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It might have been better if the strategy part of the game caused the action to pause, so that you could better formulate a plan in the midst of battle. What the game does very well is that it forces you to use real strategy in the game, even though it's not carried out very well. You'll have to use Spearmen to take down Calvary that Infantry troops would have trouble with, and you might need some artillery regimes to take care of any aerial attackers. The Crusaders does a very good job in conveying the need to use every part of your army in battle.
Although the strategy portions of the game don't live up to expectations, everything else does, especially the graphics. Compared to Koei's Dynasty Warriors series, The Crusaders does an admirable job of filling the screen with huge, well-animated enemies without any slowdown at all. Many of the Dark Legion sport an obvious Lord of the Rings influence, but both humans and Dark Legions characters are well designed.
The vehicles that you acquire near the end of the game are also really awesome. Huge winged monstrosities on both sides of the battle hover overhead while your infantry squads duke it out below. It's too bad you can't get a bird's eye view of the action. Most of the battles take place in wide, open spaces, so the landscape isn't too impressive. Likewise, the soundtrack is completely blah. I wouldn't have expected a generic hard rock soundtrack to invade a game like this, but sadly it did. On the other hand, the voice acting is pretty good, and you can also choose between Korean and English!
Although the RTS portion is a little rough around the edges, that shouldn't stop Xbox owners from purchasing what's otherwise an excellent title. The couple of years it was in development hasn't stopped it from being one of the better looking games on the platform, and the challenging gameplay will satisfy both action and strategy fans alike. |
