This is a great game. That's what needs to be said right from the start. Etherlords was a great idea which was poorly executed in many areas, and while Etherlords 2 lives by the 'if it ain't broke' philosophy, it fixes virtually every problem that the original game had. Etherlords 2 is a turn based strategy game based on card game rules. You design a deck, cast card effects and draw once per turn from your reserve pool. You accumulate more and more energy each turn which allows you to cast more and more powerful card effects. In other words, it will be immediately familiar to fans of card games of this type. That said, Etherlords 2 is essentially two games. The first, and least enjoyable, is the exploration mode. In this mode you walk your character around via a top-down, zoomable camera and collect resources and explore the map. Unlike in the original game, however, this portion does not take away from the game as a whole. Where exploration in the original Etherlords was enough to break a man, in this case it's a completely pain-free diversion from the bread and butter of Etherlords 2, the battle mode. As you encounter various NPCs, you will either talk to them through fully voiced in-engine cut scenes, or you will do battle with them. This battle mode is, by all appearances, completely unchanged from the original game, and is as enjoyable as ever. Combatants take turns casting spells and summoning creatures. Your character will actually never physically attack the opponent, relying instead on his creations and offensive spells to do damage. The system is as intricate as any found in conventional games of this type, and offers an incredible amount of depth. The vast array of offensive, defensive, summoning, buff, attrition and downright indefinable cards available throughout the game insure that no two battles will be quite alike, and that no one strategy will ever win out. You have to think on your toes, and react to things as they happen, adjusting your plans to fit your card draws and your enemy's actions. Right off the bat, anyone who played this game's predecessor will notice that very little has changed, visually. In fact, as far as I could tell, nothing has changed. That's not to say that the game looks dated, however. While the polygon counts are probably sub-par by today's standards, the textures and art direction throughout ensure that this is just an intellectual realization, and something that never registers visually. Etherlords was a beautiful game, and the engine has aged very well. The sound in the game is one area which has undergone a really dramatic increase in quality. Most of the sound effects are intact from the first game, and the almost notoriously bad voice acting has been eliminated. What it’s been replaced with may not be the best you've ever heard, but it’s not painful by any means and in some spots is even very good. In the end, Etherlords 2 is a game that could easily win the heart of any turn based strategy fan, or that of anyone enamored of beautiful, deep and involving games. There are a few things to pick at, such as the sometimes spotty text translations and a few types of enemies which require long, arduous battles to defeat, but for the most part this is a very solid game. Anyone who did not pick up the original Etherlords would be well advised to do so now. For those who did and had to suffer through its shortcomings, whether or not this is a smart buy will depend entirely upon just how much they like the idea of the game. For some, it will justify the cost of another full game just to see the idea finally done right. And those people are in for quite a treat.
I am completely serious. You will forego sleep and possibly proper hygiene just to do one more battle in campaign mode alone. Etherlords 2 is a turn based strategy game that is primarily based on a card system (deck, ... Read Full Review
Etherlords II is the sequel to Nival Interactive’s Etherlords, a turn-based strategy title that featured a battle system based heavily on trading card games. Players who have played Microprose’s computer rendition of Mag... Read Full Review
