Recent reviews by Robo-Pig

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then you bathe them in atomic fire, then you win

- Mahatma Ghandi

Endless Legend is very different, at least compared to other 4x's. If you've played any other 4x game don't go into this one expecting the same mechanics in this game as, say, Civ 5. However, if you are looking for something genuinely fresh and unique when it comes to strategy games this game is quite good, and many of the pros of this game are just from the game being different but in an engaging way. Plenty of people have written about the mechanics of this game and how they're all very interesting and a bit quirky, so go read those. All I can say is that I come back to the game every few weeks and enjoy myself as my vampire ghost knights take down a giant mind-controlling demigod who's being led by bipolar samurai moths.

I don't know what it is with this game. I love the birds that come out of the trees when I enter a forest. I love the wonder movies. I love how the units speak in their language when selected. I love the empire-building aspects of it. I love this game!

And yet, it doesn't feel like a video game. It feels as though I've returned to my childhood and I'm playing with my swordsmen and my knights. I can't really explain it, but through the way it's designed, this game has an effect on me that Civ 5 didn't, and where Alpha Centauri made me feel as though I was in a very adult-type situation, this game is just fun. Get it on sale, or just use $30 and get it now. It's a very fun game with one of the most creative modding communities I've ever seen. Now, I've gotta get back to my game. The Zulus deserve the civil unrest my spies will bring on them.

Well, after 85 hours, this is what I have to say.

The game is bland, and is really just an attempt from Firaxis to fill their coffers. The game is very similiar to Civ 5, both in gameplay, and in the fact that the only way it'll get better is with DLC.

Affinities are a new way of showing how mankind will progress in the future, and they are really the core of the game. Units, buildings, and even victory conditions revolve around them. While this seems interesting at first, you'll start to realize that it actually makes the factions very bland. All of the factions must choose which affinity they will go down. They don't have their own ideas or philosophies as in SMAC, instead, they have to choose one of the three templates. While it seems like ideologies made the same impact in Civ 5, they didn't. In Civ 5, you had history to teach you how every leader is going to play. Montezuma would try to take over the world, Brazil would be peaceful and culture loving, etc. With no history behind this story, only a small lore, it makes the leaders all feel like bland politicians. Finally, affinites aren't really things you choose from the start of the game and say "I'll go down Harmony." No, it's your resources that dictate which way you'll go, which is realistic, but you would think a future society wouldn't be dictated by an environment.

Virtues are a nice addition to the mix. They are basically social policies, but will reward you if you want to go and choose every branch to go down, or just going down one. However, as in Civ 5, they are very unbalanced, even after the patch. Any sane person will always go with either prosperity or knowledge and choose a few other virtues in the three other trees to tag along. I really don't understand why Firaxis won't bring back Civics or Social Engineering. This current virtue system is a bit of a step up from Civ 5's, but doesn't make you feel as though you're shaping your nation or government.

Victories are well thought-out and are somewhat different, but all in all, they're really the same. Build wonder. Wait 30 turns. Watch as AI doesn't do anything to stop you. Win game. Boring screen and you're back to the main menu. Really Firaxis? The only victory you'll really only be excited to get is domination, but that one is very hard to achieve when you don't have W.M.D.'s or a powerful army until midgame. Overall, they just feel pointless, and the victory requirements are hidden behind a terrible UI. The first time I played, I didn't even know which techs to research in order to win.

Espionage is a bit of a step forward from Civ 5's system, but once other players get security webs or whatever they're called, you'll only be able to dream of setting a nuke off in Elodie's capital.

Some final points:

-Wonders are bland.
-Trade routes are OP and are hard to manage when you have many cities.
-Leaders are also overpowered, and some are underpowered, such as Elodie after the patch.
-Windows 7 users are going to have a rough time trying to even get on.
-The AI doesn't know how to effectively use the tech web.
-I will admit, orbital units are pretty cool. So are the final units for the affinities.
-Beautiful map. Oooh, aaah.
-Aliens are super annoying at the beginning of the game, and are just an afterthought later on.
-Stations are a stupid approach to city-states. I wonder why nobody has said anything about this yet.

So the verdict is basically a 5 or a 6 out of 10. Pretty bad, especially for Firaxis. Can't wait for them to milk the next poor suckers with DLC.

Civilization:V BNW is a huge update from Gods and Kings and the regular game. With so many iconic and fun civilizations added, that are actually worth playing, unlike some of GnK's civs (cough cough Celts), this game is so replayable. Although espionage is a little bare and has recieved no update from its Gods and Kings release, and religion is still the same, this expansion pack adds so much. The World Congress has been added to move away from the boring old system of having to build the UN and then get some votes for yourself from city states. The cultural victory has also recieved an update, where you have to spread your culture and make it dominant over all those foreign, nasty old cultures by using the brand new great people, trade, and by spreading your religion. Trade has recieved an update, where the source of your income will most likely not be the land you live on, but by the goods brought back to you by your traders. This system also creates some competition, because new city state quests include the need to trade with city states. Also, certain locations on the map, such as a pass between two continents, can be vital commercial sources. Ideologies add more flavor and mix to the game, where you'll be siding with those who choose to accept your ideas on society, and fight against those who don't. Oh, and a quick thing to mention is that the scenarios are pretty fun :)
Overall, this expansion pack is worth it. It changes the game for the better, and makes you feel more involved as a ruler. Warmongering penalties are still an issue, but hey, there's a great modding community that has already created a way to clear that up. Personally, I'll be coming back for more.