Reviews / previews
Aspiring spell-casters will soon be able to don the robes of a powerful wizard in Sacrifice, a 3D real-time strategy game that puts one to four players on a fantastical floating island to battle for supremacy. Competing wizards will have an arsenal of 50 spells at their disposal and will be able to summon a variety of creatures, from goblins to dragons, to do their bidding. The complex resource management of other RTS games has been simplified in Sacrifice, allowing the players to focus on mage-to-mage combat. Developed by Shiny Entertainment, the twisted minds behind such games as Earthworm Jim and MDK, Sacrifice is guaranteed to include the team's trademark off-the-wall humor, eye-popping graphics, and addictive gameplay. Sacrifice will conjure its way into stores in winter 2000.
-- Brian Wright / GamePro
Leave it to Shiny Entertainment to create the most bizarre 3D real-time strategy game ever. With its striking visuals, addictive gameplay, and offbeat humor, Sacrifice is definitely going to turn a few gamers' heads.
In Sacrifice you take the role of a powerful wizard helping five bickering gods battle for control of the land. Players start with an altar, which acts as their home base. The object: protect your altar and destroy your opponents' altars.
You won't have to go it alone, though, as you will be able to summon an army of minions to do your dirty work. The collection of creatures available depends on which of the five gods you are serving.
Wizards siding with Persephone, goddess of light, will have Rangers and Druids to do their bidding, while those fighting for Charnel, the god of death, will have access to Scythes and Locusts. Each creature comes equipped with unique abilities, such as healing or invisibility, and as your character increases in level, more powerful beings become available.
Like other RTS games, Sacrifice requires you to harvest resources, only instead of wood or gold, your wizards gather mana for spells and collect souls for summoning. As summoned creatures die, their souls wait to be collected by their former owner. Enemy souls can also be converted by summoning a creature that sucks out the enemy soul with a giant hypodermic needle and carries it back to your altar.
As with most Shiny games, Sacrifice shows off the developers' technological talents as well as their warped sense of humor. Wizards range from Medusa-like snake creatures to a gnome riding a one-legged beast and the minions look like demented Muppets in a Tim Burton nightmare. The 3D engine is capable of rendering scores of objects simultaneously while automatically adjusting itself to maintain the best possible framerate.
Sacrifice is definitely not your typical RTS game. Gamers can look forward to plenty of twisted action when Sacrifice is offered to stores in winter 2000.-- Brian Wright / GamePro
A third-person hybrid of fantasy role-playing and real-time strategy, Sacrifice weaves together an intricate story, addictive gameplay, and drop-dead gorgeous graphics.
In their struggle for dominance, five gods enlist the help of mortals like you. As a wizard, you cast spells and summon creatures to do your bidding. Once you've summoned a horde, you can send them into battle and watch safely from a distance or jump into the melee. The beautiful graphics are incredibly detailed, from overcast skies looming in the background to the hypnotically colorful spells. While big titles like Giants may grab all the headlines, Sacrifice could be the sleeper hit of the year.
Graphics
Great sci-fi fantasy graphics mixed in with awesome lighting effects on the spells.
Sound
Sweet soundtrack backs the din of battle as multiple monster melee.
Control
A very simple but effective control sceme has minor camera issues.
Fun Factor
A wild mix of realtime strategy and action make this a unique and fun title.
Tech Score
No apparent bugs bog this clean release down.
Multiplayer Score
Sacrifice is a hoot to play online or via a LAN, but the chaos can get really hectic with a lot of players.-- Lamchop / GamePro
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