The Unholy War
Score: 92% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Crystal Dynamics Developer: Crystal Dynamics Media: CD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Action/ Strategy
Graphics & Sound: The graphics for The Unholy War are really nice, in a basic sort of way. There are tons of different playfields, all rendered quite uniquely, with perhaps a few exceptions when it comes to the technological battlefields. All of the outside ones look gorgeous. The various creatures themselves look really good. You will never get them confused with each other unless both of you are playing with the same unit. They’re detailed, textured, and really well designed. The Teknos look appropriately cyber-punkish, and the Arcane have the perfect mix of alien and human nature in the designs. The music is pretty unassuming. The generic fare that’s in so many games nowadays and is barely even noticed as it plays. Unholy War’s sound effects, however, are something to be reckoned with. The heartbeat when you’re selecting the characters to fight in the arena with, the lightning sounds of the Tesla’s spells, and everything else comes together to make the game world feel complete. And the Dark Angel’s voice is worth the price of admission alone.
Gameplay: There are two major modes of play in The Unholy War: Mayhem and Strategy. In Mayhem mode, two groups of units duke it out, and the person who ends up with at least one unit standing is the victor. The various units fight in the different arenas, and can be hand-picked or selected randomly. The victor goes into the next battle, with the same health as before. Each unit has ones that it is weak against, and ones that it is strong against. These are explicitly detailed in the in-game help in the Strategy mode. Mayhem mode is extremely reminiscent of the Arena modes in Star Control and Star Control 2, which should be no surprise because the game is made by the same developer. It is the game’s strong point, and will keep you coming back for more and more and more. The Strategy mode is a hex-based affair, with 12 or so maps that you can maneuver units on in an attempt to capture the enemy base. It’s pretty simplistic, to be honest, and inevitably multiplayer sessions end up giving up the Strategy mode and breaking it down in Mayhem. Many, many long hours have been spent in this mode by the reviewer, and many more will be spent later on.
Difficulty: The A.I. for The Unholy War has varying difficulty levels, ranging from pitifully easy to wipe-the-floor-clean-with-your-dead-carcass. There are little quirks you can utilize against all of the A.I.s, but that’s a given in any game. They’re not that noticeable, though, and you’ll get plenty of enjoyment out of this game just against the computer. The real fun, of course, is against a live human being that you can taunt and make feel miserable.
Game Mechanics: Although The Unholy War doesn’t support Dual Shock, it does use the analog controls. They are solid, but the digital pad works just as well, to be honest. The movement is extremely accurate; the buttons are insanely easy to learn -- a universal jump/fly button and three attack/ability buttons -- and the power-ups that appear randomly on the field do not imbalance the game. I found the Teknos slightly easier to play as than the Arcane, but that may be because of my playing style and the style of the people that I played against. The mechanics are very solid, though, and make for a great game.
-Sunfall to-Ennien, GameVortex Communications AKA Phil Bordelon
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