Cultures 2: Gates of Asgard: Web Wombat: Games

Cultures 2 is "just another chapter of Cultures 1". Since I have never actually played Cultures 1, I wouldn't know, and I suspect that many others wouldn't know either.

Cultures 2 is an RPG with a difference. While you don't play any person in particular, you watch over the 'people' (we're still not quite sure what's under all that body hair!) way down there in the village.

The main aim in Cultures 2, as usual, is to save the world. Big deal, I'm sure. Join Bjarni, the Viking hero, on his quest to save the world from Ragnarok, a.k.a the end of the world. Bjarni must journey to the faraway island on which sits the Gates of Asgard, or, more commonly put, the Fortress of the Gods, and face the terrible serpent which awaits him there.

That was the campaign mission. Now for the single scenarios: In these scenarios, you have to complete certain objectives. Each scenario varies; from getting a population of 100, to discovering new items, buildings, and jobs.

If you are a male civilian, you can be: A farmer, potter, blacksmith, etc. Basically, any job you have acquired in the village. You can also turn them into warriors (a good idea, since being attacked by other clans is possible), heroes, and scouts.

If you are a female civilian, you can't have a job. You can marry, have children, and watch them grow up. You can also gather food to put in the house, cook, clean, and basically take on the position of a maid. (Hmm…a bit of gender bias here…maybe I should sue them?)

Mind you, the people of this village can do quite well on their own. They hold animated conversations, fall in love etc., when left to their own devices. In other words, they don't need you to play match maker for them!

The old desert levels - gotta love 'em!

Though when alone, the couples who want to have children seem to always choose girls, so when they do decide to have children, make sure to decide for them in some cases. Not that there's any problem with lots of girls.

Now, on to the sound. When Vikings talk in this game, they tend to talk gibberish. They don't say "Master, how may we serve you?" - or anything really good like that, which deflates the ego a bit, and gives you an irrepressible urge to go on an old-fashioned smiting spree.

In fact, they can be so annoying that you, like me, may turn off the sound completely to block out their irritating little voices. However, when something important has to be said, a scroll appears, and tells you what that character has to say.

The cut scenes look quite nice, though the faces are misshapen to the point of being ridiculous. The buildings are very detailed, and the people are cartoony, yet detailed sprites that walk and talk. They have real faces, although most of the difference lies in the hair colour -- other then that they look like clones.

Cultures 2 isn't exactly a hardcore RPG, nor is it the most in-depth RTS ever created, either. The gameplay that can best be described as a mix between The Settlers and Diablo, but with a healthy dose of Viking attitude.

Although it won't appease those of you who have spent many sweaty hours in front of Diablo 2, it makes a great gift at Christmas time, and it's guaranteed to be a hit with the younger gamers.

Game: Cultures 2: Gates of Asgard
System: PC
Players: 1
Online: Yes
Developer: Funatics
Distributor: Red Ant

Rating: 80%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)

Cultures 2 is on the shelves now.

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