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Northland PC
Metascore
62 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
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  1. GameZone
    85
    While Northland has a good focus on combat and more exciting missions than Cultures 2 had, it still has a lot of focus on the building and Godsim elements as well. This does add a ton of up front play to the game though, and it is amazing how addicting this game gets once you sit down and start getting into it.
  2. Game Informer
    80
    Somewhere between "The Sims" and "Civilization," Northland fills a unique gap in the strategy genre. [Mar 2004, p.113]
  3. Adrenaline Vault
    80
    A superbly sculpted hybrid of genres, crafted in a very logical, yet organic way.
  4. IncGamers
    65
    If you like to eat your dessert before your meal, this is not the game for you. However, if you are a patient gamer, you may find something satisfying in the end.
  5. IGN
    64
    The trade interface is just plain cumbersome. I would offer some comments on multiplayer, but the game locked up every time I tried it.
  6. PC Gamer
    60
    Northland is really a sim posing as an RTS game. I doubt it'll fully satisfy fans of either. [July 2004, p.69]
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  7. GameSpot
    51
    It's difficult to care about the story or any of the characters in it when the game doesn't have any voice acting to lend personality to it.
  8. Gamer's Pulse
    50
    Examining Northland as a strategy game, it fails miserably with ridiculously tedious micromanagement gameplay that falls behind the times.
  9. Yahoo! Games
    50
    Micromanagement bogs things down just when your village is becoming interesting and productive. That a game has barriers or limits isn't a bad thing; that the barrier appears at the same point as the game becomes appealing is unfortunate.
  10. GamerFeed
    50
    Northland would have been a great primer for new RTS fans if it wasn't so complicated. Population growth and logistical issues too often distract the player from the overall goal of the mission.
  11. eToychest
    40
    The slow pace, even at heightened settings, is horribly boring. The graphical issues make things even worse, especially for owners of newer video cards.
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 4 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Harvey"Danger"M
    10
    More games like this should be made. It is an old game, the graphics look a little silly now and some of the interface is confusing/nonfunctional (eg can't turn the game's sound off). Look past this, though, and you have a totally unique game that never got the (in my opinion, massive and unrelenting) recognition it deserved. The game is a sort of cross between the sims and age of empires; each person in the town you control has a name, a residence, a profession that they must work at to improve, and can grow up to have a husband/wife and have children. They need things like food, so you have to build networks of farms, mills, and bakeries throughout your expanding community while training ever more farmers, millers, and bakers to work at them. Improve their efficiency by gathering stone and building roads, using leather generated from cattle farms to give them shoes, or have the local potter open his supply of crockery to the public. This is not micromanagement, this is fun. With an ever expanding base of operations you will eventually be able to reach higher-tech production levels. Ships, breweries, alchemists, and, eventually, massive, raging troops of vikings set free to burn and pillage the towns of your enemies. Or just towns that happen to be close by. Not for the unimaginative.… Full Review »
  2. JaeP
    10
    I fell in love with Cultures and have loved each and ever one of the Cultures series. Yes, it takes time to get through each mission. But, isn't that what gaming is all about. It's a chance to escape from this world of reality. My family knows, when they see the little Vikings on the screen, to leave me alone because I'm on my time. This game, as well as the other Cultures games, help me survive the real world. You have to get knocked down to really know what is important. Living on the streets for awhile gives you a real clue. Now I stop and smell the roses. I play Cultures so I won't have another nervous breakdown. CULTURES is GREAT! It helps me keep my sanity. Try it, you'll like it.… Full Review »
  3. ClockCrazy
    9
    Don't know what all these are whining, this game is GREAT! If you're in a hurry, don't play, but if you have patience, and like RTS, and don't care about strange things, then TRY IT!!!… Full Review »
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