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I think Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim should have been more popular. The original game was released in February 2000, and it received great reviews. It has an innovative control scheme that in many ways is far more realistic than those found in most other real-time strategy games. In the game, you assume the role of a leader of a small kingdom set in a fantasy world. You have direct control over every unit in other games, but in Majesty, you can only encourage your units to perform specific actions by setting up monetary rewards. Not every action requires a reward, though--if the kingdom is invaded, for instance, most units will attack the intruders and defend themselves. If you want a group of units to go attack an enemy structure or a specific enemy creature, however, you will need to place a reward flag in order to attract adventurers.
This control scheme reduces the micromanagement found in many other games by letting the units decide what to do and where to go. The hero units in the game can collect rewards, buy new equipment and magic items, and gain experience and levels. In some ways, Majesty is similar to The Sims. It's fun to watch the role-playing-style hero units develop and wander around on their own. Players who really like controlling every little thing in a game may find the control scheme too passive for their taste, but I think most fans of strategy games will appreciate it as a nice alternative to other real-time strategy games.
Hopefully, the add-on, Majesty: The Northern Expansion, will generate some more interest in the original game. The expansion was just released earlier this month, and it adds a bunch of new features to the first game, including new quests, a new area of the gameworld, and a variety of new monsters, lairs, and structures. There's talk of an upcoming bundle that will include both the original game and the expansion, and with any luck, Majesty will eventually get the popularity it deserves.
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QOTW: Which Game Should Have Been More Popular?
Popularity doesn't always indicate quality, and unfortunately some of the best games don't become popular or receive the public recognition they deserve. This week, the GameSpot editors discuss games that should have been more popular in the last year.
