Risk: Global Domination is proof that a game doens't need fancy graphics or complicated gameplay to be enjoyable.
User Rating: 9.1 | Risk: Global Domination PS2
I was quite excited to get Risk: Global Domination. I had always been a fan of Risk like games, but I had only played a Risk like computer game once, Axis and Allies 98, and it was horrible. All the other times I had just played simple Flash games on the Internet to quench my thirst. However, now I finally had the real thing, and on my beloved PS2 nonetheless. I was slightly disappointed when I got it, but then again, I had very high expectations for it. Even with it coming out as slightly disappointing, Risk is still an extremely fun game, in fact, one of my favorite games. The graphics in Risk, when compared to other games, are not complicated and don't look that great. But keep in mind that this is not a game where above average, or even average graphics are needed. I'm disappointed that they didn't do something more with the graphics, but at the same time, I'm somewhat glad that they didn't give the graphics a big role, and thus stray from the original Risk formula. The graphics may at first deter you, but once you get situated with the game, you'll realise how little the graphics really mean for this game. Sound wise, Risk is surprisingly solid. At first, one may think, "Why do these generals talk with a lisp and sound weird?" Well, keep in mind they could only guess what these famous generals sounded like seeing as how they lived before we had recordings. The battle noises don't sound too convincing and they all pretty much sound the same. Something else that you won't like is the announcer's Microsoft Sam type voice. It's more lively than Sam, but its still monotone. However the good news is that you can unlock several different announcers, one of which talks with a Brooklyn accent. This really helps bring up the otherwise mediocre sound experience to that of an average sound experience. Well, this and the fact that each general has his own background music. Each general's background music sounds appropriate from the land where they come from including what ethnicity they are; i.e. Europeans have drum march like music, the African general Zulu has tribal music, etc. With everything said about the sound, the sound in Risk gets better as you play longer, and would be a lot better if it were not for some minor improvements. Gameplay wise, Risk is very fun, and very addicting. Of all the Risk type games out there, Risk is the only one that is actually able to do the game style right. While the gameplay can be pretty simple, it's a big plus that it is. Horrible Risk like games like Axis and Allies is too complicated to be near as addicting as Risk. It's hard to describe... Usually simple games you play maybe three times a day for ten minutes each time, but Risk is a simple game that you play for upwards of an hour, and you'll keep playing until you have to go to work or school, or eat, or sleep, or whatever interrupts you from your fun. Depending on whether you play with a human, a computer, and how many people or bots you play against, the game can take anywhere from ten minutes to an hour to finish just one game. Now, it may sound stupid for it to take that long, but it's really not a problem considering just how fun the game really is. There are also different gameplay types, such as Classic Risk, Secret Mission Risk, and Capital Risk. You can play these three different game types online, or with up to five of your friends using just two controllers. To be honest, I haven't played Secret Mission, Capital, or online yet. Playing Classic Risk with your friends or by yourself has been tiding me over for a long time now. On top of the game itself being fun, there are many extras in the game you can only unlock once you make certain milestones in your career. These unlockables include the before mentioned different announcers, to cool new dice (believe me, it's cooler than it sounds), to new maps, to new uniforms, to new generals. All of these unlockables give Risk a big helping of replay value. Also, everytime you unlock something, you get a medal. You can then go to your trophy case and view your medals which is pretty cool, and you'll have a hard time getting all the medals. To sum it up, Risk: Global Domination is an extremely fun, addictive, solid, and well priced game that should definitely not be missed by anyone out there that calls themself a gamer.
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