A very good strategy game, with however some flaws.

You are the commander of a human army (at least at first), and you move from battle to battle in a campaign.

The battles : Classic hexagonal map, you deploy your units, one per hexagon. The shooters can hit a target at two (or more) hexagons, they can also retaliate when an ennmy unit is attacking a melee unit near them. Flying units have the same ability to retaliate against ennemies attacking nearby friendly units. and this retaliation can only happen once per defense turn. Some units can ambush, so you don't see them until the last moment, some others don't get stopped when passing near ennemy units etc

What doesn't seem normal, but it's this way in almost every strategy game of this kind I know, is the fact that an attacked melee unit can defend itself with full force all over the turn, provided it has not lost too many men..well, sorry for my english I hope you understand what I mean.

And the other problem, but that's typical of other Ino-Co games (Majesty 2 for example) is that in order to increase the difficulty level, the only thing the developpers seem to know is raise the number of ennemy units. This could seem logical when with the humans you fight "The Horde" of orcs and gobelins.. But when with "The Horde" you find yourself trying to make your way with 10 units against 40 units of humans.. well...

But a good turn by turn strategy game overall.

Oh, and I like the system of Gold/Silver/Bronze victories depending on the number of turns you spend to win. But it should depend more on the objectives you accomplish too.

Truly a great successor to ancient(but still great) Fantasy General. This time it it in 3D and it works fabulously. Graphics are aged a bit but nothing here will burn your eyes out. Gameplay is simple but has lots of possibilities and strategies to try for. This is quite flawless game, only bettered by it's follow-up Elven Legacy which is even better. Buy them both. Fans of fantasy-strategies look no further.

THe mechanics are solid, the story is just interesting enough, the voice acting leaves alot to be desired, but overall worth the price of admission.

I thought this was a very good game. It has good enough graphics for an overhead view. each unit is special for each of the races in the game, which makes it different for each campaign you play through, and each unit has its strengths and weaknesses against other units, which makes it interesting to play.

Fantasy Wars reminds me of Elven Legacy a little bit too much, which makes me wonder where exactly the license went.

But that is not a bad thing. The whole series seems set in the same universe and as such you have five (perhaps even more) games set in a single universe, which, for story lovers, makes for a great setting.

Anyway, the gameplay is really the redeeming value. It reminds me of The Battle For Wesnoth, a free to play game that, I believe, came after this game. I'm saying this because Wesnoth could make for a great demo before buying this game.

It is a nice game, if you'll excuse the bad dialogues (something about the voice acting just seems off). Basically you have squads of troops on different maps, and you also have varying goals (such as killing all enemies in a mission while the next one has you getting your general to a certain square).

To achieve your goals, you take turns. Basically, you move your army, then the enemy moves theirs, etc. Movement, by the way, is done on hexagons.

But writing this doesn't paint Fantasy Wars as it is really. While we could have imagined management, you only have to select the next mission when you're not in battle - sometimes, you have two opening up and have to choose one. You do have a persistent army: troops that do not die in battle come back to you and you can use them in the next battle. They're also more experienced, which means they gain traits that you get to choose.

Overall, I would recommend it mostly to strategy fans - no need to be a big fan mind you, but I think if you liked any other strategy game you will like Fantasy Wars.

If you are fan of games like General series then you will have a blast with this game. The features really good graphics (for its genre), great combat and diversity between units and possibility to upgrade and transfer them between missions. The story of single player campaign is quite decent and expansions for this game well worth playing.

I never would have played much less heard of this game if it had not been part of a bundle pack of games and that would have been a shame because it really is a fine challenging turn based strategy game that is worth checking out especially if you have enough time to let yourself get into it because it has that just one one go element to it like the CIV games. Get it - it does not disapoint.

A truly fantastic turn based Fantasy strategy game. A fitting spiritual sequel to the old SSI Fantasy General classic of the 1990's. Lots of units to pick from and upgrade. Lots of interesting scenarios to fight over. A neat campaign where you take a persistent army from mission to mission, upgrading it and giving various bonuses. One of the best things is the timed reward system of the battles where the faster you complete your mission, the better the rating and thus the reward you get for completing it. This makes for an interesting tension between just racing through a map and the temptation to try and carry out all the optional objectives and to kill everything to give your units more experience and perhaps get extra gold and artifacts. You cannot do both and have to decide whether losing the free unit bonus and the extra money is worth clearing the whole map. Sometimes though you will have no choice as your army may not be optimal for a particular map and so you will never be able to finish a map quickly enough to get a 'gold' rating. In this case, better to take it easy and just go for 'silver' or 'bronze' and gain extra benefits on the map to try and make up for it. This also provides for a lot of replay value as you try and refight maps with a more refined army. Great game.

