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Black & White 2

EMAIL PRINT pc

7.4 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 50 critic reviews
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Based on 41 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Lionhead Studios

Genre(s): Real-Time Strategy

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: October 4, 2005

Summary

In this real-time strategy sequel, you'll reprise your role as a powerful deity in search of a following and return to the once idyllic world of Eden, where the discovery of weaponry and warfare has tainted the beautiful landscape. With the help of your gigantic Creature that you raise from infancy, you must earn the respect and worship of the natives. How you choose to do that, whether through nurturing them or terrorizing them, is up to you.

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GAMES: Black & White

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central GameSpot Guide

Also On The Web: Official Game Site

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

AceGamez

A shining triumph that looks and sounds as fantastic as it plays. It makes war fun, city building easy and your social life non-existent; but let's face it, do you really need friends when you're God?

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Computer and Video Games

With this effort, there's no doubt that Molyneux and his team have succeeded in surpassing their original efforts. Black & White 2 is a work of art, beautiful in both its stunning visuals and genius gameplay. [PC Zone]

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Gamer 2.0

Black & White 2 is even more unique, more playable, more endearing than its antecedent, and so full of provocative moments that you may find it difficult to tear yourself away.

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Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

There's a hell of a lot to do and it often feels daunting - like a big cross between Sim City and Total War. But it's well worth having a go if you think you're man - sorry, god - enough. [GamesMaster]

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BonusStage

After countless days of sacrificing sleep to squeeze in a few more hours before finally taking a rest I can safely say it’s quite an addictive force once you get settled in.

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Gamezilla!

The game still suffers in gameplay because you’ve got to micromanage your population, telling people to go forth and do things one at a time, but at least your metropolis gets to be inhabited by a populous and intriguing people.

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PGNx Media

The greatly improved presentation is top-notch, sealing the game up very well.

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GameZone

The scope of this game is huge and there is so much to do it is baffling.

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IGN

There are plenty of things that I wish the game had included, but the one thing the game definitely needs to do is build a greater sense of personal involvement between you and your worshippers. As it is they mean absolutely nothing to you beyond their occupations.

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Gamers' Temple

The graphics, creature mechanics, and gameplay can all add to the obsession with B&W2.

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Game Informer

It may not be as ambitious as the original, but it is a fun, clever, and intricate strategy title deserving of your divine attention. [Nov 2005, p.172]

Play Magazine

You can develop into a deity so festering evil that your on-screen god hand becomes scaled and tattooed... [Nov p.103]

PC Gamer

An excellent response to the criticisms of its predecessor. [Holiday 2005, p.74]

Game Chronicles

Black & White 2 takes the same unique play style of the original Black & White and adds a system of objectives to make the game more linear. The result is mixed, but those who enjoyed the original will probably still find plenty to like about the new Black & White.

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GameSpot

The sequel is less open-ended and more structured. Indeed, this time there's a more coherent story, which makes it feel like a different game. However, this comes at the cost of some of the free-form gameplay that you may have loved from the original.

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GamerFeed

The graphics are superb, and the game plays much better than the first Black & White. Just about every aspect has been improved, from creature training to tending to the needs of your followers.

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eToychest

For what it does right, the game can’t seem to keep from dropping the ball. Combat is a key component in many RTS titles, and here the whole concept just falls flat.

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Total Video Games

Having sat down for 12 hours solid to play through the game in one sitting it would be hypocritical to criticise the game too harshly, it certainly has that Lionhead charm by the bucketload and manages to immerse the player in the world of Black & White effectively.

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Xequted

Both multiplayer and skirmishing modes which were present in the original game are totally absent in Black & White 2. Thankfully, the single player game is a good deal lengthier than the first game.

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Loaded Inc

The simplistic nature of the game can also turn off many hardcore gamers and the length and difficulty of the game may seem a bit short and easy.

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Worth Playing

The developers took out the Creature vs. Creature combat, but villagers are less helpless and can do things like get their own food and take care of their most basic needs without your constant supervision.

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Gamer's Hell

Some parts of the game can drag a little, and the warfare system doesn’t feel fully fleshed out, but creating towns and ‘playing god’ is as fun as ever.

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WHAM! Gaming

One of the things which sets Black and White 2 apart from its predecessor is the combat system.

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Games Radar (in-house)

Beautiful graphics make lording over an entire civilization a treat.

