Dark Messiah of Might & Magic Collector's Edition (PC Games)

Reviewed by Vaughan from Auckland, NZ on October 17th, 2007

an interesting game, the single player is fantastic and is definatly worthwhile 10/10.

The multiplayer on the otherhand was made by a seperate company who stuffed up the unique single player's gameplay and isint great, but the single player is still worth it.

Reviewed by Arturs from La Prairie, Canada on December 4th, 2006

Dark Messiah is an extremely fun action game. If you have played before any of the Might and Magic games, be prepared that this game is not a RPG though it has several RPG elements like skills and inventory. The game uses Source engine - the same that made Half-Life 2 one of the best games of all times (so far) and the game feels somewhat similar to Half-Life 2, not Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion, how many have compared it. Dark Messiah delivers pure action!

What I love most in the game is the combat which is the best I have seen in any game so far. Player can kill the enemies in dozen ways including swordfighting, backstabbing with daggers, burning with direct damage spells, kick on spikes, freeze them and disintegrate into pieces, with Telekinesis spell grab them and send to the Moon, etc. In Dark Messiah during one game I was heavily using sword, bow and several direct damage spells at the same time, which makes the game so much fun. And there are enemies on whom certain attack works the best - for example, swordfighting against any melee enemies, archery against zombies.

While I was experiencing no tech problems with the game, I know some gamers have so I would strongly advise to install any patches up-to-date before trying the game, though I had absolutely no need for one. The game demo gives a good example what the game is about, even if it shows so little. Dark Messiah is one of the best games I have played so far.

Reviewed by Peter from Wales, UK. on November 25th, 2006

Description:

A first-person action game, set in a fantasy world, where you can play a combo of warrior, wizard or assassin. As you follow the exploits of Sareth you will learn new skills and get new items/weapons which will enable you to become proficient in a specific area or jack-of-all-trades by using a skill 'tree', where if you choose one particular branch, you may be weaker on another.

Pros:

It has excellent graphics, fully utilising the power of Valve's Source engine, which means that while the game looks stunning from the characters to the scenery, there is also a lot of interaction from kicking down doors to throwing jars filled with oil at enemies and then placing your arrow tip in a nearby burning torch, before shooting the foe who will immediately be engulfed in a ball of fire.

Storyline is linear but locations are HUGE and fully explorable - objectives can be accomplished in any manner of ways.

Multiplayer has various map types, and a great online combat system, team-based and solo.

Cons:

A few minor bugs scattered throughout the game. Also a huge, 10 gig download if getting the game via Steam.

Other thoughts:

Dark Messiah attemtps to merge semi RPG with FPS-style gameplay and successfully creates a new type of game.

It has a great story, combined with excellent gameplay and graphics/physics as well as a superb combat system in both single player and multiplayer modes.

So, if you fancy a bit of swordplay (and be honest, which of you guys didn't have a sword and shield when they were kids!?) in an FPS setting, then this may be right up your street.

Reviewed by Gi from Coppell, TX USA on October 31st, 2006

To be honest, I always took a much greater interest in the multiplayer portion of Dark Messiah rather than its single player brethren. Developed by Kuju Entertainment, the company responsible for helping develop the EyeToy games for the PS2, the multiplayer mode for Call of Duty: Finest Hour, and Battalion Wars for the Nintendo Gamecube, the multiplayer mode of Dark Messiah encompasses a unique style of gameplay in a fantasy setting. The game splits between 2 factions, the Humans and the Undead. Each faction allows 5 playable classes, the Assassin, the Priestess, the Mage, the Archer, and the Warrior. The only difference between the Humans and the Undead is their physical appearance; otherwise, they are essentially the same.

Despite some slight conflicts of class balance, the multiplayer portion of the game leads as an excellent and worthy contender of popular multiplayer first person shooters.

In conclusion, the multiplayer portion of Dark Messiah is anything but the norm. The game delivers tons of different tactical strategies, and will only get better as Kuju Entertainment continues to please its fans with updates and additions to the game.

Reviewed by Cameron from Auckland, NZ on October 27th, 2006

Definately the best first-person action game I've played to date... The action is brilliant, supported by excellent, realistic ambience. The modified Source engine used in-game really brings the game to life. 20 hours spent on this game to date, and the enjoyment is still increasing. Highly recommended!