Classic Risk version fantastic but alternate version hardly entertaining.
The Ultimate Risk game completely changes the format of the original board game, except the idea of battalions on territories and the same general map of the world, with addition of small islands. In Ultimate Risk, the game adds the new facets of generals and forts, even adding capitals to the mix (although its superfluous unless you play in Capital Domination). Even though with all these interesting new things, the ultimate risk falls flat. The construct of the whole game comes down to the division of Risk’s classic lands into smaller ones and adding more land here and there. In addition, generals can now be placed on to territories, which in effect increases the tactics and probability of victory in battles. Also forts allow for greater probability of an area to successfully defend themselves from a superior force. All that said, Ultimate Risk seems like an exciting and interesting new version of Risk. The truth of the matter is the game goes too far to even the odds between the player and the opponent.
Ultimate Risk, tries to keep the odds equal with the opponents but in effect it tries too hard and eliminates the user slowly. One of the tools used to even the odds is Random events. These can range to weather, rebel uprisings, and diseases, eliminating any number of battalions on any territories of any player. And when you lose all the battalions in an area there is rebel takeover of the area. However, these random events hardly seem to affect your computer opponents. They happen to each player but the computer always takes enough to give you an uprising in your area (the computer loses all but one almost 99% of the time in their areas). Troop placements in effect, useless, since the computer chooses anywhere where near the areas you placed most of your troops, nullifying any specific strategy you had. Battle strategy, seemingly suggests strategy in battle, but most of the time you are repelled on attacks, even with a great strategy. Advancement on forts is lopsided; computer takes at most two turns to take your forts, while you with a greatly superior force can take nearly 6 turns. But taking this course of action drains all your forces in other areas leaving you with few territories after your opponent comes from behind (their fort is usually destroyed by the time you take it). And if you believe, I made these conjectures on one play through, you might like to know I played it for 4 or 5 times, with the same result.
In summation, the Classic Risk game is fine though dice rolls can seem weighted toward bounded numbers. The game loses most of its credit through Ultimate Risk. Ultimate Risk can quickly frustrate and can give the player the notion its completely pointless to continue soon in the game. So kudos for the classic Risk transfer but bitter scolding for the Ultimate Risk.