Warcraft III : Reign Of Chaos Review (no fat)

Game Description

After a decade and a half of truce, the humans and the Orcs discover that peaceful life and coexistence would be a monumental task to achieve. The Orcs, having tasted bitter defeat in the last episode of Warcraft, have now unified and thrive under the shadow of a new flag. As the races fortify themselves, a new evil has spread it's cloak upon the lands and threatens the very existence of life. As the menacing hand of the burning legion prepares to turn the land of Azeroth into a cauldron of war and death, the four races of the land put their differences aside and prepare to defend the very land that shelters them.

Warcraft III is a big leap ahead for Blizzard, who have successfully managed to retain the positives of the earlier episodes and weave a whole new dimension to the game. The rich storyline is packed with plenty of characters that include members of the four races - humans, orcs, night elves, and undead. Each race packs it's unique set of abilities and units… and Heroes that grow in experience and wield immense powers.

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos is a welcome addition to the franchise and has liberal doses of all necessary ingredients, to make it a truly great game.

Warcraft III - Gameplay

Warcraft III has been cast in a 3 dimensional framework and packs beautiful graphical elements that are unique and functional. The HUD is clean and the game controls are pretty easy to tame. The game has been woven around a rich storyline and that adds to the intrigue and playability. Brilliant cinematic cut scenes add continuity to the game.

The four races of Azeroth have distinctive capabilities. Once you figure out the capabilities of your chosen race, you have to make optimum use of them to tackle situations. Though this is not a role-playing game, several key elements of the genre have been incorporated. The game also tests your resource management skills.

The single player modes feature unique campaigns for each race. Players can traverse the rich map which has plenty of elements to explore and interact with.

The heroes, each with their abilities and dynamic experience levels aid you in achieving the tough, and sometimes near impossible goals… however, you still have to use your heroes in tandem with other units to survive and accomplish the objectives.

The usage of magic spells play a major part in the game and also provides a visual treat. The number of units or their strength is insignificant as it's strategic use of resources that matter and not vast quantities of it. Heroes also have access to a number of magic items which can boost their power.

Customization is a vital component of Warcraft III and you have access to a World editor that’s intuitive and makes short work of unique map creation. In addition to the tweaks that you can make to the exiting artwork, a scripting language makes it possible to program sprite behavior and reassign sound effects.

Overall, the game is an amazing mixture of role playing elements and real time strategy that offers immense value in the gameplay department,

Warcraft III Graphics & Sound

The game features rich environments and extremely well-detailed characters. The intuitive camera pans effortlessly across the gorgeous vistas of Azeroth. Sprites are rendered very well and actions like casting magic spells are showcased with gorgeous special effects. The voice acting is well done and strategic use of sound effects pitch in to enhance the experience.

The game's graphics are at it's best when it comes to elemental and environmental effects. Amazing day/night effects translates to considerable change in visibility which in turn affects the gameplay up to an extent. The lightning, rain, fog and natural elements like trees are gorgeously detailed.

Blizzard has done well in the graphics and sound department.

Warcraft III Summing Up

Like many other RTS/RPG games, Warcraft III is a potpourri of interactive elements, diverse maps, unique sprites and elements of combat all stitched together into one cohesive unit with the help of a rich plot.

The 3D environment, impressive sprite AI and seamless gameplay all bear the stamp of Blizzards quest for excellence in this genre.

The game can test your patience but single player campaigns are very well thought out and ensure that you won't fall asleep during a mission. Multiplayer gaming is available through Battle.net but it does have it's fair share of woes, especially for people with slower connections.

The game has a shallow learning curve and it's easy to sink in and get straight into the thick of action. Overall, it's a riveting game and certainly worth a buy.

Warcraft III - Cost

Warcraft III is available at $29.99US at the time of writing.