Well done, but a bit repetitive.

Fantasy Wars is a welcome addition to the "lite" fantasy turn based strategy game catalog. Reminiscent of an updated Fantasy General with its hexes and town captures, it does lack some of the depth that characterized the older game. You can play as human, orc or elf and while there are stylistic differences, none of the factions feels as if it requires a truly different strategy to succeed. Nevertheless, it is a very fun game if you enjoy turn based strategy.

This is an interesting turn based strategy game set in a well drawn fantasy environment. It's main problem is the difficulty level set too high for my standard and constrict me to re-do the first missions many times before success, too often the smallest error means death.

The graphics is not the best for nowadays standards but do its work, and the story is quite enjoyable. A good game especially for those who love turn based strategy gamess.

this game is actually pretty solid. its kind of a colorful version of disciples, though i actually like this game even more. plenty of choices and a well rounded array of units keep it interesting. totally another reason to pick up the complete 1c collection.

Fantasy Wars is an excellent strategy game that is equal parts frustration and fun. Success in this game, in large part, relies on positioning your units to follow up attacks on retreating enemies before they can heal, or catching them in terrain like swamps/rivers and cutting them down. The game rewards finishing levels in fewer turns so I often felt torn between exploring the map to look for magic items and using all my units to finish quickly.

The last levels in each campaign are really challenging. It seemed like an odd role reversal playing the last couple levels of the orc campaign with a small orc force against a human horde.

What an awesome game. If you love turn-based strategy in a fantasy setting, this is the best ever. Reminds me a little of "Sword of Aragon" (yeah, ancient I know). Graphics not that great, but best gameplay in a long time.

Interesting story. Memorable characters. Good AI. Clever combat design. Highly inspired battle maps. Detailed unit graphics and animations. Polished interface. It's obvious this game was created with a great deal of care.

While there have been better games tht follow a turn by turn style, This one made me want to play it over and over. The learning curve is high and it seemed that some scenarios were patently impossible. The addictiveness level of Fantasy Wars is high, no matter how old fashioned and hokey a game based on Panzer General might seem.

Good game, even if its showing its age a bit. Graphics are still passable and the interface is functional. A good tactical game with more variety of units than say, elven legacy, which is nice for re-play, but still suffers from limited AI (i.e. when you figure out how to out-manoeuvre enemy units, the AI does not try to adapt and stop you from using the same 'moves' in subsequent battles). Still an engaging and enjoyable game if you like tactical unit battle type games in a turn-based environment.

Fantasy Wars is a turn based strategy that mostly resembles of Panzer General game style. The combat is resolved on the world map, so it resembles of Civilization IV in some way. However, the game lacks more depth to keep the player hooked up for longer than a few days, and has low replayability value due to badly implemented unit classes and small terrain variety.

The "beer&pretzel" strategy gamestyle is quite an addictive thing, but this game fails to deliver what I've expected. I have a feeling that this game is stuck somewhere between Heroes of Might and Magic and Panzer General, and it fails to settle in any of those two game types. I graded it with 3* because it has excellent music soundtrack and an interesting storyline, but what mostly discouraged me from grading it better is the lack of in-game online lobby. I see no way of finding hosts online from within the game, which is quite unsatisfying.

All in all, I don't recommend buying this game unless it's on some serious discount. You can find better Turn-based strategies out there for the same price.

Interesting story. Memorable characters. Good AI. Clever combat design. Highly inspired battle maps. Detailed unit graphics and animations. Polished interface. It's obvious this game was created with a great deal of care.

Being a latecomer to the game, it is difficult to add much to what other reviewers have already said here before. However, it is easy to agree with the main points that have so far been mentioned.

First of all, Fantasy Wars can be excruciatingly difficult especially if one goes for the gold, but this also means that it is far more rewarding than many of its competitors on the market. Second, the game interface and level design are devoid of bad designer choices, which makes the game a pleasure to play. Third, Fantasy Wars feels fun to play despite its difficulty - not many games have achieved this! Finally, both the single and multiplayer modes are entertaining and well designed.

On the negative side, the levels are designed so that in order to advance one must always follow a carefully predesigned path. This may leave the player wondering whether it really is a strategy game or a puzzler. Greater freedom would have been welcome, but on the other hand, one can still have fun with the game although for a more limited time. Not a flawless product but still good fun!

