1. CivforBrains

   7

   It's funny how the "professional" reviewers finally grab their sacks when a middle market developer puts out a flawed game. Truth be told though, if I had rated this game on release, I'd have given it a 3. I think it's actually fun now and Stardock has bent over backwards to make it up to the people that bought the game in it's initial shoddy state. As of now, the game is now quite playable and I find it pretty fun. I think when the stand alone expansion comes out (Elemental:Fallen Enchantress) you'll see a truly great game.… Expand

   • Helpful?

     2 of 2 users said yes
2. Izlude

   6

   There are moments of fun to be had here, but it's clear Elemental was developed without any sort of formal design methodology or prototyping. The erratic and frantic nature of the last few patches make this clear. Fundamental and sweeping changes of core mechanics in the last two beta cycles and even as recent as the day-0 patches are a dead give-away that Elemental's core gameplay was most likely not planned. Where the rest of the game industry plans and prototypes the core mechanics of new titles, Stardock very obviously subscribes to a school of thought that revolves around some sort of agile design philosophy. I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the features that separate Elemental from its spiritual predecessor Master of Magic (dynasties, diplomacy, quests) started with the sentence "Wouldn't it be cool if...". Outside of some rare strokes of genius, this methodology very rarely makes for engaging and deliberate design decisions. Design aside, a lot of the flaws in Elemental's core mechanics are overshadowed by it's dated UI and it's amateur production values. So many of the user interface problems that plagued Stardock's previous title, Galactic Civilizations 2, are present in Elemental. The user interface does a poor job of communicating information to the user and is very unwelcoming to new users. Aesthetically, Elemental's user interface appears very dated to me. Small touches that make modern user interfaces visually pleasing, such as transitions and animations, are noticeably absent from Elemental. The use of modal dialog boxes is especially rampant in Elemental, as it was in Galactic Civilizations 2, and is very reminiscent of Windows productivity and office software; this isn't how a modern PC game should feel. There are better ways to notify and ask for feedback from the user.… Expand

   • Helpful?

     16 of 23 users said yes
3. LDiCesare

   3

   Score (3.0) The game is unstable, crashes quite often, lacks balance and ai, which is a pity since it has great potential. The user interface is rather unintuitive, awkward and unhelpful. The artificial intelligence is not yet in, there is no MP yet. So after learning the game, even if you enjoy it, you better hope Stardock issues a patch or the game will be unfun very fast, all the more so with the poor quality of map randomization. Magic is rather nonplussing. Technology is rather well done, there are good ideas, tactical battles need some work to match those of old Master of Magic. Overall, it's an unfinished product, and I can't stress enough the need to wait at least a few months before purchasing it.… Expand

   • Helpful?

     5 of 5 users said yes

See all 36 User Reviews