Lords of the Realm II

"One of my favorite PC games ever."

Introduction:
As anyone who has followed my reviews knows, I like to give out tens. But as of late, these tens have been getting more scarce coming from me. I am now more than ever giving that perfect scores to that select few games that I truly love. This is one of those games. Strategy is one of my favorite PC genres, because overall they are far easier to control thanks to the mouse and keyboard. Another reason I like them is because I can actually run them. Since I am still running a 400 mhz processor, Battlefield 1942 and Half Life 2 are out of the question, but with games like these, I don't worry too much. In Lords of the Realm 2 you play as a nobleman who is vying with other lords to claim the throne of the recently dead king.

Graphics: 7/10
Let's face it, the graphics aren't very good in this day and age, but since the game is almost 7 years old, this is more than forgivable. You view the game in what I believe is called a 3/4 perspective, and control your people by clicking on various areas of your town square. The town looks fine, as does the countryside that changes with the seasons. The people look a little odd, but they are still recognizable, so you don't have to worry about accidentally sending an archer against a swordsman.

Sound: 9/10
The music in the game is good. It is tense when it needs to be, and calm the rest of the time. The sound effects are also good, marching soldiers sound like marching soldiers, and cows sound like cows. Another thing I thought was cool is that the game has voice acting, since I only had a NES when this game came out, I don't really think about the time period having voice acting in games, but it does, and it is done well too in my opinion.

Gameplay: 10/10
This game mixes turn based strategy with real time battles, which I think is awesome. Your main goal is to have your county grow, stay happy and healthy, raise an army, and conquer your neighboring counties. The way you get new immigrants is through low taxes and enough food. To keep your people happy you need to not draft too many of their children into the army, keep taxes low, keep them fed, and if you feel like it when the trader is in your county, buy them some ale. You can allocate your population to several different activities, such as mining, farming, raising cattle, building castles, cutting wood, or making weapons. What you do obviously affects how you play. If you focus on food, it will take longer for you to raise an army and upgrade your castle. Or you could be a little more risky, stay close on food supplies and have a more industrial society. Whatever way you decide to play is a blast though. Another cool thing about the game play is the battles, which are real time. Here you can have archers pick off people from a distance, or send your swordsman up to the frontline, the choice is yours.

Overall: 10/10
While tha game may look a little dated, the gameplay remains true. If any of you listen to country music you might remember the song that said, "There might be a little dust on the bottle, but don't let it fool you about what's inside." I think that line is a great way to sum up my feelings about the game. So if you can find it at EB or some place like that, GET IT, you won't regret it.

OOOWWWW Have Mercy!!!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/30/04