Fantasy Wars has solid graphics, that fit well with the storyline and overall feel of the game. It is a ton of fun to play and has some good mechanics behind it.

Although it does have an extremely steep curve, even on easier difficulty you will be outnumbered in later missions. This puts a strong focus on strategy since you can not outright win with brute force.

I would highly recommend this game if you are seeking a challenge and find TBS games fun.

I like Fantasy Wars - it very much has the feel of a table-top war game with friends cheesily trying to roleplay. Overall it was an enjoyable romp but the battles are too linear and often feel like there is only 'one true way' to advance, which kills replay value.

A curiously engaging game. While turn-based and not aiming at "simulation" in any way, the graphics are sumptuous and the scenarios quite compelling.

The most interesting aspect of the game in my opinion is the ability to customize your army in the course of the campaign. With a variety of weapons and armour that can be purchased or earned, plus special attributes that can be applied to a variety of troop tyoes, you can end up with a huge variety of units, each suited to a particular situation.

Good old school strategy

Totally worth buying for some casual strategic fun.

It is very easy to learn how this game works and getting used to it.

If you wish to give yourself a extra challenge there is a gold mission way to win the scenarios. Win within a certain member of turns.

Find extra boosts ffor your hero by discovering magical artifacts! nice tbs & rpg in one game

This is a must have game for fans of the "beer n pretzels" turnbased strategy series. Plays much like a fantasy version of Panzer General. Gameplay is addictive and leveling up your armies are well thought out.

Lots of fun but be prepared to have to make some concessions. Even on normal difficulty getting a gold rating on a mission is tough and usually requires you to forgo either exploring something which might have some loot for you or killing off some units that would give you some more experience.

Its an interesting change from most games that are either way too easy even on hard difficulties or games that scale from easy to impossible without any middle ground. Its kind of nice that you can chose to settle for the silver or keep trying to get the gold rating and rewards.

Good game! This reminded me alot of Fantasy General, and it's a really good game. Campaign could have been a little better in terms of challenge and story, but oh well, this is a great buy for its price! Highly recommended!

Upon first load I wanted to cry out in anguish at yet another one those cookie cutter titles spammed so many times over after the initial success of the first Final Fantasy Tactics.

However, giving the game a chance it distinguished itself from the onslaught ad nauseum by going light on unnecessary story and heavy on quality gameplay experience.

Fantasy Wars is a cut-to-the-chase, no BS, tactical strategy game that allows new recruits to be purchased through the progress of a level and former recruits to upgrade stats and abilities via experience from battle.

It should be noted that experience does not carry over level to level but is a good thing as losing a unit isn't as devastating and it gives you a chance to try out each level up augment for the many various troops.

If your tired of long-winded, emotional and big-haired fluffy drama and just want to get your hands dirty with a game, the only more direct strategy title on GG would Montjoie! which also merits attention from strategy enthusiasts.

To be fair I should mention that what little dialogue there is suffers from bad voice acting (at least on the ogre side of things) and the DRM for this game limits for only five activations however most vendors tend to justify the DRM situation by either reseting activation alotments on a monthly basis or handing over a permanent unlock.

Dont hesitate to pick this one up , Easy to learn , hard to master and impossible to stop playing !.

If you like turn based stratedgy , then this is a no brainer. However if you already own Elven legacy they are practically the same in gameplay apart from different Units and some other small details , I have both though and totally enjoy them.

Also another great price from Gamersgate , cant believe I got this much gaming goodness for only £3.99 !

Fantasy Wars is pretty much the same as Elven Legacy, exept for the story and the skins of the characters. Has very loveble RPG elements and lets you really take care of your heroes and army, that is, whenever a hero or a unit gets to level up you can choose one out of three possible special abilities that makes the unit more powerful (Better defence/ melee, cover greater distance, avoiding/ deflecting missiles etc).

As a turn-based strategy, action is pretty straightforward but, at the same time, very demanding. It will requere strategic thinking and usage of the right units and terrain against the enemy. Thought the level of the units plays significant role, it is also very important what kind of unit (eg. Knights, archers, swordmen etc) you are using agains the enemy unit. Graphics are adorable, fully optimized for even slower machines, but you won’t really care for the story that tries to pull you into the FW universe and fails.

