Age of Sigmar Post Test Game Thoughts - Warhammer

Games Workshop Reinvents Warhammer

by Matt Miller on July 04, 2015

Warhammer has always had an imposing barrier to entry. The long-running miniatures property has been around since the early 1980s, with a seemingly endless flow of new figures, rules, and lore to comprehend. And yet, the quality of those intricate figures and the strength of a thoughtfully fostered community of gamers has kept the franchise alive for decades, broadening out into novels, video games, and more. At Games Workshop, after all these years, the game’s creators recently took a dramatic step, destroying the very world the game is based on. I recently visited with Games Workshop to learn what comes next, and the ways in which Warhammer is seeing its biggest reinvention ever in the Age of Sigmar.

I have a special perspective on Warhammer, but not one that is unique. As a longtime video game and tabletop game player, I’ve brushed against knowledge of Warhammer for years, but I’ve never fully embraced the title. I play other miniature-based experiences, and I’ve had my fair share of time running around in video game versions of the Warhammer universe. But like many fellow gamers, Warhammer has always seemed prohibitive. The long history of the fiction seems convoluted, the rules require a deep dedication, and the craft involved in preparing and painting the unpainted models is incredibly time and money intensive.

Games Workshop has a big challenge in front of it if it hopes to draw in players like myself, while simultaneously maintaining the enthusiasm of its devoted community of fans. The studio’s proposed solution is on the way later this month, with pre-orders opening today. Warhammer: Age of Sigmar represents the biggest fundamental change to the fantasy miniatures wargame that its creators have ever attempted.

While Age of Sigmar is a fresh jumping on point, it has its roots in the game’s most recent major storyline, The End Times. Within novels and game supplements, and over the course of many months, Games Workshop unfolded the apocalypse of its own world. Massive armies collided, magic was unleashed, and in the end, the Warhammer world was utterly destroyed.

In the wake of that conflagration, the energies unleashed produce the beginnings of a new universe. Eight mortal realms emerged, interconnected by a series of gates, as well as a ninth realm of chaos. The forces of Chaos in this new universe once again began their assault, and eventually overtook much of the mortal realms. The re-emergent god, Sigmar, withdrew into a signal celestial realm to consolidate his forces, and from here, he plans to strike back at Chaos and retake the realms.
Right from the start, the storyline of Age of Sigmar turns expectations around. Traditionally, the invading forces of Chaos must be repelled by the “good guys.” In the new game, Sigmar sends forth armies of newly forged immortal heroes, drawn from the detritus of the conquered realms, and aims to retake ground held by the rampaging forces of Chaos. The storyline is built to be an easy-to-understand story for newcomers, but one that draws on the old fiction, heroes, and gods for longtime players.

Perhaps more importantly, Age of Sigmar represents Games Workshop’s goal to tell a more robust ongoing story. Sigmar’s initial assault sends his army of Stormcast Eternals down to retake the Realm of Fire from the Khorne Bloodbound army. From this starting conflict, Games Workshop hopes to unfold an evolving tale with greater narrative direction and depth than they’ve previously included. In fact, I’m told that the first full year of storylines is already clearly planned out.

As a longtime member of various fan communities, I recognize the challenge that Games Workshop faces in attempting such a broad-reaching reinvention of its signature property. As a rule, established fans are suspicious of change, and they are often even more wary if that change is a move towards what seems like simplification. As an outside observer to the devoted Warhammer fan community, I can’t speak to whether Age of Sigmar maintains what fans love about the franchise. But my perspective also tells me that this is the first time in a long time that I feel like I could join in on the fun and share in the hobby. Moreover, the new game seems tactically engaging, narrative-rich, and visually striking. I’m thrilled to see Games Workshop take such a brave leap; now it only remains to be seen whether its community will also make the jump.

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Mordheim: City of the Damned

Mordheim: City of the Damned is the first video game adaptation of Games Workshop's cult classic tabletop game Mordheim. Set in the Warhammer World's decimated Empire city, Mordheim: City of the Damned is a turn-based tactical game where you lead warbands into bloody and lethal skirmishes. The game blends RPG elements, fast-paced tactical combat and intricate unit customization in a time wrought by chaos and rivalry where only the strongest survive.

After a twin tailed comet crashed on Mordheim, the City of Damned turned into a terrifying battlefield where rival warbands fight fiercely for the control of key neighborhoods, looking for glory and fortune by acquiring the very valuable Wyrdstone fragments.

