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Gameplay
Sound
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Graphics
Value
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Reader Reviews
23 reviews. Average Rating: 9.09
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Publisher:  Genre: Strategy & War Expansion For:
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Mac OS X: 10.1.3 Mac OS Classic: Mac OS 9
CPU: G3 @ 400 MHz RAM: 128 MB Hard Disk: 700 MB 4x CD-ROM Graphics: 16 MB VRAM |
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Graphics
As you’d expect from an expansion, the graphics have not noticeably changed. The artwork for the new units and buildings and the new tile sets are all very good, but Warcraft games have never been about jaw-dropping graphics. What you get is excellent but won’t put your top-of-the-line video card through its paces.
In particular, the graphics for the Sentinel’s Mountain Giants, the Alliance’s Blood Mage, and the Scourge’s Crypt Lord are all exceptional. The models are beautifully detailed and just plain cool.
The cinematics are incredibly, mind-numbingly beautiful. No one does this like Blizzard. Unfortunately, though there are plenty of cut scenes in the game, there are only two movies.
Sound
Like any Blizzard title, the sound is excellent. The music fits the levels well without distracting from the action, the sounds of battle are crisp and convincing, the ambient sounds are perfectly matched to the scenery, and the voices are absolutely spot on. There are voices and sound effects added for all of the new units, and there are hours of dialogue to carry the story along. There are lots of creepy voices and tons of the trademark Blizzard humor. The only thing that keeps the sound from being a 10: The new Night Elf hero gets grating after a (short) while.
Conclusion
The simplest way of summing up the Frozen Throne is to just say Warcraft is still good.
It’s amazing that Blizzard continues to deliver games that garner the adulation of gamers around the world. Each new Blizzard game receives well-deserved critical acclaim, scoops up awards, and breaks sales records. In this sense, the Frozen Throne is a typical Blizzard title. But this is no typical expansion, even for Blizzard.
The new campaigns and the bonus campaign are sure to hold your interest for at least a few weeks. The multiplayer and custom games might hold your interest for years. This expansion is loaded with goodies, and what’s most impressive is how much of the game play has been changed by such subtle changes.
Any Warcraft III fan should pick this expansion up without hesitation. Between the improved game play, the new units, the multiplayer/custom game improvements, and a full game’s worth of new missions, you can’t miss.
Of course, I have a couple minor complaints. For one, the story lacks the depth and scope of the original and is filled with a lot of forced twists and turns. Also, I felt that the Scourge campaign was surprisingly more difficult (and much longer) than the first two. Sure, it’s still wonderful, but I would have liked a bit of a smoother ramp up in that last campaign. On the other hand, it’s got boats!
The Frozen Throne is an excellent expansion. With the expansions for their other titles, Blizzard has always improved the game play and given you all the value and enjoyment of a stand-alone game. With Frozen Throne, they have perfected the Warcraft formula. I can’t imagine what they can do to improve it now. We’ll have to wait for Warcraft IV to find out.
23 Reader Reviews submitted. Average Rating: 9.09
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