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Publisher:  Genre: Strategy & War
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Mac OS X: 10.2 Mac OS Classic: Not Supported
CPU: G3 @ 800 MHz RAM: 64 MB Graphics: 16 MB VRAM |
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Graphics and Sound
As far as visuals go, Celtic Kings is obviously not WarCraft III, but then again it is not trying to be. Celtic Kings is easily on par with some of the better isometric non-polygonal RTS games around. It helps that this beast can be displayed in 1600x1200 and the graphics engine has rather nice background animations for water, trees, animals, and buildings. When you attack structures, they smoke and smolder with an authentic air about them. The game played well on all the systems I tested with. The developers suggest fairly mundane minimum specifications, so I suspect at the smaller screen size the game should play well for most 800 MHz or faster iMacs, iBooks, or Power Macs. The sound is a tad lacking. The soundtrack, while pleasing, is limited, and after an hour the songs do tend to stick in your head and not in a good way. The sound effects are nice, but the voice acting seems a bit too low-budget to immerse me in the game fully. The maps for this game can be huge, up to 32000 x 32000 pixels each. Each map can support up to 5000 units at a time. This is quite spectacular to see and more than enough to wage total war.
Longevity
Celtic Kings comes complete with a level editor so you can create your own maps and scenarios. For hardcore re-creationists this tool could prove very useful for recreating the great battles of the era. For the casual gamer, you could at least make a few quick maps for you and your buddies to play in elimination mode. The Adventure mode, while long, is only a one time use kind of story, so once you complete it going back will seem kind of stale. However, the skirmish mode and the potential for online play make the longevity of play for Celtic Kings higher than most titles. As you progress, you will encounter islands and sailing vessels, and your druid friends can cast magical spells. The roman priests can also conjure up some heavenly powers to add to the fray. Between the druids and priests you must be careful with your invading armies.
Bottom Line
Celtic Kings has an enormous amount of work and thought put into the title. It is not often a developer tries to tackle a tough genre like RTS games. Not only did the folks at Haemimont add some new and potentially genre-changing aspects to Celtic Kings, but they managed to make a game that can hold its own against the likes of WarCraft or StarCraft. Celtic Kings is filled with solid ideas and wrapped in a nice presentation. So, the bottom-line: Celtic Kings is good. Actually, it's better than good. It's good and enjoyable, and will hold your fascination for a long while. But, whether or not quality warrants purchase in this case is a decision you'll have to make on your own. There are many other comparable or better strategy titles about. It certainly deserves some serious consideration for purchase, but I cannot call Celtic Kings one of the very best RTS style games out there. Celtic Kings is a good game that may be overshadowed by a bevy of great games. If you like RTS or RPG style play, then I suggest you pick up a copy of Celtic Kings and enjoy yourself.
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