"Herzog Zwei is a great strategy game that began one of the most popular genres of today."

This awsome Sega Genesis cartridge one of the very first games, if not the first, that began one of the most popular genres of today: The real-time strategy war game. Similar in gameplay to Command & Conquer and the WarCraft series, Herzog Zwei places 2 rival factions against each other in serveral unique landscapes with the objective of taking total control of all the minor bases and annihilating the opponent. The gameplay seems a bit complicated at first, but with a little practice, you become very familiar with the controls and how things work. In most of the campaigns, you begin with one main base or headquarters. Your main character is a cyborg, who can transform into a jet (to get you where you want to get to quicker),and who controls the minions you create, which include infantry, tanks, ships, and other robotic creations. The real catch with this game is that you can play 2-player split screen, which can be a lot of fun.

The control takes a while to get used to in this game. In most other RTS games, you can move wherever you like, however, in this game you move according to how far your main cyborg character can move, and you don't want to wonder off too far, or you will run out of fuel and explode. Creating your units is quite easy though, and your main cyborg character can pick them up and move them wherever you please.

This game came out on the Sega Genesis back in 1989, but it seems way ahead of its time. The graphics aren't spectacular, but they suit the genre just fine. The maps are plentiful and each are unique, which makes for a game that will keep you entertained for hours, especially when you have a friend to play with. The music in the game is quite good as well, especially for the Sega Genesis. It's the gameplay in this rare little item that makes it shine. If you are a fan of any RTS (real-time strategy), this is a game to try and find. It is a piece of video game history a collector shouldn't pass up.

Graphics: 7
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 10
Replay Value: 9

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99