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I was expecting better considering that the design team for Goblin Commander was headed by the same folks who worked on the Warcraft and Diablo series
February 12, 2004 | 10:00 PM PSTby: Brandon Smith
Good console real-time strategy games are hard to come by. While on the PC, they are a dime a dozen, the RTS genre just doesn’t get much attention in the console world. Many obstacles are in the way of porting a RTS from PC to console, and those that have played Starcraft64 know what I’m talking about. Strategy games seem to play much better with a mouse and keyboard instead of a controller. Goblin Commander, however, was able to leap past this problem. With a control scheme designed specifically for consoles, moving your goblin troops into battle is no hassle at all.
The story of Goblin Commander is unique and enjoyable. Five goblin clans were created by the wizard Fraziel. Stonekrusher, Stormbringer, Plaguespitter, Hellfire, and Nighthorde. Each clan has five different types of warriors and one titan. A titan is a mammoth creature much larger than the average warrior goblin. A titan can only be controlled by the player and most effectively used when leading smaller soldiers into battle. Each clan’s titan is completely different, from a giant ball of slime to a massive warthog with a catapult strapped to its back. As you progress through the game, more clans fall under your control. Each clan is controlled by a separate button. A controls the Stonekrushers, B controls the Hellfire, and X controls the Stormbringer. Clans stay grouped together so single units cannot be ordered by themselves. I found this to hinder gameplay a little because if I want to leave two goblins behind to stand guard I should be able to!
For the hardcore real-time strategy fan, Goblin Commander is a little bland. There are only two resources to manage (soul and gold). Soul can be acquired from soul fountains scattered throughout the maps, while gold is taken from breakable objects such as boulders and enemy buildings. Whoever controls the most soul fountains on a map will control the battle. Souls are needed to create goblins, and gold is needed to buy upgrades, buildings, and turrets. Each clan has its own turret, but you can only build three of any type at a time. Each clan has a clanshrine where you build your troops. The Hall of Titans is where the turrets and titans are made. These are basically the only two buildings there are, so don’t expect to build a massive sprawling base that covers half the map like in other RTS games.
The game starts out easy enough with the first two acts being easy as pie. After that, however, the game shifts into hard mode. The battles get harder, and the enemies get smarter. Some of the battles can take as long as an hour as you keep trying to cut off enemy supply lines and smash buildings to dust. The most goblins you can take control of at a time is forty--this is later in the game, after you have assimilated more clans. Thanks to the control’s however, this was never to much of a problem.
The graphics are great, and even with a massive conflict raging on there is little to no slowdown. The character models look awesome, and the camera stays in a good position to display the best possible view of the battle. The backgrounds are varied, with each act taking place in a different climate. From stormy mountains, rolling hills, and poisonous swamps, you never quite know where the goblin war will take you next.
Goblin Commander lacks the depth that hardcore strategy fans want and is more difficult than a casual fan would care to deal with. Most players will lose interest after the first two acts, but those that stick with it will find an enjoyable experience. I was expecting better considering that the design team for Goblin Commander was headed by the same folks who worked on the Warcraft and Diablo series.
Goblin Commander’s multiplayer could be fun if you have a friend that is into strategy games. The lack of maps and increased slowdown hurt it, though. The split-screen is another problem in multiplayer but not to much of a problem. I would have personally liked it better if the game included the option to link two GCN’s and two TV’s together, or better yet, online play.
For the strategy fan, give Goblin Commander a rental before you buy it. While the easy controls and great graphics are enough for some, hardcore fans are not going to be pleased by the lack of depth that other RTS series like Command and Conquer or Starcraft have.
The story of Goblin Commander is unique and enjoyable. Five goblin clans were created by the wizard Fraziel. Stonekrusher, Stormbringer, Plaguespitter, Hellfire, and Nighthorde. Each clan has five different types of warriors and one titan. A titan is a mammoth creature much larger than the average warrior goblin. A titan can only be controlled by the player and most effectively used when leading smaller soldiers into battle. Each clan’s titan is completely different, from a giant ball of slime to a massive warthog with a catapult strapped to its back. As you progress through the game, more clans fall under your control. Each clan is controlled by a separate button. A controls the Stonekrushers, B controls the Hellfire, and X controls the Stormbringer. Clans stay grouped together so single units cannot be ordered by themselves. I found this to hinder gameplay a little because if I want to leave two goblins behind to stand guard I should be able to!
For the hardcore real-time strategy fan, Goblin Commander is a little bland. There are only two resources to manage (soul and gold). Soul can be acquired from soul fountains scattered throughout the maps, while gold is taken from breakable objects such as boulders and enemy buildings. Whoever controls the most soul fountains on a map will control the battle. Souls are needed to create goblins, and gold is needed to buy upgrades, buildings, and turrets. Each clan has its own turret, but you can only build three of any type at a time. Each clan has a clanshrine where you build your troops. The Hall of Titans is where the turrets and titans are made. These are basically the only two buildings there are, so don’t expect to build a massive sprawling base that covers half the map like in other RTS games.
The game starts out easy enough with the first two acts being easy as pie. After that, however, the game shifts into hard mode. The battles get harder, and the enemies get smarter. Some of the battles can take as long as an hour as you keep trying to cut off enemy supply lines and smash buildings to dust. The most goblins you can take control of at a time is forty--this is later in the game, after you have assimilated more clans. Thanks to the control’s however, this was never to much of a problem.
The graphics are great, and even with a massive conflict raging on there is little to no slowdown. The character models look awesome, and the camera stays in a good position to display the best possible view of the battle. The backgrounds are varied, with each act taking place in a different climate. From stormy mountains, rolling hills, and poisonous swamps, you never quite know where the goblin war will take you next.
Goblin Commander lacks the depth that hardcore strategy fans want and is more difficult than a casual fan would care to deal with. Most players will lose interest after the first two acts, but those that stick with it will find an enjoyable experience. I was expecting better considering that the design team for Goblin Commander was headed by the same folks who worked on the Warcraft and Diablo series.
Goblin Commander’s multiplayer could be fun if you have a friend that is into strategy games. The lack of maps and increased slowdown hurt it, though. The split-screen is another problem in multiplayer but not to much of a problem. I would have personally liked it better if the game included the option to link two GCN’s and two TV’s together, or better yet, online play.
For the strategy fan, give Goblin Commander a rental before you buy it. While the easy controls and great graphics are enough for some, hardcore fans are not going to be pleased by the lack of depth that other RTS series like Command and Conquer or Starcraft have.
November 20, 2009