Mordheim: City of the Damned is the first video game adaptation of Games Workshop's cult classic tabletop game Mordheim. Set in the Warhammer World's decimated Empire city, Mordheim: City of the Damned is a turn-based tactical game where you lead warbands into bloody and lethal skirmishes. The game blends RPG elements, fast-paced tactical combat and intricate unit customization in a time wrought by chaos and rivalry where only the strongest survive.

After a twin tailed comet crashed on Mordheim, the City of Damned turned into a terrifying battlefield where rival warbands fight fiercely for the control of key neighborhoods, looking for glory and fortune by acquiring the very valuable Wyrdstone fragments.

Choose from iconic Mordheim warbands - Sisters of Sigmar, the Cult of the Possessed, Skaven, Mercenaries from the Empire (Reiklanders) - and lead your troops to battle. Recruit new units, equip them with enhanced gear. Evolve and customize your warband with the experience gained from each successful mission, transforming them into a terrifying force on the battlefield.

Devise the best strategy to annihilate your rivals. If you fail, some of your units might lose a limb... or worse. Keep in mind that in Mordheim: City of the Damned, a dead unit is lost forever! Consider the environment when formulating your battle strategy, exploiting the unique buildings, ruins or the layout of the streets. Deploy your troops carefully and anticipate the actions of your adversaries to set up ambushes! Organize ingenious battle plans where the talents of your units will be as important as your own luck during key moments of combat.

Loot items and weapons hidden in the ruins, or steal those of fallen opponents. Survive the dangers that abound in the City of the Damned and collect as many Wyrdstones as you can, but remain ever vigilant. Mordheim is one of the most treacherous places in the Warhammer World!

In these epic battles where fame and glory await, your strategy will definitely be your best ally! Visit the four corners of the City of the Damned to complete multiple missions in the solo campaign, or challenge other players in enthralling multiplayer modes.

Fully customize your Warbands
Choose from a multitude of classes with unique abilities to create unique strategies
Take your troops to battle and test their synergy on the field
Gain experience to unlock Player's special abilities
Spend the Wyrdstones to acquire powerful items and unlock more choices and features
Face other Player's Warbands in head to head skirmishes and compete to own the leaderboards

Factions like Skaven and Tombkings on the campaign map - how to make them fit into the concept and technical limitations of human empires

The purpose of this thread is to discuss the inevitable problems which occur when trying to depict non-human races as a faction on the TW campaign map.

I want to begin with the Skaven, but the discussion is open for any kind of input.


ISSUES (gameplay-relevant differences to human societies)

1. Skaven do not generally live on the surface and build or maintain settlements above ground
2. Skaven maintain extensive underground networks and espionage which allow them to see without beeing seen
3. Skaven have no diplomatic dealings with other races, temporary alliances of convenience at most
4. Skaven do not peacefully trade with other races and have no monetised economy
5. Skaven soldiers are not payed, they fight because they are dominated by stronger Skaven or because they lust for plunder and murder
6. Skaven hardly have any use for industrial products or luxury goods besides what can be eaten or made into weapons
7. Skaven reproduce a lot faster than humans and don't really need housing
8. Skaven are hardly affected by plagues due to their short lifespan, high reproductive cycle and general resistance, but carry plagues everywhere they go

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

1. Possible motivation to hold cities after conquering them: Using the inhabitants as slaves. Upon a successful siege, Skaven should not have the option to "occupy", only to "plunder" and "exterminate". They should keep civil order through fear alone, maybe have the option to "sacrifice" (read: massacre) inhabitants to restore order
2. Skaven could be able to recruit spies at (almost) no cost and receive huge bonuses for them, maybe even disable FOW completely for them?
3. Make it impossible for Skaven to have alliances
4. Make it impossible for Skaven to maintain trade agreements. If possible, restrict trade to Skaven settlements
5. No idea yet
6. If possible, restrict trade to raw materials and basic food
7. Use an "underground colony" building which can be upgraded and radically improves pop-growth
8. Give all Skaven characters traits which increase their chance to become infected. Make Skaven settlements immune to plague effects or counter them by balancing them with higher pop-growth.

[1] The Sundering: Rise of the Witch King - Sons o - Mod DB

The Sundering: Rise of the Witch King

The Sundering: Rise of the Witch King is a mod for Medieval 2: Kingdoms and based around the fantasy world of Games Workshop's Warhammer universe during the civil war between the Elves.

