Sacrifice, one of the best RTS/RPG game and very innovative for its time.
User Rating: 9.5 | Sacrifice (2000) PC
I remember years ago, when Sacrifice came out, I played the demo, but never got to buying it. Well early this year I picked it up in a store by chance and got to playing it. And I can tell you, the game still looks excellent. The years have been good to it. Sacrifice is basically a real time strategy mixed with roleplaying as it involves basic leveling and spell casting of main characters (the wizards) in the game. The game starts with you choosing which god you will serve ( you can change your allegiance later on) and the game begins. You play a wizard, who is able to cast spells and summon creatures to do your bidding, I will not talk about the plot because I don't want to spoil it for you. In the earlier levels you obviously have only few spells and creatures available, but as the game progresses you gain access to more powerful spells and monsters. You are required to have sufficient amount of mana to cast spells and summon creatures, so you need to build so called "Manaliths" on mana fountains. You then have a source of mana, but then you must also summon creatures called "manahoars" which then transfer that mana to you, when you move away from the "manalith" (otherwise you are manaless). In most scenarios, your goal is to banish your rival wizards, by desecrating their altars (they can desecrate your also) and the lack of different goals, in general, plays a small role because you'll alway be excited by new spells and monsters, and preoccupied with fighting your rivals. The controls are simple and effective, you control your wizard from 3rd person with your usual W S A D controls, cast spells by clicking on the icons on the panel in the bottom of the screen and targeting them on desired creatures or location. You can zoom in and out, rotate left and right via mouse or keyboard, so you will rarely be in a situation where a creature blocks your view. The graphics are simply amazing (considering the game came out in 2000). The engine is capable of rendering vast areas in high res meanwhile displaying a battle of 30+ creatures on the screen battling and wizards casting flashy spells, with no problem. Kinda puts newer games to shame (Oblivion for instance). Another thing I love about Sacrifice is it has a great replay value. In the game there are 5 gods, and each one has a different set of creatures and spells, plus scenarios, which comes down to you replaying the game again and again. I think that if there is still anyone out there, who loves RTS mixed with fantasy and RPG, look no further. Get a copy of Sacrifice today and join the battle.
