It's no big secret that the one of the few remaining frontiers that console games have yet to incorporate is the RTS, or Real Time Strategy game. They are rapidly trying to make up for this deficiency. Here, with Warhammer: Mark of Chaos - Battle March, we have an interesting dilemma. Warhammer: Mark of Chaos was a well received PC RTS from 2006 that many players really liked. With the addition of Battle March, I was expecting to not only see vast improvement of a game put out two years ago, I was expecting the appropriate modernization and expanded gameplay. What I got felt like I was playing a console game on my PC. Has adapting this expansion for the same gameplay experience play on the console diminished the PC RTS experience?
Most of an RTS is played zoomed out so that you can see your enemy approaching from the farthest possible position. In order to issue clear commands, you have to zoom in; or, if you just want to watch the battle from a perspective close enough to smell the battle. I really respect when the artists and designers take the time to make even the most zoomed in detail worth watching from close up. The level of detail is beautiful to look at. The landscapes are adequate, but the good stuff is in the troop and hero details.
The trick to RTS sound is that you have to make it repetitive. Hearing specific clues on the battlefield are as essential as seeing a pop up message. Sure it can be a little monotonous, but it is for a reason. The music does not disappoint. The epic marches hold tempo to a symphony of death. The voice acting was well done and really did help pull you into the characters and the actual storyline of the game.
