Black and White 2

The Basics:
Platform: PC
Developer: EA
Price: $39.99
ESRB rating: T-Teen (13+)

Summary: Parents need to know that this game allows players to win the overall game by through either peaceful or violent methods. However, some of the violence can be disturbing. For example, player's train their magical creatures not to do something by hitting and slapping them. Some crude humor about defecation, along with poorly executed gameplay and limited replayability all add up to game that probably isn't worth getting.

Families who do purchase this game may want to discuss why game designers depend so heavily on sequels. Would you prefer to purchase a game that is completely new, or do you like to stick with games you are more familiar with? When do you think a sequel works, and when do you think it doesn't?

Further Breakdown:

Overall rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Best for ages: 13+
Playability: Low. Interface is not intuitive
Graphics: High. Impressive landscapes, details right down bugs on the ground.
Reading Level: None
KidScore Rating

Ages 3-7: Red
Ages 8-12: Red
Ages 13-17: Green
Violence Amount: Yellow
Fear: Yellow
Illegal/harmful: Yellow
Language: Green
Nudity: Green
Sex: Yellow

Review:
BLACK AND WHITE 2 (B&W 2) tries to improve on the qualities that made the first Black and White game such a critical success. Unfortunately, it doesn't reach the same level of quality the first game had.

As in the first game, the player takes the role of a god, complete with all the responsibilities and powers. A limited storyline tells the tale of the player's people-the Greeks. Throwing historical accuracy aside, the opening sequence shows the Aztecs overrunning the Greeks. Now, the player, using all of the godly powers at hand, needs to restore their people to glory-fighting additional cultures such as the Norse, and the Japanese along the way.

As a major departure from most Real Time Strategy (RTS) games, players can win at B&W 2 by either peaceful or warlike strategies. To be a good god, player's build prestige, convincing rival cities to join them, eventually winning the game. Or, on the evil side, armies can be assembled and opposing cities can be taken by force.

At the start of the game the player gets to choose a giant, magical creature to help rule their people. By either petting or hitting the creature during the game, the player can train the creature to be either a peaceful helper or a fierce fighter.

Creatures also provide a source of rather crude humor for the game, as the creature occasionally asks questions like "Should I poo on that villager's head." In fact, players can easily observe, in full graphical detail, the creature "pooing" in a variety of places in the village.

Regrettably the game fails to be fun in a number of ways. Unlike the first game, there are no enemy gods. Instead the most powerful foe is the enemy's creature, which can be fairly easily dispatched with the player's own creature or different types of miracles. In fact, it is almost impossible to lose, with enemy AI barely more intelligent than the rocks you can use to crush their armies.

This sequel appears to be designed poorly as well, with menus that seem buried and clumsy controls. Tasks that should be simple, like picking up an individual villager, can sometimes turn out to be frustrating. This is a big limitation, since B&W 2 focuses more on RTS (which requires speedy menus and movement) than the first game did.

The final blow is very limited replay value. Despite being an original promise from the developer, the game offers no multiplayer options and as a further limitation it doesn't even have any skirmish-style maps. Only the nine campaign levels can be replayed, and there is no option to skip to a particular level once completed.

Overall, Black and White 2 just doesn't offer enough to make it a great game to play. Most players will likely find themselves frustrated or bored during several parts. Both Empire Earth 2 and Civilization 4 have a lot more to offer for gamers interesting in RTS games.