Problems? As is the case with most of the strategies from the publisher 1C as the game progresses this game becomes brutally difficult, to the point when you would rather exit the game than re-loading certain scenarious and trying to outwit the overpowering enemy.The units who you have learned to care and upgrade through the missions will start getting killed when you make the slightest mistake, especially when you are outnumbered, the enemy is pressing on and you would really like to reach that village or cave in order to put your hands on that irresistable loot. This makes for an excellent game for real (hard-core) strategy buffs, but the author of this text, though enjoying strategies immensly, would prefer them easier and more relaxing.

If you’ve been Elven Legacy fun, Fantasy Wars will be like coming back home. Everything that you enjoyed in EL (well, mostly everything) is here in slightly different setting and with the same combat system. Definatelly worth a try. Have at it!

Funny that, even I love real turn based strategy games at my heart, this game took a quite long time to get to me. Then I read some review of the sequel and got interested about this one.

And when I found it in GG's sale, I think this one has been one of the best purchases I have made this year. Really good strategy game. :)

At start you may not totally think how you should act with your army (this happened to me, as I'm not familiar with Fantasy General), but after couple of missions you will find the right ways to proceed without losing your best troops for enemies' cavalry or artillery.

Immediate 5 stars. More game like this with less bright colors and I'm happy.

Fantasy Wars is a turn based strategy game set on a hexagonal combat scheme. Fantasy Wars has one of the most improved strategy game play engines ever implemented in a turn based strategy game. Although thanks to outstanding interface ergonomics, the game play is intuitive and accessible to any player. Fantasy Wars also provides a true RPG depth as well as a War-game sensation, with up to 500 units displayed simultaneously. For a clear strategic view, zoom out in order to distinguish your units dispatched as grouped squads per hexagon, or zoom in to see each one of your units and literally move around and inside the world to watch the close combat.

In fact, one could argue that getting gold is really the prime objective of the game. You would think the malicious armies of Evil would pose more of a threat. However, simply feeding yourself and maintaining control over your buildings is surprisingly difficult. Fantasy Wars is quite an accurate portrayal of wage-slavery. While you, the player, may order around peons and soldiers, in reality you are the one under control of a master - capitalism. To simply advance in the game, you are required to have a mighty surplus of gold. This is where the strategy of the game comes in - your economy must be superior to your enemy. Ultimately this requires giving your workers control over the means of production. It's a rather clever mechanic. By allowing your peons and soldiers to control your empire, you essentially let the game play itself. One would argue that a game that plays itself is not fun. However, when you are free from playing the game you have free time. Free time to talk to old friends; to mend old wounds. The leader of the army of Evil? He may not be so Evil once you sit down and have a talk over Middle Earth coffee. Fantasy Wars is grounded in fantasy, yet it can teach us all so many lessons.

10/10

I think the other reviewers have covered this pretty well. Ultimately, it's a fun and satisfying fantasy-cliche-themed turn based strategy game, with no amazing new ideas but no crippling flaws either. Very much a case of 'try the demo, and buy it if you like it'.

I was somewhat disappointed with this game. This reminds me of Battle for Wesnoth, with much better graphics but without the charm. It will bring a lot of challenges and it does a great job of making this type of game story driven. I just prefer Wesnoth, which is free.

You who want this game probably have played Panzer General 2, Heroes of might and magic, Age of Wonder or Fantasy general.

The game engine is shamelessly close to Panzer general 2, which is a good thing. The graphics are cute and interesting and the units and experience serve to deepen game. Overall a great game to kill a couple of hours with some easy strategy. I got it at a discount but it is worth it's full price.

5 stars for it's price, great game and cute atmosphere.

This game was something of a sleeper for me. I had seen it several times, both online and off, for various prices but never thought it looked interesting enough to actually try. Finally, i purchased the 1C complete pack (off this site) and acquired this along with a whole slew of other games. I figured, since i had been aware of it for a couple years, I would finally give this game a try. I was blown away. The entirety of the game is played in a turn based, grid based mode which i have discovered that i Love. Units are persistant between levels, and can not only level up, but also upgrade (Peasants become militia, who become spearmen, who become pikemen, etc, etc). You can find unique artifacts throughout the game to bolster the strength of your units, and heros can learn powerful spells and special abilities to really turn the tide of a battle. I have read other reviews where people equate this game to similar series, but I had never actually played a game like this before, and i found myself sucked in. As several people have mentioned this is the predecessor to Elven Legacy (also a great game), and actually ties into it in the storyline.

