Savage 2 - Innovative, addictive and well executed.
Savage 2 - A Tortured Soul is an incredibly unique and ambitious game that has broken many boundaries of the conventional multiplayer game. Developed by the independent studio S2 Games it allowed them to create a truly unique experience that was not restricted by the larger companies who are unwilling to go out of the conventional lines.
Savage 2 pits players against each other each playing as two vastly different teams, the Humans and Beasts. Rather than being a simple reskin of the other army such as in a Battlefield game, the two sides have very distinct differences and play quite differently. For example, the beast side has a Summoner class which utilises pets to attack foes, whereas the Humans have no such class.
The game is similar to the Battlefield franchise as players are given the objective of taking control of the map, but rather than victory points, RTS elements are brought in. One player from each time plays as the 'Commander' who plays out the entire game from an RTS camera view. He builds base defences such as Arrow Towers, Mines to extract gold and further your team's economy, tech buildings to allow players access to more powerful abilities and classes and the amazing Hell Shrine to allow his team access to the powerful Hellbourne units.
Whilst all this is going on, the other players on the team are in a fiece fight to take control around mines and give their commander enough time to get a mine and defences going to ensure they keep control of that portion of the map. The action takes place in Third or First person perspective and is extremely fast paced. Melee combat is balanced in a rock, paper, scissors style and forces players to think rather than simply point and click. Guns, bows and magical staves are fired from the first person and take all the skill of a conventional shooter to use.
As well as offensive classes, the game features healers from either side to support their attacking teammates and keep them from dying. Some of the most spectacular parts of the game are the dramatic siege weapons being unleashed upon the enemy buildings. Players can take control of catapults and battering rams as well as giant tree-wielding troll-like creatures to deal devastating damage to enemy buildings. These weapons are perfectly scaled and the vision of the towering 'Behemoth' wielding its tree trunk is truly epic.
The game promotes team play and strategy, with players having to think on their feet and co-ordinate attacks as well as relying on inherent player skill to take down enemy players.
All in all Savage 2 is a terrific game which should not be missed. It's only downfalls are a lack of players and a few minor bugs, but no more prevelant than in a mainstream title. The free demo account is well worth a look as this is a unique game which really must be experienced to fully understand the breadth of action it has to offer.
