Things are further complicated by the fact that you only have a few spells
available for casting at a time, and new spells are added to your hand each
round from your deck at random. This makes picking the right spells to
take into battle only a part of the challenge. You'll also need to make
sure that you bring the right number of each spell into battle to ensure that
you'll have some low cost spells to cast during the early rounds. If you
don't plan for this, you may be stuck with a set of spells that you can't cast
while your opponent slowly drains your hit points away to nothing.
The thing that really makes the duels interesting is the fact that like in
MTG some spells can alter the rules. Spells can increase the mana cost of
summoned creatures, force wizards to spend mana when ordering creatures to
attack, or even increase your mana generation each turn. This can have a
profound effect on how well your deck plays as an enemy wizard can cast a
certain spell or two and suddenly the deck you thought was unbeatable becomes
feeble and ineffective.
 |
| The strategic component of the game is about as exciting as it looks. |
The duels are played out in 3D, with animated wizards, spell effects, and
summoned creatures. You can't control any of the action on screen, though,
at least not directly. You select and cast your spells, and then watch as
the results are played out on the screen. The animations are good, but
after you've seen them all you'll want to play your spells without waiting to
watch the effects. The duel view is further hindered by the fact that
you're locked into one of four camera angles, only one of which is really
useful. The ability to freely rotate and pan the camera would have been a
nice touch.
Etherlords II provides a few dueling modes outside of the campaign. The
first will let you battle the AI with a stock deck or one that you designed
yourself. The AI provides a competent opponent, so this mode is ideal for
experimenting with different deck configurations - or just for the challenge of
beating computer wizards. When you're ready you can go online and play the
game against human opponents. This is where things can get really exciting
as other gamers are always full of surprises and present the best challenge.
There are numerous duel options, and you can battle other wizards with sealed
decks, custom decks, or even fight duels that allow you to swap decks in
mid-battle.
Etherlords II most enjoyable aspects come from the source of its inspiration,
Magic: The Gathering. If you enjoy playing Magic, then odds are you'll
like Etherlords II. In fact, familiarizing yourself with the game's
spells and their interaction may be almost as exciting as when a new Magic
expansion series is released. There are a lot of spells in the game
divided into four different disciplines, so the game will keep you occupied for
some time. If you're thinking of buying the game because you're a fan of
RPGs, or you like Age of Wonders or Heroes of Might & Magic, it will probably
prove disappointing to you.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
77%.
If you're looking for some good multiplayer gaming in the Mage: The Gathering
vein, then Etherlords II delivers the magic. Too bad its strategic and RPG
elements fizzle out.
System Requirements: Pentium III 600; 128 MB RAM; 16 MB
Video RAM; 8x CD-ROM; 2 GB Hard Drive
Space; Mouse.
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