Dungeon Keeper 2
Published By: Electronic Arts
Reviewed by Solarys
8/16/99
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Discussion Forum
First
Impressions:
To
start with, I never played the first installment of Dungeon Keeper
- so I ended up going into this review fairly blind as to what to
expect. As I opened the packaging and read (yes, read) the instructions
and manual, my first thoughts were, "Here we go again." The only
standard female in the entire game is clad in black leather (well
what is clad is in black leather) and is billed as a sado-masochist.
I was hoping my premonitions of a completely hormone driven game
would be proven wrong.
The concept of the game is simple, you play an evil dungeon master
trying to conquer and rid the 'Sunlit Kingdom' of all those annoying
goody-goody surface dwellers (henceforth known as King Reginald's
Heroes of Harmonia). To accomplish your goals, you must build a
fortified dungeon and attract several species of baddies to do your
bidding (whether it be building, defense, offense, scouting, etc
- each race has its own purpose, no overlap of duties), conquer
several keeps and collect all of the portal gems which will allow
you to finally surface out of the underground kingdom in which you
have been placed all while keeping your Dungeon Heart (your life
blood) safe from harm.
Graphics:
The
visuals were quite impressive. The texturing and lighting added
to the overall feel of lurking deep within dungeon walls.
The major annoyance to me, was that the movie shorts and graphic
sequences in between campaigns were very choppy (and I am running
a 350 p2 with 64 ram and a TNT2 Ultra). The game menu options
before, between and after campaigns took a bit more time to pan
through than I would have liked, as well.
Overall I would give the graphics a 9, since the annoyingly choppy
graphic sequences really do not affect the gameplay.
Sound/Music:
The
soundtrack for DK2 seems reminiscent of a Gregorian chant - interestingly
enough that you are evil, yet you feel as if you are in church
(who says Satan doesn't tithe?)? It gives a nice ambiance, and
I like the soundtrack. However, I wonder if it is appropriate
given the premise of the game - maybe something more sinister
would fit the game better.
You, as a novice Dungeon Keeper, have a 'mentor' that gives you
timely advice along the way. You never see this person, but you
hear his voice as he gives you hints on what needs to be built
next, what creatures are unhappy (or happy), and what the campaign
objectives are. My ideal casting for this voice would have been
Vincent Price - but since he is dead, I would guess DK2 has the
next best thing. The gravely voice fits in perfectly to the premise
of a mentor helping a young keeper to become a powerful and sinister
power.
The creature sounds were also well done - nothing like hearing
an imp wail as you smack him repeatedly.
Gameplay:
DK2
has several Single Player modes of play - 'Campaign', 'My Pet
Dungeon', and 'Skirmishes'.
- Campaign - This is the normal mode of operation. As
a Dungeon Keeper you are taken through various levels in succession
as you march towards your goal of worldly domination. Each level
becomes increasingly difficult as you learn to master new minions
and new structures (unlike games such as WC2, you can not build
advanced structures until you reach a level where it is 'given'
to you to build. Example: In the first few levels, you can not
build a graveyard or bridge). To complete a level, you must
accomplish the mission objective and collect the portal gem.
- My Pet Dungeon - The Pet dungeon is a novel concept
(at least to me) allowing a player to create a dungeon for creating
a dungeons sake. One can go (in order) from collecting large
amounts of gold to creating the 'perfect' dungeon. The Pet Dungeon
serves as a great tutorial for learning how to manipulate the
controls, how to manage your resources, and the overall concept
of the game.
- Skirmishes - The Skirmish mode is similar to the Pet
Dungeon mode, only instead of testing your logistical dungeon
skills, it tests your combat skills. You are pitted against
other Computer controlled dungeon keepers which will continuously
attack in attempts to destroy your Dungeon Heart. Your objective
is to defend your Dungeon Heart and destroy your enemies.
The game controls can be a bit awkward,
but maybe that is due to my old WC2 days, and not overly intuitive.
I found myself, more than once, accidentally building the wrong
room type in an area carved out for a specific purpose. Once the
controls are mastered, the game play goes quite smoothly.
Enjoyment:
The
overall game is very Tongue-in-cheekish; the story line reflects
this as a novice Dungeon Keeper begins his/her quest to overtake
the 'Sunlit' kingdom from King Reginald and his 'Heroes of Harmonia.'
Even the small movie shorts in between campaigns add to the overall
humor of the game (those poor chickens). The humor throughout
the game is quite refreshing and enjoyable given the genre of
the game.
Multiplayer:
Since
I was unable to find any active games via multiplayer, I was unable
to test this portion out.
Overall
Impression:
Almost
every aspect smacks conventional gaming in the face - from being
an evil Dungeon Keeper trying to take over the world, to being
able to slap your minions (which is quite therapeutic and I would
suggest it to anyone), to the movie shorts. It even mocks itself
in some areas (I would call attention to the movie short where
the warlock is trying to practice his magic upon a tied up, whimpering
imp, only to fail in several attempts, then look at his hands
as the spell goes off and he ends up turning HIMSELF into a chicken).
As I mentioned in the Enjoyment section, the humor is quite refreshing
and very entertaining.
Marketing
Efforts Towards Women:
I
may have to give a relatively low score here. From looking at
the box, to seeing the 'Hot-Lips' movie sequence, it seems that
women are portrayed mostly as sexpots who love pain and torture,
and have a fetish for black leather (not that they wear all that
MUCH of it). Even the Nick name of the Horned Reaper (which collects
all of your portal gems), 'Horny', suggests a specific aim towards
hormonally challenge people. From a strict point of view, the
Mistress is quite degrading towards women in general and may hurt
the over all marketability of this game from a feminine standpoint.
Yet, the entire game is based upon tongue and cheek humor, so
I feel that these personas fit in quite nicely with the overall
concept. Your meanest Baddie's nickname is 'Horny'? Every other
part of the game suggests that it isn't to be taken seriously,
so why take the mistress or the horned reaper seriously either?
 Cheats,
Hints & URLs
 In
the market for a great cheat book? We highly recommend Prima's
Official Strategy Guide. Usually ships within 24 hours.
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