The mod's campaign opens with the Death of Bel Shanaar in -2751 IC. It features completely new units never before seen in a Medieval 2: Kingdoms mod, includen noble Griffon Riders, vile Hydras, and even the all powerful Dragon Princes of Caledor. Alongside these mystical creatures will be the Elves themselves, from the lowliest Elven Spear unit to the powerful Phoenix Guard, and from deranged Cultist to the Knights of Anlec.

Also included is a new strategic map of Ulthuan, the homeland of the Elves, including new models for Elven cities, generals, and monuments (such the Shrine of Asuryan). The campaign is an unscripted and epic journey through almost fifty years of the war that shattered the Elves forever, featuring new custom messages to fully immerse the player in the lore and culture of the Elves. Will you lead Nagarythe forward in it's bid to conquer Ulthuan and install Malekith as the new Phoenix King? Or will you lead one of the other nine Elven Kingdoms in their battle to protect their homelands? Or perhaps you will follow neither path and forge a new destiny for your people! The kingdom is yours to command, whether it be rich maritime Eataine or the martial powess of Caledor and its dragons. And while you forge a new empire for your people, you must be wary of the all corrupting influence of the Cults of Pleasure and Excess who would seek to undermine your position, though perhaps the Cults could be used to your own advantage if you play your cards right!
This is the most pivotal moment in Elven History, and one of the most destructive wars that the Warhammer universe has ever witnessed. You are now part of that history! Will you change that history for better or worse? That is for you to decide...

Gamespot Review: Warhammer: Mark of Chaos - Battle March

By Brett Todd

A new campaign featuring orcs and dark elves is the only noteworthy addition in this expansion for Warhammer: Mark of Chaos.

The Good

• Broad story includes new races like orcs and dark elves  
• Mostly accurate depiction of units from the tabletop game  
• New World Domination multiplayer mode is a step in the right direction.

The Bad

• Merely recycles the original Mark of Chaos campaign  
• Linear campaign loaded with many dull missions.

Do you like orcs? That's the main question you need to ask when contemplating a purchase of Warhammer: Mark of Chaos - Battle March, as this expansion-plus-original-game combo package includes no extra content except for one new campaign featuring everybody's favorite green-skinned goons. You get the exact same real-time strategy take on the dark Warhammer fantasy universe released back at the end of 2006, along with an additional dozen or so hours of play tacked on to fill out an epic saga about a war between the religious fanatics of the Empire and the evil Hordes of Chaos. Still, you would expect a little more than just a single new campaign from an add-on hitting store shelves a full two years down the line, and hope for more serious work to address some of the original game's shortcomings.

The biggest issue with the Empire and Chaos campaigns in the original Mark of Chaos was the linear nature of everything. Both army management and the missions themselves were big-time blah and practically played themselves. The Empire's noble troops and Chaos' evil monsters followed a straight path through the text-told (aside from the amazing opening cinematic showing an Empire patrol being waylaid by Chaos warriors) storyline, going from one battle to another on a tactical map screen so dark that you could barely make out the terrain. Strategic depth was almost nonexistent when it came to building your armies. Because there were no resources to gather or bases to build, all you did was fight and make the occasional pit stop to buy supplies, buff armies with new weapons and armor, and pick up magical doodads for your heroes. Intense battlefield combat based on a superb re-creation of the Warhammer tabletop game's units and brutally gothic atmosphere made up for some of these shortcomings, although the missions themselves played out on linear maps striped with narrow paths that led you by the hand to each goal. Soldiers themselves were easy to lead as well, as all you had to worry about was keeping their morale up, choosing from a couple of basic formations and dealing with the usual rock-paper-scissors formula to determine what units worked best against others. You sure didn't need to do a whole lot of thinking, which tied the game to an anchor that you got bored with lugging around after seven or eight missions.

So you can understand how adding more of the same to that could be seen as disappointing. The new campaign, which throws a greenskin army of orcs and goblins being manipulated by the dark elves into the original two-sided tale of a Chaos invasion of the Empire, is a straight-up rehash of its two predecessors. It plays and feels a lot like the original game's Chaos campaign, with the same focus on the bad guys and a lot of very similar, if not identical, units. You might find it a little hard to get jazzed up about leading orc and goblin armies, since parts of both were already present in the original Mark of Chaos campaigns as greenskin mercenaries. Of course, you now also get the dark elves and a memorable new lead character in the orc war boss hero Gorbash. But the sunscreen-loving elves don't show up in the campaign right away, so for a good while you'll be left feeling as if you've played this game before. Also, Gorbash's repetitive "Me smash!" Cockney musings will get on your nerves after a half hour or so.

