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- Nordic Games Publishing
- Nordic Games Publishing
- Nordic Games Publishing
- Nordic Games Publishing
SpellForce 2: Demons of the Past
Released On: Jan 14, 2014
54
6.8
Where to Buy
Where to Buy
All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
54
0% Positive
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
54
0% Positive
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
I must admit that developers hit the spot with the title of their Spellforce 2 expansion. It’s still good, old Spellforce, but the emphasis should be put on ‘old’. [03/2014, p.69]
The real problem is that Spellforce 2: Demons of the Past is a 2006 game. Both graphics and user interface are aged and only few people could remember the plot of Shadow Wars. Despite this, the core gameplay is solid and the mash-up between RTS and RPG is a lot of fun. Maybe SpellForce 3 will be a game that anyone will have to play, unfortunately Demons of the Past is for hardcore fans only.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 25 User Ratings
6.8
56% Positive
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
20% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
24% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 25 User Ratings
6.8
56% Positive
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
20% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
24% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
This game proves to be a really nice ending to a series that has been out there for about 8 years. Given the fact that you have played since the first game( The Order of Dawn) and continued through the rest of them, including the add-ons, this standalone will surely appease. Why? Because you will meed old allies and enemies alike, along with a decent storyline to make them shine. The soundtrack is awsome, the main menu track is simply astonishing, but it gets a bit repetitive after a while, especially in long missions where you hack your way through your enemie's base. Graphics have been quite enchanted so to speak, but they are based on an old platform. There are some random buggs, but a simple reload of a savegame or a map change will usually make it go away.
This game is at best when you have played all the games so far; it's worth it. And these being said, let's hope there will be a Spellforce 3 to be reviwed.
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PC
Even if you still remember the ending of the original SpellForce 2, think twice before buying this expansion.
There’s a lot of content here, with a sprawling campaign and varied multiplayer modes, but ultimately it’s not worth the slog of what amounts mostly to tedious battles and glorified fetch quests.
It’s hard to recommend this game to anyone but die-hard Spellforce fans who no doubt have already picked it up and are more than likely enjoying a return to Eo. Fresh eyes to the series will notice the obvious flaws and signs of ageing much more, so it may be best for the uninitiated to skip this concluding chapter and wait for the next full release.
SpellForce 2: Demons of the Past has nothing new to offer. It is the same, old game with a single player campaign that is difficult to understand by anyone who hasn't played SpallForce 2: Shadow Wars.
The closing of the Spellforce 2 series has an actually fitting name. Demons of the past, thats what I feel like when I remember playing this expansion pack. Don't get me wrong, it was still playable and was built into the Spellforce universe correctly, but lacked the charm of previous entries and is miles away from Shadow Wars and Dragon Storm.
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PC
This game is a perfect example for me never to trust any high-rating game with only a few people weighting in. I saw a RTS/RPG hybrid game and immediately told myself how much fun I hade with Warhammer Dawn of War 2. So I quickly checked metacritic to see good reviews so I quickly checked score and bought it wihtout playing first two games. And what a disappointment. I will go through it step by step:
1) Graphics 4: Actual in-game graphics is only mediocre and I think Warcraft 3 looked much better. But I am not that kind of guy who judges the game solely based on how it looks. I was able to play hardcore indie games like Avernum: Escape from the Pit so I can appreciate a good game even with 90ties graphics.
2) UI and Controls:4 And this is the part when I started to wonder how is it possible that this game is its 3rd instalment. User interface is confusing and tutorial is worthless being pure video based. It took me ages just to find a skill tree for my character.
Additionally using skills in this game is incredibly confusing, you cannot use character portraits to help with targeting of some spells (like heal), cooldowns are incredibly quick for you to manage even 2 characters with 4+ skills and targeting enemies who are surrounded by multitude of friendly units always dying and moving is a chore. Many times you find yourself losing the control of the fight and getting frustrated because you failed to land a skill 3rd time in a row with your units dying as a result. So horrible.
3) Game design: 4. I played the game until I got the Lighthouse quest but I decided to do all sidequests and clearing the map first. Then when I was supposed to start building my base I was stormed always stormed by enemy units (I counted 30+ units in two quick succesive waves against my 10) in first two minutes and lost horribly.
This was a time when I gave up and looked at some Let's Plays on youtube only too see that some people had the same issue only with much smaller enemy army. I checked my difficulty settings: Normal.
I tried to play around - I tried to move my units forward to fight with enemy before they all gather, didnt work. Then I trained myself to speed building and managed to build 3 turrets before the first wave of enemies arrived to no avail. This is the point where I gave up. I probably messed the game by doing sidequest or visiting some part of map first or something. I do not care to lower the difficulty settings to Easy and I sure as hell don't want to restart the game to check if doing quests in different order makes a difference.
Final verdict: 4. This is a game with bad graphics, horrible interface and at least for me resulted in a sudden difficulty spike that I was not able to overcome even on Normal. This game was incredibly overpriced for what it has to offer (19 EUR or something like that). Maybe if it costs EUR 2.99 then it may be something for some niche hardcore fan otherwise I advice you to pass on it or go play Warcraft 3 again. The single player campaign has more to offer then this.
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PC
Summary Demons Of The Past is the finale in the endearing Spellforce 2 series and, like its earlier incarnations, combines RPG and RTS elements that puts players at the center of the mysterious and wonderful SpellForce universe. Demons Of The Past adds five new maps, offering eight in total to explore.
Platforms:
- PC
Initial Release Date: Jan 14, 2014
Developer:
- Mind over Matter
Publisher: Nordic Games Publishing
Genres:
