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Majesty Gold
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Graphics & Sound:
Majesty Gold is a fantasy based real-time strategy game. Like similar games in this genre, it presents an isometric perspective, where you look down upon the landscape and control the activities of the game. The graphics are all hand drawn 2D backgrounds and animations, and while attractive, they look quite dated. Similarly, the sound and music are rather basic, and do not show the level of sophistication we are used to in newer games. Worst of all, though, are the voiceovers. A person who sounds like he's doing a poor imitation of Sean Connery speaks just about every word in the game, and this sounds just awful. Majesty Gold is really just a repackaging of the original game, which was released in 2000, along with a recently released expansion pack called The Northern Expansion Add-On Pack. Because of this, it is not surprising to see such dated graphics and sound.
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Gameplay:
Unlike most real-time strategy games, you do not directly control individual characters in Majesty Gold. You create structures, set reward flags, and cast spells that influence and aid the heroes and henchmen that roam the land. Once you've erected a Ranger's Guild, for instance, you can create ranger heroes, but they are free to do as they please. If you want them to explore a particular area, you have to set an Explore Reward flag. This can entice a hero if the amount of gold you are offering is enough incentive. If your town is beset with beasts, your heroes might attack them on their own, or you can set Attack Flags on the beasts. Likewise, you can set reward flags on mission objectives to encourage your heroes to aid you in completing a given quest. The henchmen in the game perform duties such as guard your town's gold, collect gold, or build the various structures in the game. The game play in Majesty Gold isn't very deep. Games move quickly, so it's a matter of building the required structures, creating several heroes, and then setting reward flags as needed to entice your heroes to explore the land and attack creatures and structures as needed. Many beasts will attack your town, and even though your henchmen can defend themselves, it is best to have the various heroes perform this duty. This means a careful placement of structures, as well as pacing when you create heroes, and how you direct their activities. |
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Difficulty:
The original game offers both beginner and advanced quests, but the expansion pack only offers the more challenging ones. Overall, the harder quests demand more careful attention to the objective, and require that you move quickly and make few mistakes. The beginner quests are easier to control, and rarely run away from you. Other than choosing the type of quest to play, there are no other difficulty options. Overall, Majesty Gold is a fairly challenging game, and with its myriad of interface elements, it can seem overly complex at first. This is probably the biggest obstacle in the game, and is likely to scare some away from what can be a fun game. |
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Game Mechanics:
Majesty Gold offers a wealth of features, including a zoomable map, a tracking window that can follow a selected hero or building, customizable keyboard commands, and more. You can indicate which buildings taxes should be collected from, as well as upgrade buildings, research new weapons and armor, or new spells. Heroes gain experience and level throughout the game, and there are several different heroes available, including rangers, paladins, monks, rogues, and wizards. Majesty Gold is a fun and challenging game. Its graphics are dated, and its gameplay might not appeal to someone who is looking for a deeper real-time or turn-based strategy game. Its animations are cute, and its range of options enormous. For those looking for a good game that offers two entire campaigns for the price of one, it is recommended.
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-Gordy, GameVortex Communications AKA Gary Lucero |
Minimum System Requirements:
Windows 95/98, 166Mhz Pentium, 32MB RAM, 100MB HD, SVGA 2MB, sound card, 4x CD-ROM, modem or serial cable for multiplayer. |
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Test System:
Windows 98SE, 400Mhz Celeron, 256MB RAM, GeForce with 32MB RAM, SoundBlaster Live! Value, 32x CD-ROM. |
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