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THE MUSHROOM, OP. 2: BETTER, NOT GREAT
(3 February 2001, 23:59 | CtP2) Chad Hauser, a staff writer for The Mushroom, gives CTPII 6.5 mushrooms out of a possible 10 in the end. Hauser expresses that it is his opinion that Activision's sequel to Civilization: Call To Power is simply not up to snuff.
Some games are simply evolutions of a genre and not amazing new leaps. this doesn't necessarily make them any worse of a game. Call to Power II, by Activision is just such a game.
Furthermore, Hauser muses, the rulebook for CTP2 is fairly dry and straightforward, but not painfully so, and is devoted mostly to the different menus and controls. In fact it is almost a must read because of the sheer variety of these controls and the benefits you can get from manipulating them. It contains no story and very little humor.
This reviewer is satisfied with the game's graphics, which he lauds in his paragraph about it as well as the cinematics included, and finds that the gameplay is CTPII's shining beacon in its cloud of fog.
Overall CTP2 is a great step in the growth of the historical empire builder, and should give hours of amusement to an experienced player, Hauser pens in his conclusion. I do wish I would have gotten to play a multiplayer game, but the simple amount of time that a game of this nature takes prevented that.
Now, but one question remains: why are there two reviews?
There was an interesting mix up at Activision, the site's editor writes, and we were sent two copies of [CTPII]. [So] I sent them to our two strategy game gurus. - DanQ
THE MUSHROOM, OP. 1: SCRAPING PASS
(3 February 2001, 23:55 | CtP2) CTPII has seen bad press since it was released last December, yet one of the most damning to come from the critics corner was just posted in recent days. The Mushroom's Patrick Hargis slams the C:CTP sequel and, for reasons that seem to combine perhaps both genorosity and apathy, slap it with a 5 mushroom passing grade.
Call to Power II is a game trying very hard to be just like that strategy game you saw for the first time ten years ago that looked so confusing and complicated, Hargis writes. Essentially, [CTPII] is trying to be what Civilization and Civilization II were, except with more stuff. Not better stuff, more stuff.
The trick to making a good Civ-game lies in balancing that complication with playability; giving the player just the right amount of control as not to make him/her feel either not in control or simply bored [CivII] found this balance; [CTPII] did not.
Hargis does go on to say in his conclusion that the game has good points, though, really, but only if it's your the first Civilization series title you try. Otherwise, he warns, it comes across as being horribly mediocre.
Just go play [CivII] or Alpha Centauri or something that has Sid Meier in the title, he adds spiteingly.
Now, but one question remains: why are there two reviews?
There was an interesting mix up at Activision, the site's editor writes, and we were sent two copies of [CTPII]. [So] I sent them to our two strategy game gurus. - DanQ
COLUMN #152; BY RAINGOON
(3 February 2001, 23:33 | Misc) Raingoon stands by his conviction that since Firaxis is spearheading CivIII's development, it should play as it looks in his latest article entitled "What Civ 3 Should Look Like".
Comments/questions welcomed in our forums, or you may opt to contact the author directly. If you would like to write for this ongoing feature, please see our Article Submission Page. We are in need of columns for the coming weeks, including next. - DanQ
NO MENTION IN SGO 2000 AWARDS
(3 February 2001, 23:10 | CtP2) In announcing their "Best And Worst Strategy Games 2000", Strategy Gaming Online looked clear past CTPII and awarded the best turn-based strategy game award for the first year of the twenty-first century to Space Empires IV.
The best strategy title overall last year, according to SGO's editors, was Shogun. - DanQ
ACTIVISION`S FINANCIAL RESULTS
(3 February 2001, 15:26 | Misc) Activision today announced financial results for the third fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2000.
Net revenues for the third fiscal quarter were $264.5 million as compared to $268.9 million for the third quarter of the last fiscal year. Net income was $20.5 million compared with a net income of $22.3 million for the comparable period last year.
Net revenues for the nine-month period increased to $493.4 million from $468.4 million as reported for the nine-month period last fiscal year and were the highest in the company's history. For the first nine months of fiscal 2001, the company reported net income of $19.6 million compared to a net income of $18.8 million for last fiscal year's comparable period. [Source: The Adrenaline Vault] - DanQ
TOP CIV2 FILES FOR JANUARY 2001
(3 February 2001, 12:06 | Civ2) Slower pace over the last month for our Civ2 Database. Less reviews, less downloads compared to December. What's wrong with you guys? :) Anyway, here is the full thing
Top 10 Files
1(2). 9.90(9.90) Lord of the Rings
2(3). 9.80(9.75) Colonies III
3(4). 9.67(9.67) Patch for Civilization II (2.42)
4(5). 9.42(9.56) HiRes
5(6). 9.33(9.33) Australia
6(-). 9.33(-) Australia
7(8). 9.33(9.33) Day of Treason
8(10). 9.25(9.25) The War of Cuba
9(9). 9.25(9.33) Maps of Complexity
10(7). 9.00(-) Middle Earth
Database Stats
Total Files: 463 (463)
Total Reviews: 300 (263)
Total Rated Files: 119 (111)
Average Rating: 7.36 (7.22)
Total Downloads: 170391 (153762)
Average Downloads/File: 369.98 (332.1)
As of this month, the minimum amount of votes needed to get on the top 10 is increased from 3 to 5 votes. - MarkG