Even more annoying is the repetitive design of the battle scenarios. If anything, the new orc campaign in Battle March is more linear than its predecessors. Every map requires you to guide your forces down a narrow pathway to mission goals, battling ever-growing enemy battalions along the way in what soon turns into a battle of attrition. Early scraps are always cakewalks, although you'll generally take just enough losses in each one that you'll find yourself running low on manpower by the time you reach the inevitable big fight at each scenario's conclusion. Along with being pretty tedious, this sort of structure can also totally screw you in the overall campaign progress. It's very, very easy to survive a mission with just a handful of troops, leaving you unable to take on the next assignment with even the faintest hope of success. Buying reinforcements is always possible between battles, of course, but you don't earn enough gold during fights to afford to completely replace units lost if your casualties were relatively high. You can't save during missions, either, which means that you often get to the very end of the road and then discover that you don't have a chance of winning or finishing with enough troops to continue on. Big fun.

Increasing your survival rate is very difficult, too. Some maps are laid out like puzzles. Take one turn and you head off to certain death, but take another and you'll run into gangs of orc boyz eager to join up with your main army. There is rarely any way to tell which way to go, as all routes look the same. A tip occasionally pops up onscreen letting you know that a certain part of the map would be worth taking a look at, although this generally directs you to hero items and other loot--not the smartest way to proceed through the scenario. You often wind up playing campaign maps two or three times to learn them before having a chance to beat them. Battle March battles are also very fast, and as with the original game there's no way to turn down the speed settings or even pause the action to dish out orders. It is just about impossible to assume full tactical control over units during larger-scale battles; all you can do is aim your battalions in the right direction and hope that you come out on the other side of the fight with as few corpses to bury as possible. Battlefields are also narrow and confined for the most part, and this sure doesn't help with army control. Unless you're dealing with just a few units, engagements inevitably turn into chaotic mash-ups where it is hard to tell what's going on, let alone make any orders to turn the tide or complete the vanquishing of a foe. Heroes are the only units that you can really focus on managing, due to their lone-star status on battlefields, nifty ability with spells and various sorts of arcane artifacts, and their solo presence in the man-to-man duels with enemy heroes that can figure into many missions.
 

One thing Battle March does have going for it is charisma. Lots of charisma. Like its big brother Mark of Chaos, the re-creation of the Warhammer tabletop game here is pretty much stellar. While the game isn't a hardcore wargame and so lacks the tactical depth of its 1:64-scale cousin, units look as though they've been painted by a miniatures master. It is very hard for a Games Workshop fan to suppress glee at seeing orc boyz, dark elf cold ones, witch elves, half-naked dark elf sorceresses, and the like shedding blood for "real" here. Backgrounds are suitably bleak, a perfect fit for this infamously harsh fantasy setting that is all war, all the time. All that said, there is nothing here that looks good enough to warrant the absurdly long level loading times. That little problem from the original Mark of Chaos is back in Battle March, and it's just as bad as ever. The soundtrack by leading game composer Jeremy Soule also returns in all its glory, adding a martial intensity to the battlefield that serves as a terrific counterpart to the clashing of swords and shields.

Multiplayer further evokes traditional Warhammer battles, thanks in large part to the core game's Create Army option. Being able to custom-outfit any one of the game's six factions (Empire, Chaos, high elf, dark elf, orcs and goblins, and skaven) and go online for duels with other human players gets right to the heart of what Warhammer is all about. This expansion doesn't add a great deal in this regard, however. The new world domination mode of play is a nice amenity where you battle it out for control of multiple domains on a tactical map, but it really amounts to nothing more than fighting through a linked series of skirmishes and gets monotonous fairly fast. It does at least offer bonuses that add some strategic depth to the tactical screen, as you receive faction boosts like enhanced gold production and buffed morale for troops when conquering certain territories.

Warhammer: Mark of Chaos - Battle March is for dedicated fans only. Its depiction of the sinister Warhammer Old World fantasy setting is remarkably true to the tabletop game, but the gameplay feels a little past its best-by date due to the continuing disappointment of the bland campaign structure and mission design.

Strategy Informer Review: We play Warhammer: Mark of Chaos...

By Simon Priest

Defend the Empires lands from the unrelenting, leaderless hordes of chaos or thrust your dark will and serve the Chaos gods themselves.

 It's your standard good guys vs. the bad guys setup, a lot of nasty words were traded with oceans of blood too, and now you're responsible for sorting out this mess. So what makes Mark of Chaos anything special then? The answer is simply: thunderous battle.

