Ancient Wars - Sparta

I saw the movie 300 on opening day. I saw it again, then again. I guess you could say I liked it. Though a amateur history buff, I did not know much about this epic battle, and feel ashamed for that ignorance. Yes, the purists want to pick apart the facts of the movie versus real history, but heck - it was very entertaining, and even the dissenters of the movie had to admit the outcome was fairly accurate. In short, the Spartan Legion ("army" is too small of a word for what they truly were) was a force to be reckoned with. From birth, these men of steel were trained to do only one thing: Protect, conquer and kill - with maximum efficiency.

Right on schedule, a game was released to capitalize on the film. I didn't get that one. I do, however, have a distant cousin of the theme in the form of "Ancient Wars: Sparta." This game from Eidos allows the player(s) to engage in not just the legendary battle from which 300 was born, but provides a longer period of time for more of a long-term This game distances itself from that campaign/defense, movie and theme - though they try to represent the fighting forces that defined that era - and the future of the "free world." There is a King Leonidas, but that's where the major similarities end. The rest is a role-playing game in the fashion of Age of Empires and endless games that charge you with developing armies, building towns and generally perpetuating large amounts of (fighting and feeding) cultures. In fact, I viewed one of the online trailers for the game before I got it - and I would swear it was a cutscene from AoE!

Unlike the vast choices supported in AoE games, Sparta focuses its interest on the enemies of the time (500-450BC): Greeks, Persians, etc. Within those confines, you can choose sides and wage your battles. Train your warriors, grow crops and engage in commerce. Gold is as good as ... gold. The situation is so familiar, it is somewhat boring and cliché. For me, a new twist is the use of ships as either actual battle vessels, or merely transport and recon - for the smaller crafts. Though barely addressed in the 300 movie, there was actually quite a bit of water action, and this allows you to explore that. Having more than two dozen missions exposes you to many varied engagements that you might not seek in full free-form play. Missions are not mandatory, but fun for the sheer challenge - and some are ridiculous.

The game feels very familiar and not too original. It does not feel rushed, but the look and play is like so many other RPGs of this niche. There is more micro-managing of some characters than I prefer, but there's always trade-offs with any game. You've got to have your slave huts for trading, your smelting areas for making your weaponry and many, many other structures. Likewise, the Egyptians have their own specialty structure - and structures. I think many of them are visually more appealing, but add to the overall look and depth of the game.

The game does look nice. Mass chaos scenes, the people and terrain can be a mess with a smaller screen; on my 20" CRT, it looked decent, but I can't imagine this on anything smaller. You'd lose a lot. The buildings look great, while some of the terrain looks like it was taken from "Landscapes R Us." I did not encounter much in the way of lag or visual glitches. I hate it when warriors float over rocks or blend with bushes.

The audio is a mixed bag. The music rises to the iconic levels you'd expect, but the voices can cause a head-shaking embarrassment. It feels like the sound studio got high jacked once or twice - with opposites that make you feel confused. Great, thumping sound, then regressing with poor voice acting and accents.

The whole game is like the audio - mixed from one extreme to the other. It is, at its best, a generic game that plays like many of the same genre and even time period. You can't reinvent history and maintain integrity, so when you do a product based on factual events, you have to stay true. This game does that - you won't see grenades or laser guns, and when they refer to "sharp-shooters," it means bow-and-arrow specialists. A fine attempt, but too average and not likely to make much of an impact on the player's psyche. The buzz factor will be nil, which is a shame given the amazing events and period of time that is represented in this title.

Gameplay: 6.5
The game is up and running like most RPGs fairly easily. Build, train, grow and repeat. Watch your people while you train and take land. Protect and serve! It's pretty easy to get going rather fast, which is a benefit since the final payoff once things are vastly grown is minimal.  

Graphics: 6.5 
Seeing the armies advance in a fury of spears and shields can give you chills - if you can see them clearly enough. I can't envision seeing this game very well on a small screen - or a weak lcd - at all. I am sticking with CRT and not budging - for now. When games like this come along, I am glad for my nostalgia. I have seen some of the video on LCDs, and am not impressed. Ugly, blurred and annoying. The lands are lavish and the structures like ships looks very nice. Most close-up items shine and dazzle the eyes.  

Sound: 5.0
The voice acting is enough to (negatively) offset the nice things I can say about the music and environmental effects. Too generic and poorly done. With a "tired" genre and a familiar subject (ex: 300: The Game), you have really got to stand out here and there. Or, should I say: HEAR and there.  

Difficulty: Medium
It is not easy to wage the battles, but the learning curve is short, so the battles come quick and simple. Build and train. Repeat and try some missions for more fun and challenge. Do some boat-battling! 

Concept: 4.0
You've seen this game a dozen times over the past few years. It hasn't changed, and the name on the box can be interchanged with about any similar game of this genre. If you are familiar to 300, then you may grab this title with lust. However, it is - to its credit - more vast than that campaign. It covers a longer period of time. That piece of history was not only defined in the battle in Thermopylae. It went on long after, and involved a lot more bloodshed. Ancient Wars: Sparta allows you to live more of that history.    

Overall: 6.0
It has many strengths, but nothing that stands out above many, many other games of the same design. It seriously suffers from a identity crisis. It reminds me a lot of Age of Empires, but I am sure each gamer will compare it to their own previous experience. Sparta is not alone in this. They are just the latest in a line of repeat "offenders" that just (re)create the wheel. If you want to jump in with the current "300-craze" and play it your way - this will sate your cravings with no regrets. However, if you have a shelf of BC themed RPG titles, you won't feel like you have anything new. At least, nothing as spectacular as the Spartan battles themselves. They were truly legendary and worth their place in history, but in the world of gaming, this average offering is a footnote in a long line of like-themed titles that will come and go without kicking up much historical (gold) dust.