I'd played around some with the original Black & White several years back, but found it disappointing because the pet was so hard to control and the objectives were so ambiguous. I decided to give the second version a try, and found it to be even worse, in all respects. Where to begin? Well, the graphics aren't noticeably any better. The pet cannot be controlled in any way -- it will not learn anything, and will not follow any direct commands. The villagers are always unhappy, even when all their needs have been met. Every action I take makes me more "evil," even though I do everything possible to play in a "good" fashion. The military goals are a huge contradiction, as you can't get anywhere without conquest, and conquest is inherently evil. When you create an army, it is pathetically weak, and will be slaughtered in its first encounter. Or, if it does survive, it will be greatly diminished in size and health -- and there is no way to repair or replenish an army, so you have to disband it and start over. Did I mention that the pet simply can't be controlled in any way? How many hundred times do you have to click on a building and have the pet say "I will construct that," and then simply walk away, doing nothing? The game's controls (dragging, rotating, selecting) are appallingly imprecise. The two halves of your "conscience" scream out false alarms constantly, shouting that the city is under attack, when no attack is occurring. On the second island (the farthest I went), you will be penned in a small area which you can't exceed, while the Norse occasionally send attacks your way. Immigrants will arrive, but you'll quickly run out of space. Maybe you're supposed to leave the city with soldiers? But no, you can't attack, because (a) attacking is evil, and (b) your armies are too weak to do anything. There's also a challenge go get your pet to destroy enemy armies. But your pet is so weak that he'll be slaughtered by any invader. And did I mention yet that there is no way to actually get the pet to do anything?
This game was an even bigger disappointment than the first version, because it had all of the original problems, in some cases even worse, and the sense of gee-whiz wonder was replaced by simple tedium.
When the original Black & White hit shelves, back in 2001, it was a very ambitious title. Combining god-game, with pet-simulator, with city building. And it pulled it off with surprising fluidity. The only problem, was t... Read Full Review
I loved Black and White's originality and sense of abnormal gameplay, and I expected the sequel to improve on those magnicifent factors, or at least not lose the arresting feel to it. But BW2 really went off the prequel... Read Full Review