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Game Over Online

B&W2 has funny bits and strategic bits and dramatic moments and the creature represents at points a fascinating AI with which to interact, but in terms of a game (and I know I probably use this phrase far too much) the total is much less than the sum of the parts.

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2404.org

Its biggest issue may be its release date: there are simply better games competing for your dollar in the marketplace right now.

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Computer Games Online RO

If you’re a fan of the first B&W and you were just itching to see how your favorite game could get better, you’ll probably be disappointed by the sequel and be left to ask, like me, how on Earth could Peter Molyneaux have released such a game in the first place?

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Next Level Gaming

Its just too bad they didn’t make sure it all ran well together, there is nothing that can bring you out of the illusion that you are not just playing a game but living it like glitches in the game.

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Pelit (Finland)

Better than its predecessor, but what the player gets is tedious and simplistic. Instead of a challenge, there is a three-unit real-time strategy without the strategy. The creature works rather well, though. [Oct 2005]

My Gamer

This is a solid game, but there isn't much in the way of innovation here that I can see apart from the obvious graphical improvements.

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FiringSquad

There are a lot of little reasons to get Black & White 2, but none of them comes together with quite the synergy that would make them more than the sum of their parts.

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games(TM)

Few can deny that these improvements have made Black & White 2 a resounding success. The trouble is that gamers were expecting many of these things four years ago. [Nov 2005, p.112]

Sydney Morning Herald

There are many improvements, yet fans of the game's ambitious predecessor will miss its free-form nature.

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GameSpy

Unfortunately, in the process of fixing the game, they ended up stripping much of what made the first game so endearing by allowing the numbers to take precedence over the personality. What Black & White 2 gained in competence; it seems to have lost in soul.

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Yahoo! Games

Black & White 2 shows a crystal-clear understanding of what makes games cool. If only it showed as good a comprehension of what makes games... well, games.

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Edge Magazine

As an RTS, Black & White 2 is less deep, but just as flexible and responsive – and when creatures, miracles, wonders and large armies are all in play it’s arguably the greatest show in gaming. [Nov 2005, p.94]

GamePro

Vastly more playable, but still falls short of the series' graphical capabilities and ideological potential.

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Gamenikki

Even with some warts, Black & White 2 is still pretty good. Heck, no god is perfect, right?

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Play.tm

Black & White 2, while enjoyable for a while, just isn't full of enough gaming nutrients to make it taste as appealing as it looks in the picture over the counter.

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PC Format

Unquestionably the most impressive thoroughly mediocre game you'll play this year - but hardly a religious experience. [Nov 2005, p.98]

GameBiz

This is nothing on the beautiful little gem I [didn't] played four years ago.

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Eurogamer

Much like Sid Meier's recent reinvention of "Pirates!,' huge numbers of ideas have been included at the sacrifice of any of them being particularly impressive. Jack of far too many trades, apprentice at only a few.

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G4 TV

Everything in the game is too clear and too consistent. There’s no room for ambiguity or context. You’re either a goody two-shoes or a complete jerk.

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Armchair Empire

The game is gorgeous, features great depth and affords some neat strategic elements. But as time wore on I couldn’t stop myself from thinking that I’d like to be playing a game that is less boring and includes more in the department of "doing things".

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ActionTrip

Black and White 2 might be one of the shallowest games I have ever played. In fact, I am depressed that a developer like Molyneux has been able to continually botch up awesome-sounding ideas so thoroughly for so long.

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netjak

While "B&W" simply was dull and arduous, B&W2 ended up being far too easy to handle with little reason to go through again as the opposite alignment.

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Boomtown

The basic problem with B&W2 is that once again you're micromanaging a world for people who are too lazy and stupid to be able to do the simplest of tasks, such as build a house or find someone to mate with, for themselves. It's a real shame.

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Computer Gaming World

Disappointment is the litany of B&W2. As an evil god, I can build prisons and worse...but why? There's no payoff. Pointless minigames that eschew the game's central morality conflict end up being stupid, insulting, and/or infuriating.

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Computer Games Magazine

The cow is missing a lot of the inscrutability - and therefore personality - had in the last game. [Jan 2006, p.49]

GameShark

The campaign is lackluster both in terms of plot and scope (even the optional "side" missions, while still present, aren’t nearly as creative or engaging as the original’s – and where’s my damn singing sailors?).

