Inspirated by Vittavat180983: A Dutch Sacrifice Review...
 

Shiny got well known with its “deviate” platform hero Earthworm Jim, came with the technical high-principled, full of bugs containing but especially too late released Messiah and it is getting now even with the insane/crazy Sacrifice. Real-time Strategy will never be the same.

Five Gods
In most Strategy Games you have to build bases, make units, control resources and flatten the enemy’s camps. That is can be nice is proved by games like Red Alert and the more tactical orientated Ground Control. However, a game as Sacrifice breathes new life into this genre. In Sacrifice, you play as a wizard in a magical valley. Not a standard RPG wizard in a long habit and a staff, but a kind of terrestrial – arisen from organic material wizard. You can create your own wizard, but whatever you choose, you look bizarre. Next, you can choose which God you want to serve. Dependently on what God you choose, several creatures get assigned to you which you can use fight. You fight against other people who are also lead by a wizard that is serving a God. If you have opponents killed by your creatures, you can replace their souls by your special units. Those souls will be sacrificed to your God at your altar. The more souls you sacrifice, the more spells, mana, creatures and energy you get. The five Gods are very different and have all their purpose. The five Gods are Pyro, God of Fire; Stratos, God of Air; James, God of Earth; Charnel, God of Death; and the severe/hard mother character Persephone; Goddess of Life.

Controls
The control happens with mouse and keyboard and is very well done. The intuitive controlling camera shows you huge extensive world of Sacrifice beautifully. Hills, valleys, mountains, and cliffs decorate the environments. You can use the right mousebutton to scroll over the screen so that several functions appear on screen. By clicking on them you can control troops, set formations and give orders. You also got a range of impressive spells. Dependently on what God you have chosen, you get several types of creatures [these are all extremely weird and full of fantasy designed) and magic appointed. If you choose for the God of Air, then you will be able to summon a huge Tornado and if you have chosen for Pyro then you can work with magic as huge fireballs and Vulcanos.

Beautiful and completely Crazy
This game reminds me most of a kind of hallucinogenic version of Populous. You would almost think that the developers were stoned, drunk, and heavily poisoned with medicines when they created the world and creatures of Sacrifice. Sacrifice is using the improved technique that was available in Messiah. Therefore, that means that you will get mouth-watering beautiful graphics on your screen. Think of dozens or even hundreds of 3D Creatures at the same time on your screen while threatening skies are rotating and lighting and rain is pouring out the battlefield. The creatures are wonderful and completely crazy at the same time. With cheerfully crazy voices and a very imaginable appearance. All beasts have something organic as the wizard. The Fire Creatures sometimes look as if they were burning coals and the Earth Creatures build up from stones and clay. The magic spells are summoned also with many spectacles. All in all an intense, colourful lights- and special effects show that no gamer want to miss.

Conclusion
It is a quite difficult game but also very humorous and very ambient game. The graphics are amazing beautiful and the spells plus creatures the most bizarre ones that I have seen for quite a while.

Rating
Gameplay: 9.0 [out of 10]
Originality: 9.0 [out of 10]
Graphics: 9.5 [out of 10]
Sound: 9.0 [out of 10]

From Game Planet. Click here for this Dutch Review.
This has been translated by me from Dutch to English. I apologiz[s]e for any translation errors.
http://www.veforums.com/smile.gif



[This message has been edited by Idolater (edited 03-10-2001).]

I am bumping this especially for Danziger http://www.veforums.com/smile.gif

How could originality not get 10? Oh wait, the game isn't holographic with real-life acting and interacting. Duh.

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The Great Beast is come. Devourer of Worlds.

Do you got this out of the Power Unlimted?

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"Don't fear the mouth of hell"

Hmm, I answering to my own question. NOT.

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"Don't fear the mouth of hell"

Game Planet: the games section of Planet Internet http://www.veforums.com/smile.gif

Do you perhaps got the review in Power Unlimited? Would you mind translating it? http://www.veforums.com/smile.gif I have missed it...

Thanks for the translation Idolator! http://www.veforums.com/smile.gif

Poopsie, were you dipping into the wacky tobaccy?

Tim

Nope. Those days are long gone for me. http://www.veforums.com/smile.gif

Jon was snorting gasoline-dipped banana peels though (I'm guessing).

-joby

Ok Idolater here is your review.

Dave Perry showed us all his tricks with Messiah but now is it a bullseye. His new RTS wil change this genre for ever.

Unique.
The most strategy games have something of eachn othere, makes some tanks and let them fight for a expensive mineral, and there is your game. "Sacrifice" has this too, but in another way. Sacrifce is like Myth because the camera is the same and you aren't doing anything really on resoucre management. Sacrifce also has something of Populous (Bullfrog) because you're going with spells and creature's in the batle. But rthat's all Sacrafice has from other game's, the batlefield is unique, its a thing on itself. (The next part is also in your review in the dutch 1) The creatures are so rarely created, that you'll ask yourself how many pills the creators took by making this game.

Mana
As in every magic world mana is one of the most inportant things. (This is notentirely true for Sacrafice, I corrected some parts in this review that wre wrong) At the start, you'll choose a wizard, and then you'll choose wich god you'll serve. All the gods have diffrent spells and creatures. But you must travel with your creatures to find and win a batle. The levels are huge and then we mean huge! You must batle against wizards of other tribes, they have other creatures and spells. Now comes the important part oif Sacrifice, souls. At first you have your altar. At your altar you can sacrifice souls that you'll aquire by killing your enemies. With souls you can summon new creatures and can kill MORE enemys to gain MORE souls. The gods are :

Pyro the god of fire ( PU said: A big fat ** with hairt that is continbuosly on fire.)
Pesephone: the god of life ( A mystrious babe)
Stratos, god of air ( A airboitle with a ballon as head.)
James, god of earth (Earth worm Jim)
and Charnel, god of strife (Wrong French accent)

Serve anyone
Depending on the god you choose, you'll get diffrent spells and creatures. The god's and goddes will try to "taunt" you in her/his service. Every gods creature look diffrent. Pyro's creature look like burning coals and James's creatures look like rocks. If you completed the game you can at least play the game 4 more times.

Controls
The controls are very effcient, using only the mouse and the least aamount of keys. You can give the most commands with your mouse, like defend and some formation. The wizards movements are triggered with the wsad- keys.
It takes a while before you have the contols under your control.

Graphics!
The graphics of sacrifice are FANTASTIC! IN 800x600 is the world beatifu. We're not even talking about 1280x1024 in 32bit color. A Geforce is a must! Valleys and mountains, almost ANYTHING! This is also true about the spell efects. Walls of screaming heads, volcanoes, whirlwinds and thunder storms. EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

Voices
THe voices are something extrodianary .
If yuo click on a creature, you'll expect the creature to give a war cry! Nothing is true! You'll hear a Proper English voice!
Soe creatures have high voices, while others have low voices. One word: RESPECT.

+Superb Graphics
+Big batles
+Best magic ever
-Controls suck for rookies

Graphics: 9,5
Sound: 8,8
Gameplay: 9,0
Score: 9,0


Well Idolater I hope this is enough!
It was a pleasure!

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"Don't fear the mouth of hell"

Thanks Hellmouth!

This is from Power Unlimited, the biggest and most read gamemagazine in the Netherlands & Belgium. http://www.veforums.com/smile.gif

Very interesting... http://www.veforums.com/smile.gif