7th Legion - PC Review - Gamecenter

Free Email

Search

Continental Airlines Credit Card

CNET: Gamecenter: PC

Reviews

7th Legion

continued
Land, Sea, or Air
There are a number of features in this game that probably started off as good ideas, but seem like they never reached full potential. These begin with the "fog of war." As units explore the map, the fog rolls away. When an area hasn't been traveled for some time, the fog rolls back in. This is a cool effect in theory, but it ends up being more annoying than cool 7th Legion because the fog eventually covers explored areas, making it rather difficult to find your way home. Most games in this category, such as WarCraft, have managed fog in much better ways.
Another feature with unrealized potential is the Battle Card. Much like a game of Magic: The Gathering, special cards can be played on units to enhance or hinder their performance. Cards include Stealth, Battle Rage, and the devastating Armageddon. The effect is similar to spells in WarCraft, but much more powerful. The cards are a good idea because they add a lot of variety to the game (if you can suspend your disbelief, since they don't rationally belong in a futuristic military game). However, I say their potential isn't fully realized because it's hard to tell what they do and how to use them. There are over 50 cards, and there is no onscreen text to explain their function. Some, like Stealth, are obvious. But others, like Fate, are more nebulous. Even worse are cards that can apply to friendly or enemy troops. Accidentally blowing up your own troops is bad for the score, and imagine how your troops feel about it.
The only place to learn about these cards is in the manual, and they're not listed in alphabetical order. There is no time for library science in a real-time strategy game. Of course, experience is the best cure for this problem, but the programmers could have made it easier with onscreen help, which is even better than the Dewy decimal system. Also on this topic, some of the cards are far too powerful; they can destroy a whole squad of troops without warning. In short, it upsets the balance of the game to have such strong powers doled out randomly.
Kill Your Friend's Friend
While single-player mode features campaign and single-battle skirmish options, real-time strategy games are often judged by the quality of their multiplayer options. As for 7th Legion, it has some nice multiplayer features, but again it isn't reaching its full potential. On the positive side, a Capture the Flag mode is a welcome inclusion, and the ability to "spawn" multiplayer games without the CD is always a nice touch. On the negative side, however, there is no formal method for making alliances. Diplomacy is often the better part of strategy, and its exclusion really detracts from the game. Informal alliances can be made, of course, but messages in the game are sent to all players (no whisper mode), so all strategies are an open book.

Give me more!

Barnes & Noble.com recommends:

Visit the Software Store at B&N • Financial Resolutions for 2001 • Computer Books at B&N.com

7th Legion

Click for printer-friendly format
Email this story to a friend
SPONSORED LINKS
Buffalo Wireless LAN
Price DSL Providers
Shop B&N.com Today!

Comics
CDs
DVDs
Inline
Movies
Skateboards

Search for more products:

mySimon
a CNET Networks Company