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Praetorians

Sam rarely needs an excuse to don a tunic, but this game was a perfect opportunity.

Games are two a penny these days (as are reviews of them on the net, so as you’ve probably already read plenty of reviews on this game, indulge me as I review this game a little differently). The massive size of the market out there has led to a glut of games being released over the last few years with more and more titles fitting into nicely definable genres, all the easier for the marketing types to sell to the consumers. On the PC this has led to a situation where almost all games released fit either into the FPS or RTS genre, with MMORPGs making up the numbers. Sure there’s the occasional racer or flight sim, but generally if you’re going to buy a game you will find yourself back at home either shooting things in the face or getting big groups of little men to shoot another group of little men in the face. The market has become so saturated with clones that any slight deviation from the norm is awaited with baited breath by the relevant group of genre fans.

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So when an RTS needs to do something different it ditches resource management. A new era of RTS gaming is upon us! Lo! Wait a minute; Ground Control did that years ago. Okay, let’s have a different setting. Fed up with aliens and tanks, I know lets have men in leather pants and carrying swords. Grand idea. So here’s Praetorians.

I’ve played a sickening number of RTS games over the years. Love ‘em to bits. Maybe it stems from a childhood spent down the mines where my every waking hour was dictated to me by the pit master but in adulthood I love to have a feeling of control. I get my thrills from being the master of whole cities and armies, deciding the fate of thousands on a whim. The end result of all of this is that it takes a special RTS to get my blood flowing. Praetorians starts off well enough. The lack of any real resource management allowed me to concentrate on the battles themselves. The Roman setting is refreshingly different – never before have I sent legionnaires and centurions to their deaths. Cool, something tantalisingly different.

The game has all the usual trimmings. Full online and LAN multiplayer, skirmish modes for the devoutly hermetical, a full campaign game and various scenarios. It also comes dressed in 3D clothing, and like many others taking this route it imposes a forced perspective, effectively giving a 2D game with polygonal graphics. They look nice, the landscapes are suitably lively and lush and there are some nice weather effects, even if they don’t have any tactical affect. The soldiers on the other hand are bland and too similar, the shining of armour during combat making them look like a particularly randy group of minnows having an orgy. A band of minnows that don’t want any outside suggestions once they are engaged in the mass fornication, making it impossible to order troops out of combat or to attack another foe once the fray has been entered. Which I found rather frustrating. If you try to play this game in a ‘group select – charge!’ style you’ll find as I did that you’re massive army will get chopped to bits very quickly as you watch impotently.

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1. Great review Sam!

   Jimbo Monday, 28 April 2003, 10:12:36

2. i want to have more games to play!

   fionachan Thursday, 1 May 2003, 00:52:4

3. 70% is perhaps a little harsh. But I must admit I've played the game and I was disappointed to say the least. The execution let this game down. The game could have been a classic, but sadly this is not to be.

   I can't wait for Rome:Total War. I'm planning on building my own rig in preparation for its release. God all those legions, discipline, commands and tactics it endless.......

   Mark Tuesday, 20 May 2003, 18:47:5