All that said, the game can be a little on the tough side occasionally (I hate when invisible goblin runners ambush and slay my main character. Booh!) but a little actual strategy and forethought can circumvent most obstacles. Nice to play a game that actually makes me think again. Been a while. For anyone who enjoys turn based strategy games, i would suggest this title. It is well worth the price of admission.

Not much to say that hasn't already been said. I started with the Elven Legacy series before going back and trying the original. Because of that, I found it to be quite easy to beat. It was still very enjoyable and worth the price.

A very classic and polished wargame. I was very surprised by this little gem, my expectations after reading some reviews on popular sites like Gamestop were low. I love strategy games, but very often they have a very steep learning curve and a single match can last for days. Fantasy Wars is a return to the classic hexagonal wargame; very simple to play but hard to master. Someone says it's too difficult: it's not true, I find it very well balanced. I completed the game with all about a pair of gold victories, and to do so I replayed some missions 2 or 3 times, but this makes the game more long-lived and interesting. Graphics are secondary in such a game, but they are satisfying and very better than any other hexagonal wargame that I know. The story is nice, the maps and battles various, and there are many different types of troops to master. You will need just the right balance of infantry, cavalry and heroes for each mission. Artifacts and magics add interesting tactical choices. If you like strategy games you should buy this. A suggestion: don't buy Elven Legacy if you don't own Fantasy Wars. Elven Legacy shares the same engine and the story begins with Fantasy Wars, so you should try and complete this before playing Elven Legacy. This one is cheaper, so... Thumbs up for me.

Fun game, but it doesn't have the same length as some other turn-based games. It's just not the same 'value'. If the game goes on a 50% off type sale by all means do consider trying it out.

Also Fantasy Wars is more or less the same as Elven Legacy (sequel), so depending on which one you can buy for a lesser price, get the lesser priced one. If you loved one, get the other since they're just different missions/units.

I'll rate this a 3.5/5. Fun for people who like more turn and hex-based and thinking combat. But the game will not appeal to everyone.

This is an excellent game, however, it lacked replayability for me (other than the temptation to possibly go against using units I like/creating strangely composed armies). Once finished the campaign I didn't have much inclination to go back and play it again (fortunately there are three campaigns so this isn't much of a problem). Also, the limit of 5 level ups per unit is a bit frustrating as this often happens significantly before the end of the campaign.

Basically, the campaigns are great and the difficulty is hard but not impossible (ie perfect), but there is little motive to replay the campaigns and few missions (4) that can be played one-off.

Hard to say much more than others have already said here: in some respects, if you've played any Panzer General derivative, you've played them all. But now with pretty graphics! Par for the course is challenging scenarios, but only because you're fighting against a time limit rather than the AI (which persists in doing stupid things).

This one is most like PG2 of those I've played, due to the smaller maps; if you'd like to try a similar free game, look up Battle for Wesnoth.

A very good and challenging wargame. Building up the army and taking care of every unit battle after battle is a definite pleasure. If you appreciated a game like Fantasy General this one is a must. However, the scenarios are a bit tough to win and some must be restarted more than once to find the perfect winning strategy. Anyway, a strategist pleasure. And graphics are gorgeous, if a bit cartoonish.

Not much I can say that plenty of others haven't. This is an excellent turn-based strategy wargame ina fantasy setting. I am not a fan of the FPS genre, so this sort of game is especially appealing; I like the time to plan out my actions without the frantic Build and Swarm approach of the real time games, and Fantasy Wars is excellent in that regard. Graphics are great, too. Worth checking out!

I've been playing games for a long time now, long enough to remember the excellent games made by the now gone SSI. One of my favorite games was called Fantasy General, a hexed-based, turned-based, Panzer General inspired wargame with cool fantasy units that were persistent over the campaign. Few games have equalled Fantasy General and very few were made like it - until now! Although unoriginally named, Fantasy Wars captures the spirit of Fantasy General perfectly. The units fight it out on attractive 3d maps, gaining experience that will allow them to upgrade or gain new skills. The battles are challenging, and the inclusion of a copper, silver, and gold medal victory requirements (based usually on number of turns and deeds done) make them even more challenging. Multiplay is limited and there is little solo skirmish to speak of, but there are three single player campaigns showcasing different armies - enough to keep you playing for a good long time!

Great game for the money. There's plenty of tactical depth in this game that could have you coming back time and again. The individual unit leveling is great, combined with good graphics and a few campaigns (not to mention a map editor) make for a solid game. Each scenario also has ratings of how you did (basically how long you took to complete the mission) and rewards based on each. Getting all gold ratings on hard difficulty: oh boy, have fun with that. There aren't a lot of showy extras in this title, just pure turn-based "tabletop" strategy.

