You won’t be amazed, and you may even be a tad disappointed when you discover there’s no voice acting either. Although, that said, the upcoming Lord of the Rings strategy game by EA looks to have changed that, and a Lord of the Rings game has to be cinematic, right? But, when talking about Northland, the sound does just enough – it’s an average execution and an average achievement.
And do strategy games not need this? Well they do, but with some exceptions they generally tend not to over emphasize the bells and whistles (sonorously speaking). But it’s also true that most games today have barely above average sounds compared to the likes of, say, Splinter Cell where sound development receives a great deal of effort – but then a game like Splinter Cell is more cinematic. Like all strategy games, sound and sound effects are important to the gameplay in letting you know when assigned tasks, objectives and constructions are completed. Ironic really, especially because the graphics aren’t very good in the first place. It should also be noted that there are some worrying problems found with certain video cards – ATI cards in particular. The graphics are colorful though and do make for a more cheery atmosphere around the distinctly solemn gameplay elements. They’re almost like a cartoon, or the original Warcraft definitely in that line of style. There’s a weird duality to the appearance of the characters and terrains, this is a hardcore strategy game (just look at the wide range of buttons) but the graphics aren’t as serious as the game. Along with the ?old school’ graphics and interface, you have a two dimensional ?board’, like in the other games of the series. In today’s gaming market, it’s perhaps unforgivable for a game to have poor graphics, but Northland compensates in other departments – like gameplay. While not necessarily a shortcoming, the graphics do leave a lot to be desired. Northland is a complete strategy game, but not a perfect one there are many shortcomings that affect the experience. It’s not completely new either, Northland is part of the expanding Cultures series. They say you should never judge a book by its cover well Northland comes across as more of an RPG, in least in terms of style, but it’s a strategy game through and through.