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Man of War II: Chains of Command

Score: 50%
ESRB: Teen
Publisher: GT Interactive
Developer: Strategy First
Media: CD/1
Players: 1 - 32
Genre: Strategy/ Online

Graphics & Sound:

In the age of the immense power of graphic acceleration via video cards, I cannot imagine why the programmers for Man of War II neglected to use any acceleration in a 3D-based simulator. The water effects use little physics, and the only true distinction for movement is a small compass near the center of the screen. Not to mention the nauseating up and down effect that’s used to attempt to simulate a wave. The ship decks are blurry and the polygons appear to fall apart when you walk around deck.

Thank the almighty sound gods for giving this game some saving grace. Although the graphics fell way short of what they could and should have been, the sound greatly made up for it. Incredibly well rendered ocean sounds with a beautiful score really makes you feel you are at sea.


Gameplay:

There are two possible perspectives to take on gameplay. If you’re a die hard mariner who has a taste for history and must have the greatest accuracy of ship movement, you will swab the decks with joy over Man of War II: Chains of Command. You may play the role of a captain, commander, or even an admiral, giving voice commands to your crew in the midst of battle.

Dependent upon your rank in the game, there are two modes to select from. A scrolling map view, which you use to set up your attack formation and strategy, and what you may want to call a “double first-person perspective” (looking through the eyes of a character who is looking off the bow of a ship). The principal of MoW2 is simple; you click on icons on the HUD which in turn causes your character to yell out commands to his or her crew as you attempt to complete a pre-planned mission.


Difficulty:

Due to the sheer slowness of Man of War II, one may find it difficult because they fell asleep by the time their ship made it to the battle. The game in and of itself, however, is a fairly simple one. There are very few buttons to remember and everything you need is set up directly in front of you in a heads up display.

Game Mechanics:

If you’re looking for a game with quick response and a strong battle system, think again. This game was drawn to scale, which means that if an enemy ship is a kilometer away, give your orders, then go make a sandwich and pie because this may take a while. Man of War II: Chains of Command can be slow at times, but then again, we’re not talking about powerboat racing here either.

-Sabumnim, GameVortex Communications
AKA Larry Callier

Minimum System Requirements:



P120 MHz, 16MB Ram, 4X CD-ROM, SVGA Video Card, 100MB HD
 

Test System:



PII 333 128MB Ram, TNT II video card

Windows KISS Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child Windows Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer

 
Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated