If you're a fantasy RTS fan, you'll definitely feel that you've gotten your money's worth.
Sound: 6
Gameplay: 8
Multiplayer: 8
Storyline: 7
Impression: 9
Score: 8 (7.8 real)
Don't be fooled by the shoddy packaging and flimsy marketing text on the box - Armies of Exigo is a very strong RTS release.
Anyone who's played Warcraft, Starcraft, Age of Empires, or Warlords: Battlecry will feel right at home with Armies of Exigo. In standard fashion, you gather gold, wood and gems with peasants, then create a variety of troops.
The box claims over 200 troop types for each race, but the only way I can see that is if they're counting the 5 experience levels for every trooop type as a separate troop. Experience levels are nothing more than the usual HP, attack, etc. bonuses that are not customizable. The game would have been much deeper if there'd been customization on the level of the Warlords series. That said, troops are diverse, well-rendered, and fun to play with. Different types receive special abilities, and some troops receive auras which affect the troops around them (another idea originally stolen from Warlords: Battlecry and implemented in Warcraft 3).
There are a number of spells, and different troops receive bonuses against opposing forces (i.e. Pikemen gain a damage bonus vs. large land troops like Ogres). This really gives the game a "counter-troop" feel like that of Age of Kings.
Graphics are outstanding - trees sway in the breeze, and the level of detail is high. The engine is very, very standard, and with the exception of a slightly annoying up-and-down jog to the screen when panning left and right, I was very impressed with how smoothly the game plays. Exigo does an excellent job of blending Diablo-esque cut-scenes with in-engine cinematics to draw you into a story that would otherwise just be standard "defend the council of mages" fare. It's interesting to see someone do unto Blizzard as Blizzard does unto everyone else - take a good concept and polish it until it shines.
The underworld is really not the revolution the game claims it to be - as a strategic element, it's not much deeper than old turn-based games like Heroes of Might and Magic, or even the Starcraft abilities of Zerg to create tunnels into the enemy base.
I haven't spent enough time in multiplayer to really feel comfortable with an endorsement, but so far, it seems like this is where the game will really shine.
I really feel like this game could have done much more - all the expensive basics are there - it just needed a bit more innovation to be a real classic. More hero development or more troop customization would have made a big difference to me. What Exio does, it does well. If you're a fantasy RTS fan, you'll definitely feel that you've gotten your money's worth.
The Good:
-worth playing
-worth buying it
-feels like you are playing a Warcraft, Starcraft etc. game
-impressive graphics
-a combination of famous RTS games like Warcarft
The Bad:
-it could've been better
-few players on multiplayer
-campaign is quite short
-no sequel