Cyanide Blood Bowl Game Review
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:01 pm
So I got the early download last night, and thought I'd give a quick review. I haven't tried out all parts of the game, so this is more of a "gut feel check."
My background- I have been playing Blood Bowl on and off for 20 years. I played 3rd Edition starting in 1998, and was re-introduced in 2002, where I have played an average of 1-2 game a week since, in online and tabletop leagues. I understand the Blood Bowl rules thoroughly, in other words.
Installation- No problem.
Main Menu Graphics- The loading screen and Main Menu have graphics which remind me of a 1990's video game. Certainly functional, but they have a quasi-realistic, but poorly rendered feel to them.
Options- Basically, there are two ways to play: Classic and Blitz.
Classic : Standard LRB 5 rules (AFAIK.) Menu makes it look boring by representing it with a greyed out "plastic-ish" miniature. Gut reaction- Classic mode is the "beginner" or tutorial mode.
Blitz Menu makes it look as if this is the main game. It has a ton of choices, all toggled on by default. You must walk your way through each choice, and exactly what each choice does is not well explained. I didn't want to experiment with it on the first night too much, to be honest.
My Reaction- The game seems to be aimed towards the Blitz mode. I hope the real-time functionality actually works!
Game Set-up- Once you choose your mode (single player, multi-player, campaign, one off game, etc) you are asked to choose your team, There are several odd points
a) You don't build your team until right before the match starts (pre-existing teams excepted)
b) When you are building a team, you buy players first, and can't see the options to buy re-rolls, cheerleaders, apothecarues, etc. It would be easy to miss out and buy 0 re-rolls, or even understand that you need them!
c) In campaign mode, it isn't clear where you can play, or what you are doing!
First reaction (before taking a single block): The game is unpolished, and may be out of date. Fine for someone who understands the game, but I think it will be intimidating for someone who doesn't.
Gameplay-
Good: The game looks good. The interface is relatively easy to understand. It FEELS like Blood Bowl. With a basic understanding of the game, it is easy to see which moves require dodges, who has already moved, whether your block will be 1, 2 or 3 die, for or against. Passes are likewise easy to understand. The AI on Medium is easily beatable, but no cakewalk. The Hard AI was better, but I don't know if it offers a real challenge. Bottom line- I felt like I was playing Blood Bowl, and it was fun.
Bad: The camera angles on the opponent's turn make it hard to see exactly what is going on. Side Step is difficult to use because of the angle. Understanding KO's, Stuns, and Injuries requires a bit more experience with the game. Honestly, a lot to nitpick when the game is actually going on, but most of it is just nitpicking.
Ugly: The load times are long, and when I had all of the graphics and sound options turned up all the way (the default setting) the game grinds to a halt. There is no option to stop the game midway through without saving- this is probably good for league play, but when you are trying to get an overview of the game, it takes forever. The 4 minute timer is problematic when I'm learning the UI, is it possible to disable it?
Still to test: Blitz Mode, Multiplayer
Verdict to Date: Considering the limitations which are known (only 8 teams) the game is quite fun. No obvious flaws for an experienced Blood Bowl coach. I'm not sure the game is one which can be picked up by a casual player, if one did not understand Blood Bowl, you would need to be motivated to learn it. But for me, the game was playable! Obviously, the meat of the game (online play, team development, experimenting with some of the wacky options in Blitz mode) is something I need to dig into, but so far, it's promising! A solid 8/10 so far.
My background- I have been playing Blood Bowl on and off for 20 years. I played 3rd Edition starting in 1998, and was re-introduced in 2002, where I have played an average of 1-2 game a week since, in online and tabletop leagues. I understand the Blood Bowl rules thoroughly, in other words.
Installation- No problem.
Main Menu Graphics- The loading screen and Main Menu have graphics which remind me of a 1990's video game. Certainly functional, but they have a quasi-realistic, but poorly rendered feel to them.
Options- Basically, there are two ways to play: Classic and Blitz.
Classic : Standard LRB 5 rules (AFAIK.) Menu makes it look boring by representing it with a greyed out "plastic-ish" miniature. Gut reaction- Classic mode is the "beginner" or tutorial mode.
Blitz Menu makes it look as if this is the main game. It has a ton of choices, all toggled on by default. You must walk your way through each choice, and exactly what each choice does is not well explained. I didn't want to experiment with it on the first night too much, to be honest.
My Reaction- The game seems to be aimed towards the Blitz mode. I hope the real-time functionality actually works!
Game Set-up- Once you choose your mode (single player, multi-player, campaign, one off game, etc) you are asked to choose your team, There are several odd points
a) You don't build your team until right before the match starts (pre-existing teams excepted)
b) When you are building a team, you buy players first, and can't see the options to buy re-rolls, cheerleaders, apothecarues, etc. It would be easy to miss out and buy 0 re-rolls, or even understand that you need them!
c) In campaign mode, it isn't clear where you can play, or what you are doing!
First reaction (before taking a single block): The game is unpolished, and may be out of date. Fine for someone who understands the game, but I think it will be intimidating for someone who doesn't.
Gameplay-
Good: The game looks good. The interface is relatively easy to understand. It FEELS like Blood Bowl. With a basic understanding of the game, it is easy to see which moves require dodges, who has already moved, whether your block will be 1, 2 or 3 die, for or against. Passes are likewise easy to understand. The AI on Medium is easily beatable, but no cakewalk. The Hard AI was better, but I don't know if it offers a real challenge. Bottom line- I felt like I was playing Blood Bowl, and it was fun.
Bad: The camera angles on the opponent's turn make it hard to see exactly what is going on. Side Step is difficult to use because of the angle. Understanding KO's, Stuns, and Injuries requires a bit more experience with the game. Honestly, a lot to nitpick when the game is actually going on, but most of it is just nitpicking.
Ugly: The load times are long, and when I had all of the graphics and sound options turned up all the way (the default setting) the game grinds to a halt. There is no option to stop the game midway through without saving- this is probably good for league play, but when you are trying to get an overview of the game, it takes forever. The 4 minute timer is problematic when I'm learning the UI, is it possible to disable it?
Still to test: Blitz Mode, Multiplayer
Verdict to Date: Considering the limitations which are known (only 8 teams) the game is quite fun. No obvious flaws for an experienced Blood Bowl coach. I'm not sure the game is one which can be picked up by a casual player, if one did not understand Blood Bowl, you would need to be motivated to learn it. But for me, the game was playable! Obviously, the meat of the game (online play, team development, experimenting with some of the wacky options in Blitz mode) is something I need to dig into, but so far, it's promising! A solid 8/10 so far.
