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PC | Strategy | Black & White 2

Boxart for Black & White 2
Black & White 2 75 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 5.0
  • SOUND: 4.5
  • CONTROL: 3.5
  • FUN FACTOR 3.5
  • AVG USER SCORE n/a
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.0

Preview: Black & White 2

Preview by Boba Fatt | 09/07/2005 | 11:31:58 AM PST

The Black & White franchise looks for redemption with its more war-like sequel. Can the game gurus at Lionhead Studios convince us that we want to be gods?

Heralded as the second coming of pixels, Black & White enraptured the minds of gamers and journalists alike during its pre-release hype in 2001. Phenomenal reviews burst out like Chicken Pox, but when fans eagerly snapped up their copies, the truth was revealed: This emperor had no clothes, no direction, too many abstract ideas, and not enough goals.

The early hype was firmly built upon the game's pedigree and potential. It was conceived by Lionhead Studios and spearheaded by legendary designer Peter Molyneux, who is famed for classic "god games" like Dungeon Keeper, Theme Hospital and Populous. Now, with new collaborators including some expatriates from Blizzard's benchmark RTS titles, and a conventional spin to incorporate more combat, Lionhead is out for redemption. But, with Black & White 2, are they perfecting a tarnished masterpiece or attempting to fool us again?

A Quest For Redemption
Like its predecessor, Black & White 2 casts you as an omniscient overseer of an island populated with young civilizations. You're a giant disembodied hand, moving rocks and trees, guiding your villagers through quests and assignments, and creating miracles to gain favor. The title springs from your freedom to be a generous, benevolent overseer or a spiteful, world-wrecking warlord. Black & White 2's interface handles very much like the original, with some traditional RTS aspects such as like pop-up building construction and creature interface menus.

Your right hand is your "creature," a large monkey, wolf, lion or cow that begins life as a mere baby. The creature learns through an arduous process of assignments and training that border on abuse. Black and White 2 improves your creature interactions with thought balloons so you can understand exactly what it's doing and when you should implement reward or punishment, but the early build we played suggests there's still a communication barrier thanks to the creature's frustrating leash. In fact, most of the controls still need work, because it's difficult to place roads, villages, and especially walls where you've imagined them.

When in Doubt, Conquer!
A new military aspect is what promises to set Black & White 2 apart from its predecessor and put gamers back in a more comfortable, familiar setting: War. Sure, you can still build a robust economy with happy citizens who incorporate neighbors through diplomacy, but now you'll have to the option to conquer your opponents through military means. This requires an armory, from which standard, non-specialized platoons are spawned using your citizens as units. Platoons gain experience through battle and become more powerful. You can even participate in the conflict by hurling rocks or triggering flash floods on the non-believers.

Black & White in Glorious Color
There's no doubt that Black & White 2 rides the searing-hot edge of graphical and artificial physics technology, with unbelievable detail and realism offering a lifelike countryside down to each blade of grass. Even the creature selection screen has stunning detail, with flowers blooming in the grass, which bends and breaks under the movement of your awaiting creatures. Just as the original was heralded as a new benchmark in realistic water effects and spacious, convincing fields of grass, Black & White 2 dares you to take a whiff and say you don't feel like you're in a vast countryside that is yours for the shaping.

There's no doubt you'll be able to show off your video card with Black & White 2, but whether you'll want to invest serious playtime into this world still remains firmly in the grey area. Look for our review soon.