Metascore
61 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 9
  2. Negative: 1 out of 9
  1. 88
    The game's combination of strong story, seriously tactical real-time battles, gorgeous graphics, and real-time role-playing, make this one of the best surprises of the year.
  2. Less good than the interface, but not bad by any means is Original War’s graphics.
  3. To underestimate this lively RTS game would be a mis-step for fans of the genre. [Mar 2002, p.78]
  4. The sound track leaves something to be desired. The music is good, and the effects are typical or what one would expect, but the vocal characterizations are not that good, and the game is laced with strong language (profanity).
  5. 70
    A good game, if a little behind the technology curve, but who cares. The story is entertaining, the gameplay solid, and the voices funny.
  6. Despite the somewhat rough production values, Original War delivers interesting small-scale RTS action. [May 2002, p.81]
  7. A game that you will have no desire whatsoever to play in your free time, but as soon as you have something important to do, it will become the most interesting thing imaginable.
  8. The sort of real-time strategy game that would have been heralded as innovative, or even original, had it been released several years ago.
  9. 45
    The game makes noble attempts to take the RPG elements of character importance and development and blend them with a twisted real-time strategy, but although the effort is commendable in spirit, the final outcome is so harshly lacking in so many departments that it actually hurts to play it.
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. MantrimasZ.
    10
    This game is great i played it and i liked it very much. I would like to play this game with someone.
  2. CommandZ
    9
    This is a really under appreciated experience, and one of the first RTS(s) I can think of that makes you really care about the characters.
  3. John
    9
    A combination of original story, a combination of tatical battles and rpg, and a game that in an RTS style comes across as a Jagged Alliance type of game, which in my view is a great compliment. This may be hard to find now, but could be very cheap if you do. Based on how good it is and how cheap you will probably get it for, I could give it a 12! But I settled with a 9, and for me a 9 is very good score as I barely give out 10's! Full Review »