stretched with filler-missions: they are as long as they need to be.
* Combat is a really impressive thing to watch at, without being chaotic.
* Dragonshard runs flawlessly right out of the box on Linux.
CONS:
* Poor implementation of the D&D core rule book. Ok, I know that this is not Baldur's Gate and I know that Dragonshard was designed to be played more like a RTS game, but I presume that what was implemented on Dragonshard is very pauper. For instance: a hero throws an acid arrow, and the interface will tell you that what he's casting is the famous and dear-to-us-all Melf's Acid Arrow spell, and it causes the same 2d4 damage points of always. The matter is that this is the only true implementation of the D&D core rules. For D&D veterans as myself (I played every D&D edition since 1st), this is pauper: I expected more. For Dragonshard gamers who didn't play or know even the D&D rules, if the acid arrow is Melf's or anyone else's is the same deal.
* Liquid Entertainment repeats the same mistake from Battle Realms: why do they create three factions, if the single player campaign only lets me to play with two of them? Why I can't play with the evil faction and can only play with the good and the neutral ones?
* The experience points earned through combat and completing quests is only useful for purchasing spells, abilities and fancy magical artifacts. Though their effects are clearly evident in the gameplay, it doesn't fell very... RPG-ish.
* The soundtrack clearly fulfills its purpose, but it's not anything that we haven't already heard.
* The game doesn't have any particularly difficult mission, and even the final one can be won in the first strike with some care.
* The campaigns are short. This demonstrates that the main story doesn't have enough stamina to carry the plot further..
* Though the lack of enemy attacks to your base while your army is exploring and questing really entices the player to do it, in the end it feels as if they were just standing on their feet waiting for the player to come.
OVERALL:
If you expected this to be a Warcraft 3 clone (as myself), you will be surprised of all the nice things that Dragonshard can offer of its own. Truly worth playing. And clearly one of the best RPG-RTS mixes out there.