Other people comparing this game to fantasy general made me buy this game and it is definitely an updated version of that game. The story is actually interesting and above all this is an easy game to get into and it's great fun without losing any depth of tactics or strategy.

I just hope they do an updated version of the panzer general series too now that would be good :)

A good solid game - well worth playing. The campaign is solid, but tricky at times! I'd recommend anyone try it - there is a demo available at the site for the game.

The previous reviewer that compared it to Fantasy General was spot on. This is a great game, not groundbreaking, but damn it's nice to have Fantasy General back and all dressed up.

Great game, I'll be spending a lot of time with this title.

Leave it to GamersGate to uncover this little gem of a turn-based strategy title. Maybe not a five-star product, but certainly worth four stars. The reviews above are accurate, or go over to Gamespot for even more detail.

One nice tidbit to add to the other reviews: There is a very cool game editor available for free download. Do a Goggle search for it, as I no longer have the URL, but you should find, and enjoy, this nice little add-on to an already good game.

I played one mission from the demo and immediately came here to purchase the full game.

If you like the old SSI game Fantasy General, then you'll love this game. It is like Fantasy General with an updated graphics engine:

- Your normal units have 15 health. They can receive either wounds (which can be healed by resting) or deaths (which cannot be healed without recruiting more members for the unit).

- You have hero units which have 10 health and can be healed as long as they do not die.

- You can find magic items by exploring ruins and other locations on the map

- You have archers which support your soldiers in combat

- You have aerial units which support your troops and can bombard the enemy

- Your army is transferred from battle to battle and your units gain experience.

The only thing missing is the research between turns. Instead your units gain special abilities called perks as they gain experience.

The graphics are good without requiring a beast of a machine to play the game. As others have said, the voice-acting is outstanding.

This is a must buy if you like fantasy turn-based combat games.

I've played both the demo and the full game for a total of about 6 hours.

Inevitable comparisons

First and foremost, this is NOT Lord of the Rings OR Heroes of Might and Magic. Nor does it play like either of those games. It plays more like Massive Assault, which is probably why I like it so much. It is a slow-paced turn-based strategy game. Keep that in mind if you're interested in buying this. However, since it is Fantasy-based and a TBS immediately HoMM comes to mind. However, where that game has a free-roaming hero and grid-based combat, here, you have an army to control based on a hex grid. As for the *incredibly* generic 'Fantasy Title' world? I honestly think that there are simply SO many of these clones already, that the fact that the game doesn't even try to give a more interesting title is to its' credit. It knows it is a fantasy clone and doesn't try to be anything else. Kudos.

Translations and Voiceacting

Well, am I ever surprised. The voiceacting in this game is GREAT! I have heard some of the worst voice acting/reading of lines to ever come out of my speakers - see the recent The Chosen: Well of Souls to get an idea of this. I think the problem comes down to a non-English speaking (natively) developer hiring voice actors without knowing whether or not they are any good as English is simply not their native tongue. Someone got it right in this game, imo. The Narrator (intro), Goblins, Orcs, Humans, etc all sound just as you'd expect. Gruff, whiny, bold, all in the right measure. I'd say there is a BIT of overacting, but at least they are appropriate, and not stilted or Ukranian-accented or whatnot. It puts me into the right frame of mind, at least. The translations are also, overall, pretty good. Sometimes the voiceacting doesn't exactly match the onscreen text, but this isn't outrageously bad.. often the voiceacting lines are better. All of the text descriptions onscreen are understandable, legible and make sense.

Gameplay

This is a remarkably easy-to-pick-up game. There is a tutorial with 2 training missions. These are effective in bringing you up to speed and you'll be playing in no time. As for the nuts and bolts, I'm still getting into it, but there seems to be plenty of depth, with new recruits, units having different strengths, weaknesses, better shielding in cities, etc. Fun to play and watch the units' different animations after/during battle.

Graphics and sound

I think this title is outstanding, appearance-wise. It's not hard on my rig - I cranked the AA/AF and it plays and looks incredible. Fully 3D camera, smart hotkeys and loads of fun animations - from your units' cheering, to grass and trees swaying in the breeze, to birds in the sky. The modellers and animators have done an awesome job here. As for the sound, that might be the weakest bit. I like all of the effects and music, but wish that the explosions/damage sound effects could be louder.

Conclusion

Great game, I give it 5 stars for being a welcome surprise.