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.4 (out of 10) based on 41 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Yonguk K gave it a3:
Bad game just got worse. Now enemies have epic miracles that you will never can put your hands on, and soldiers that will melt down your creature which just steps over them like "Oh no please don't hurt me :(" Every new system gives you more pain, not help. If you are true gamer who think the good game means 'The game gives pleasure upon playing'. Do not ever think of playing this. It's sheer waste of time.

Zoe H gave it a9:
What can i say? this game has really impressed me. The first time i played it i was getting a bit bored with the long tutorial that you have to go through every time you start a new game but it does teach you well. A mega huge improvement over the original. The graphics took my breath away, you can really see every single blade of grass which blows in the wind and has little ants crawling in it and every strand of the creature's fur is visible. The water looks real, the sky looks real. The game controls are the most unique ever and again are much better than the original. Black And White 1 was quite frustrating for me and the little people freaked me out they were so weird looking, in this game they look human. The music and sound effects are most stunning, you can hear the wind howl when you zoom out and the peoples' footsteps and talking when you zoom in. The only dissappointment was the game being so easy to beat and it was short, the armies weren't very much of a threat, all it usually takes is simply picking up a large rock and dropping it on the platoon to crush them all or just use the hand forcing ability. All i do to kill the enemy creature is use the meteor miracle on it a couple of times. Nothing to it. The game has lots of humour to keep you entertained. The creature will sometimes poo on people's heads, you can even pick up the poo and throw it around or drop it on people. There's many more good things i can say about this game but i'm not going to write it all. I'm getting the Battle Of The Gods expansion pack soon which will extend the story and add two new creatures (a Turtle and the Tiger). Also i will have an enemy god to fight against. I can't wait!

Matt B gave it a7:
This game provides hours of fun and frustration as you choose whether you and your creature will be good or evil (playing the middle ground isn't fun). When I played the first level, I had fun just building houses, and kept finding new and fun parts of the game up till the point when I could never get enough ore to build things, and this made me ultra conservative with it. Military combat can just be downright annoying since your enemy has experienced armies and I never had an army that wasn't just a bunch of greens. Using my creature was alot of fun in some aspects, but tedious in others. NO! I don't think you should eat trees and rocks. OH GOD DONT EAT THAT ORE ROCK! But through and through, the game provides brilliant visuals and the capability to pimp out your city with various nick-nacs like lamps, which shine with brilliance even when you zoom out allowing to arrange them into formations that say your name, suck it aliens!, or just whatever your favorite dirty word is. Overall the game is fun, but sometimes the game is just straight up BUGGY. I suppose it's a side effect of how ambitious the game is or perhaps the fact that it was produced by the 'brilliant' producers at EA. I give it a 10 for all the fun and innovation, but -3 for the pain and suffering it brought me. Seeing how cheap it is now, it would make a great budget game.

Jonas H. gave it an8:
This game is great. You control everything, being this the position of the natural resources (You need a tree in the town centre? Move it from the forrest) as well as how you want your citizens to act. One thing I love especially about this is that you can make an evil creature who'll eat and dump on citizens. Only on one, rather vital, point does this game fail. It has a terrible bug that gives my Logitech G9 mouse (3200dpi) an 16DPi working resolution, and this really ruins the whole experience. It's very frustrating when, for the fifth time, you grab a citizen while trying to grab a tree or pad your pet.

Doug C. gave it a7:
I personally loved Black and White 1 because of its scope and complete originality. I was very excited about Black and White 2 and spent a huge amount of time watching for updates during it production. But i was quite disappointed when i finally got to play it (After spending a few days trying to get it to work when it was released) in my opinion the big downside is the opponents AI. I was looking foward to large scale wars where i would need to use strategy to prevail (and a lot of fire xD) but all i got was the same number of troops attacking me at the same intervals and the computer not really reacting to anything i did. The toning down of creatures was also a let down, creature fights always just end when one leaps on the other one. All the punching before hand is meaningless. Its plot also didn't really seem adequate for a game where you are a god. Of course certain parts of the game were refreshing such as the level of control you had over creating your utopion city or totalitarianistic fortress and the ability to pick up 300 of your people and hurl them at an approaching army. But i personally think that if the game had not been so hastily released it would've been one of the best games for 2005.

Karlyle H. gave it a6:
fun game but to much of the same thing over and over.

Lux M. gave it a2:
Its a love it or hate it case. I hated it. The game tries to be non-linear but it fails in that you have to do the same thing over and over again which lost my interest very quickly. On top of that add bad controls and long load times.

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Black & White 2

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