Warhammer: Mark of Chaos

Latest in Namco's tabletop RTS arrives on PC.

	Version PC	Developer Black Hole	Publisher Bandai Namco, Deep Silver	Genre RTS

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Mark of Chaos looks good, and it's almost certain that the Warhammer fans will be pleased with how their favourite models have translated on to the monitor - the Skaven (rat men to me and you) look particularly nice. Well, particularly nasty, but you get the point. Battles range from minor skirmishes to epic battles involving hundreds of units, and those with any kind of decent gaming rig will see little affecting performance, even in the largest of battles.

Whilst in still shots and when watching battles from afar things do look lovely, the game lets itself down with incredibly limited animation, seeing units carry out exactly the same looped action over and over again until either they or the enemy fall over dead or run away demoralised. It is an unfortunate aspect that smacks of laziness, and it's more of a shame as it makes the game lack any real impact when playing - the only units that manage to get a real 'whoa' factor into the battles are the huge ones, such as the Giants - happily smashing your troops into a pulp.

Early campaign missions can be raced through with some ease, but the difficulty soon ramps up and those not accustomed to tactical battles will soon be on the receiving end of a kicking or three. Whilst there is some frustration in this, it never feels unfair on the player or like the computer is cheating - unlike strategy games of old. Keeping forces alive from the very beginning will reap rewards, as units level up and become more powerful as a result - commanding Hero units are also able to unlock new skills as they progress, meaning there's a real sense of preservation whilst playing - should I risk my level seven Halberdiers against these Marauders? A gripping dilemma, it has to be said. Ahem. Flippance aside, it adds depth to what could have been a much more straightforward and boring style of play.

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