Ancient Empires Lux PC Game Review

Let me start off by saying that my opinions, preferences, and actual playing time with this game are all going to interfere with reviewing this game impartially. Such factors are as follows:

1. I am not a PC gamer. I have never played a MMORPG (except Phantasy Star on Dreamcast), I had an RTS phase with Dune 2, Starcraft and Total Annihilation, but I believe Starcraft was the last "commercial" CD-ROM I purchased for the PC.
2. Strategy Games are not my thing in general- love Advance Wars, FF tactics, Fire Emblem, and the best of all: Dragon Force (if you know that title you get a gold star)- but I can't stand games like Civilization etc.
3. I am a gameplay snob. I don't like games that have simple/casual controls. I like games that require gaming skill and timing (SFII, MKII, Halo, MGS, Megaman, GOW, etc.). Deep gameplay is a must for me.
4. I simply didn't want to play this game any longer than I needed to in order to check everything out because of my preferences above. Obviously, this affects my ability to review things like "Lasting Appeal" impartially.

So please keep all of the above in mind as you read my comments below.

Gameplay: 2/10
Pros: Game is very easy to play and has a streamlined interface where you simply click on the territory you want to attack, click on an army to buff it up, etc. Gameplay is very similar to the classic game of Risk...VERY Similar though I think LUX Deluxe is a better choice, so if that's your thing this is definitely for you. It's cool playing through history.
Cons: There is a lot of clicking!! There is no excuse that after I capture a territory I have to click to move each army to the new territory. I had no idea if I was losing or winning a battle...I just amassed a large army and clicked on the other army repeatedly until I destroyed them and captured the territory...then I clicked the territory repeatedly to beef up my army...are you seeing why maybe this game is just not for me? The gameplay was literally a chore for me.

Graphics: 6/10
Pros: When I first booted up the game, I was immediately taken aback by the menus and presentation...very impressive. The gameplay maps are clean and easy to understand.
Cons: When I booted up the map and clicked on another army I expected to load up a sort of battle whether real time strategy/action or whatever...while this is a testament to the presentation and menus...it is also a huge disappointment when you realize that's it as far as graphics go.

Sound/Music: 4/10
Pros: The battlesounds fit the theme
Cons: You'll get really tired of the clanging of swords and other sounds that occur when you attack a territory over and over. I don't remember any music whatsoever.

Lasting Appeal: 3/10
Pros: The game has a total of 58 ancient nations for you to control including: Ancient Egypt, India, China, Greece, Rome, and more. Several unique maps.
Cons: After playing 2 campaigns, I was just done with the game...that can't be positive, but perhaps as mentioned above it was a result of my preferences. I am clearly not in this niche market.

Average: 37.5%
Tilt: +/- 0.00%

So to wrap up my most biased review ever...this game is not for me for many reasons. It's just not my cup of tea, but I'm sure there is some niche of strategists out there that this game is better suited for. I'm just not one of them. If you love Risk and other Strategy games you can download the demo , or purchase the game, or simply check out Sillysoft.net and their other strategy games.

Verdict: 37.5%

MiniGolf Mania PC Game Review

MiniGolf Mania is a gem. It's just tremendous fun. It is the only game I have played in the last 24 hours (which says a lot trust me) and I only took breaks to take notes, sleep, eat and the like. During one of my breaks, I headed over to Gametunnel.com and realized that MiniGolf Mania is #2 best sports game of the year...so I'm not the only one. This game is very deserving of not only a demo download, but a purchase.


Gameplay: 8.5/10
Pros: Tons of zany power-ups, outlandish holes, obstacles, etc. My favorite feature has to be the special ability balls, which add a touch of twitch gameplay. Basically, after hitting one of these balls you can click to activate it's ability...my favorite is the nudge backwards...this basically reverses the ball in real time. Once I got this ball, my scores drastically improved along with the fun I was having.
Cons: I wish there was a camera more like Hot Shots Golf, where you could see the contours and easily rotate the camera and look around. The Fly-by is sufficient, but I wanted more control with the arrow keys or something. I also would have preferred that the putting interface was a hold (to draw the putter back) and release (to hit) interface rather than a double click. It is hard to measure power and distance at first and the cup can be unforgiving.

Graphics: 9/10
Pros: Love the cartoon / handdrawn looking backgrounds. The 3-D engine is very attractive despite its simplicity...Torque consistently pops up in games that impress me visually (see Marble Blast). The crazy boost blasters and bounce pads look great and add to the zany feel. Playing the game sort of feels like you are in some crazy, zany world with wacky & fun physics.
Cons: Some of the polygons and backgrounds outside the hole (monochrome sand) detract from the feel. Safari animals do not fit the visual feel of the game and seem out of place...I was expecting more cartoonish and free-roaming animals.

Sound/Music: 8/10
Pros: Music is good, subdued, and well-suited to golf. Noises of the clinking ball are spot on.
Cons: Nothing really stands out as bad, there's just nothing exceptional to warrant above the solid-good range.

Lasting Appeal: 8.5/10
Pros: Game is FUN to play. 3 Courses and a 9-hole tutorial can entertain you for awhile with their multiple modes, wacky design, and ability balls definitely warrant the price of admission. The worldwide rankings and ability to enter a name/password and then collect points really motivates you to keep playing.
Cons: Could definitely have used another course especially since the gameplay is rather quick and you can breeze through one fairly quickly. I would have also liked to see some online matchmaking or head to head.

Average: 85.00%
Tilt: +3.00%

The game is instantly accessible and very enjoyable and when a game is really fun, you always want more of it and really can't hold it against the game. The game delivers in the fun department and that's what's important. TopMeadow definitely deserved the #2 spot for best Sports game of '06. You can learn more about MiniGolf Mania over on their website. Definitely check it out.

Verdict: 88%

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