The reviewer is obviously a rts fan and should not have written the review at all. Let me quote:
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</font>You’ll often need to override or turn this feature off to grow your empire effectively.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Did you want the mayors to completely take any responsibility off your hands so all you have to do is move your troops and press End Turn?
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<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font>Combat is much too abstract, with units neatly lined up and victory based on mathematical formulas
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
What did you want then? A mini-RTS game where you get to play a short skirmish? (that would be interesting but is too unreasonable)
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font> The combat screen is utterly uninspiring to watch and could easily be cut from the game with no loss.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Your saying that you should not be able to watch how your army lost to your opponents in a 12vs12 battle?
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<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font> As you slowly and methodically explore, build, and manage in the early stages of the game, there’s almost no sense of tension or emotional engagement.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Your right, its not fun at all if you can't control a laser take in real time. [cough] short attention span [/cough]
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font> You can literally play for an hour without any drama or conflict as you march your exploring units about the map hoping to stumble across another empire
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Maybe you shoudn't have picked Gigantic Map/4 Civs in that sole game that you played before you wrote the review.
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font>
The fairly weak AI running the other empires also makes things a bit too easy.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Did you play on Easy in the only game you played? Have you actually tried Impossible? (For the people that do not own the game, Impossible is very hard (much better than Civ2/CTP)
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font>
To an extent, this easiness holds true further into the game and on “harder” difficulty settings. Fortunately, the harder settings let you encounter other empires more quickly, particularly if you’ve chosen to play on a small map.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Ooo you did try a harder setting. They actually come to you instead of you coming to them...
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font>
In the face of an onslaught of 3D, animated games, the designers of Call to Power II were faced with the hard task of bringing life to what’s essentially a complex board game
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
CTP2 wasn't and never was trying to compete with those games...
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font>
Still, the overall graphic style of the game world and units is bland compared to similar-looking games like Age of Empires II, and animations are minimal and dull, even in combat.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Another reviewer that overlooks gameplay over 'pretty' graphics.
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font>
Sound effects and voice responses from your units are equally lifeless
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
This sentence was actually funny. I sure want the units to shout, 'SIR, YES SIR' every time I select them. Another RTS biased opinion.
And the last one:
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font> It would have been better to reduce or reorient the focus to city building and management or to combat instead of slightly covering those, plus diplomacy, trade, scientific research, and on and on.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Did the game overwhelm you too much. Do you really think the developers should make Civ: Science, Civ: Trade, Civ: Diplomacy, Civ: Combat as seperate games?
The review is completely unacceptable. People that do not like CTP2 could see this. How could they call SMAC a 'masterpiece' (different reviewer) and bash CTP2?
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font>You’ll often need to override or turn this feature off to grow your empire effectively.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Did you want the mayors to completely take any responsibility off your hands so all you have to do is move your troops and press End Turn?
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font>Combat is much too abstract, with units neatly lined up and victory based on mathematical formulas
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
What did you want then? A mini-RTS game where you get to play a short skirmish? (that would be interesting but is too unreasonable)
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font> The combat screen is utterly uninspiring to watch and could easily be cut from the game with no loss.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Your saying that you should not be able to watch how your army lost to your opponents in a 12vs12 battle?
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font> As you slowly and methodically explore, build, and manage in the early stages of the game, there’s almost no sense of tension or emotional engagement.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Your right, its not fun at all if you can't control a laser take in real time. [cough] short attention span [/cough]
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font> You can literally play for an hour without any drama or conflict as you march your exploring units about the map hoping to stumble across another empire
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Maybe you shoudn't have picked Gigantic Map/4 Civs in that sole game that you played before you wrote the review.
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font>
The fairly weak AI running the other empires also makes things a bit too easy.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Did you play on Easy in the only game you played? Have you actually tried Impossible? (For the people that do not own the game, Impossible is very hard (much better than Civ2/CTP)
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font>
To an extent, this easiness holds true further into the game and on “harder” difficulty settings. Fortunately, the harder settings let you encounter other empires more quickly, particularly if you’ve chosen to play on a small map.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Ooo you did try a harder setting. They actually come to you instead of you coming to them...
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font>
In the face of an onslaught of 3D, animated games, the designers of Call to Power II were faced with the hard task of bringing life to what’s essentially a complex board game
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
CTP2 wasn't and never was trying to compete with those games...
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font>
Still, the overall graphic style of the game world and units is bland compared to similar-looking games like Age of Empires II, and animations are minimal and dull, even in combat.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Another reviewer that overlooks gameplay over 'pretty' graphics.
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font>
Sound effects and voice responses from your units are equally lifeless
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
This sentence was actually funny. I sure want the units to shout, 'SIR, YES SIR' every time I select them. Another RTS biased opinion.
And the last one:
<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font> It would have been better to reduce or reorient the focus to city building and management or to combat instead of slightly covering those, plus diplomacy, trade, scientific research, and on and on.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>
Did the game overwhelm you too much. Do you really think the developers should make Civ: Science, Civ: Trade, Civ: Diplomacy, Civ: Combat as seperate games?
The review is completely unacceptable. People that do not like CTP2 could see this. How could they call SMAC a 'masterpiece' (different reviewer) and bash CTP2?
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