As the game opens you're treated to one of the best salivating intro movies a game could offer with plenty of sword, axe and blood. The detail is brilliant and the animators having everything to be proud of, it sets the tone for the entire game and doesn't disappoint.

You have the usual suspect of configuration settings at your disposal, whacking as many as high as you can get away with really doesn't transform the experience of the game. I don't have too meaty a machine, turning off shadows and the bloom effect was enough to pump out a nice frame rate leaving me with many other fine eye candy options switched on.

The game is gorgeous for its battlefield environments, playable units and a brilliant user interface. From the preview version I noticed that every model within a unit was identical, this has changed and a greater variety is given. While not entirely free of clones the units when you zoom up close for some action vary in their equipment such as helmet, shield banner etc.

Detailing of more unique units such as giants or trolls really stands out, though it's probably more tactical to stay zoomed out, take a close look at these beasts and recognise a great artwork department. Battle maps and even the campaign map are impressive enough without even having men and orcs marching across them. While the campaign view may feel like you've stepped into Lord of the Rings for a second, the way it plays out is very different.

Aside from multiplayer which I'll go into later, you'll be able to choose from two campaigns. The first is to serve the Empire and the second, you've guessed it, fight for the hordes of chaos. Each campaign is then split into chapters which consist of the player traversing a campaign map with various stopping points, both mandatory and optional.

Mark of Chaos is unique in that it is a real-time strategy game at heart but it also delivers a fantastic light role-playing element - it's actually been done before yes but this game blows them away. The reason for this 0wnge? Well there are three categories you can level up your heroes into, so the more death they deal the more experience they'll rake in. The first is more of general combat against foes; the second is for duelling against other heroes, and the third aiding attached units.

Hero duels are a fantastic little feature; you can charge one of your great heroes and make them challenge another. They'll fight to the death, no other unit can interfere with the duel, an enforced honour ethic protection barrier forms around them. If things look bad then you can always use the option to flee but your troop's morale will take a hit.

 Your units themselves too can go up in experience, so when you combine a powerful hero with a veteran swordsman group you can bet there's going to be a lot of dark red liquid sloshing about the place. You can also outfit your heroes with dropped or purchased booty, better armour, weapons like sword or staff, a decent pair of slippers etc. This applies to troops as well, except they get standard upgrade gear from a town's armoury. Sadly you can't trade items between heroes from retail version, but a recent patch fixes this issue.

Yes the campaign maps does more then let you play the route and conquer your way to the next chapter. It's also where you get to spend your gold, recruit your army and outfit your shiny trinkets. You use towns to access places like a temple which will provide blessing bonuses for the next battle as well as replace fallen comrades. An armoury will let you gear up the troops with better weapons, armour, siege equipment, banner carriers etc. A barracks lets your enlist fresh faced units to swell your numbers and an alchemist offers potions and is where you can sell unwanted junk.

Of course this doesn't happen out of charity, gold is all important in Mark of Chaos and it isn't easy flowing so watch the purse strings. It's almost critical then to watch out for your current troops, as they gain experience and have better equipment they'll be worth far more than to enlist a new unit as replacement. Experience cannot be bought like cheap wine, fight with your brain on and you'll really do yourself a favour later on financially.

After a battle you'll also get a sum of pillaged monies, a nice little incentive to storm over optional battles. In the actual battle themselves enemy units can also drop gold so don't leave dropped items behind. Another drawback is that you can't explore battlefields after objectives have been met so any bounty left on the floor will be lost. As you recruit and outfit your army on the campaign map you don't do so whilst in battle. You can't build more troops like many other traditional RTS titles, you choose your units and heroes before the conflict and then deal with what you've got.

It's a great way to remind everyone it's not just a numbers game; you have a maximum you can take into the field so you have to choose wisely, you could also select the option so the computer chooses for you. This is a great way to jump into battle as it will pick a variety of units to help you deal with what lies ahead.

Each major point in a chapter has ingame cut scenes done rather well; while not as divine as the intro movies quality it is more than enough to move the plot forward. The voice acting is spot-on with everyone feeling human, or orc, and you're not reminded this guys in some booth waiting for his pay check. Kudos as many gamers (me included) fear wretched acting, spoiling our whole virtual experience. If only the lip-synching were better timed then it would be perfect.

Mark of Chaos is a linear campaign experience, does this hurt? No. While it's no Total War or Lord of the Rings for freedom on the campaign map, this game is out to tell a story in its rich universe. It brings new features to an old style of storytelling RTS, the days of Command&Conquer for example. Non-linear isn't always better and often sacrifices a great story and experience for throwing countless options at players. Mark of Chaos is about blood drenched battle, and I'm glad that they get straight to it effectively.

