I think everyone has said it already, Dune II ranks way up there with Civilization in the pantheon of strategy games as the measures by which every strategy game (either turn-based or RTS) is evaluated. I remember back in the day me and a few friends taking turns in front of a 386 playing both of them... But I digress. :P
Now this one I met just recently (thanks Abandonia) and have just finished. I think it was good, but my finishing it had more to do with me being stubborn than with it being compelling. I think it has a lot in common with Reunion (another morsel that I love/hate Abandonia for introducing me to), in terms of similar flaws:
-a lot of (needless, IMHO) micro-management, with having to fly around to give orders (before Paul drinks the Water of Life) being a lot like having to fly each transport and carrier yourself in Reunion;
-it also has the same issue with all-or-nothing military balancing as in Reunion:if you don't pack enough heavily armed fremen, you run the risk of having all your military captured by the Harkonnen in one swoop; if you save/load enough to keep scattering your forces to flee attacks till you are strong enough, once you get 7 fremen with the knife+rifle+weirding (and atomics when you find them) combo, the game is reduced to the methodic scraping of fortress after fortress, with no reaction at all from the Harkonnen. I know we can't expect an advanced AI from a game from this time, but even the basic Dune II (which wasn't so much more recent) AI is lacking here: it felt like a multiplayer game where the other side disconnected.
It's a shame that it has these major gameplay flaws, as it is a surprisingly well-accomplished blend of adventure and strategy, besides having a very good setting and ambiance, with cool graphics. Overall I think it is enjoyable more as a short return visit to the Dune story than as an adventure/strategy game.
3,5 out of 5.
|