For the dedicated Warhammer fans out there, the army creator awaits your command. Multiplayer is designed to cater for the true underlying flair of the Warhammer franchise, big armies in big battles, usually accompanied by big egos. You get to choose what units you'll have, their colour scheme, banner etc everything that will help you personalise an army.

Modes you can choose from are a death-match style where you simply bash each others troops till one emerges victorious. Reinforcement battles actually let you earn gold and then buy additional troops to call in, understandably these battles can last a while.

It would seem the practicality of an online match is disappointing with a number of hitches in the works; patches have been forth-coming so make sure to grab them as soon as you can. They also address a number of bugs and crashes.

 There is so much going for Warhammer: Mark of Chaos and while it's beset with lingering technical woes, underneath it has the right stuff and would be well deserved of your attention.

Top Game Moment: Inspecting the massacred remains of my fallen foes, bloodlust isn't a bad thing it's just been misinterpreted.

Warhammer: Mark of Chaos Review

We visit the world where wheels of war never stop turning.

by Dan Adams

November 10, 2006

The brutal Warhammer universes made famous by the table top strategy games have been getting a lot of attention in the world of video games. The upcoming Warhammer Online will soon send the franchise into massively multiplayer territory and Relic's successful Warhammer 40,000 RTS titles have already been giving players an awesome vision of a dark future for a couple of years. Jumping on that fun wagon full of blood and guts are Namco and Black Hole Entertainment with their latest release, Warhammer: Mark of Chaos, a real-time strategy game set in the fantasy realms of Warhammer. There are some definite issues here in terms of bugs and presentation, but for the most part the game is a fun romp into fantasy strategy but isn't going to have the replayability of a real-time strategy game like Company of Heroes. 

 

The story follows the exploits of a champion of Empire named Stefan von Kessel and a champion of Chaos named Thorgar the Blooded One. Each campaign is set during the same war but seen from different sides. Each also has the war ending differently so that the both the good and evil-doers get their time in the spotlight. The stories for both sides are pretty basic fare supported with text and voice overs between missions. While there are plot points that might be described as "twists", the story-telling spoils any thrill by blatantly spelling these moments out before they happen. The story is also pushed along with the occasional cutscene. Unfortunately, these cutscenes aren't particularly exciting on the Empire side of things and those on the Chaos side are only a little better thanks to some cool special effects. On top of that there's lackluster camera work and bad compression.
This is a fairly common issue of presentation in a game that starts out with such a huge bang thanks to the brilliant FMV put together by Digic. There are some nice ideas, such as the overland map showing the progress of the heroes across the terrain (there are even some effects for chaos where the ground starts bubbling at their passing) but the map is pretty boring. Burning cities, army camps, and any real animation is sorely missing. The color palette and lighting are terrific for the Warhammer universe, but there's just a lack of detail in how the fiction is presented. Empire doesn't seem desperate or particularly strong, there are never any common folk running around scared or getting slaughtered by Chaos forces, Chaos is violent but doesn't seem particularly sadistic, and most importantly, animations on the battlefield are weak. Combat is slow and surprisingly lacking in brutality and blood especially considering the fiction. They would have done well to take a look at Relic's Dawn of War series and the special animations for all of the battles. Yeah, there are a lot more units here, but it's still possible as is being shown by Creative Assembly with Medieval II: Total War.

It's a wonder considering some of the effort put into other aspects of the game. For instance, they took the army creation thing to a new level by allowing players to customize individual units with not only character, but different helmets, shields, faces, armor, and so on. The idea of having armies that aren't clones isn't a new one, but that kind of army creation system is pretty awesome for those that want to get into it.

Heck, the visuals in general are very good. All of the unit models are finely crafted pieces of art. The modeling is great and the textures on top are excellent. Seeing a group of these soldiers move around on the battlefield is awesome. Lighting and special effects add to the fun. Mighty Hellcannons pack a wallop and cause some terrific area effects and bodies to fly in the air. Many of the spell effects, even the small ones, are also very good. They do some nice things with lighting and heat shimmer effects that make magic come alive. All of this comes with a price. The framerate can drop substantially in large battles. It's hasn't ever been enough to completely ruin the fun and units will always respond to orders, even in the slowdown. If it wasn't for that weak animation, Mark of Chaos would be one of the best looking games around.

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