| Wizards & Warriors | |
|---|---|
 Cover art by Keith Parkinson [1] | |
| Developer(s) | Heuristic Park |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Designer(s) | David W. Bradley, Nathan Cheever |
| Composer(s) | Steve Miller |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing video game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Wizards & Warriors is a role-playing video game for Microsoft Windows designed by David W. Bradley.
Gameplay is similar in style to Bradley's earlier Wizardry games. Players control a party of characters through a first-person perspective and fight turn-based combats. Outside of combat, the game is real-time. Characters can join guilds that give exclusive quests, and each character maintains their own individual quest log. [3] Guilds also allow characters to switch classes. Characters can switch classes as many times as they like but can not return to a class once they change from it. [4]
Development began in 1996 and lasted four years. [5] Bradley initially reported the game would have a system that allowed players to choose between real-time and turn-based combat, though this was later abandoned. Competitive multiplayer was also planned based on the guild system, though this, too, was removed. [3]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 70/100 [6] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame |    [7] |
| CNET Gamecenter | 7/10 [8] |
| Computer Games Strategy Plus | [9] |
| Computer Gaming World | [10] |
| EP Daily | 4.5/10 [11] |
| Game Informer | 5/10 [12] |
| GameRevolution | C [13] |
| GameSpot | 7/10 [14] |
| GameSpy | 68% [15] |
| GameZone | 7.5/10 [16] |
| IGN | 8.4/10 [17] |
| Next Generation | [18] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 74% [19] |
The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [6] Sam Derboo of Hardcore Gaming 101 wrote that it "feels like Bradley's alternative Wizardry 8". [3] In comparing the two games' dungeons, Derboo said the dungeons of Wizards & Warriors are more complex. [3] Andrew Seyoon Park of GameSpot wrote that the game seems to be unimpressive at first, perhaps because of its long development, but provides "many hours of exploration and character building". [14] Tal Blevins of IGN complimented the game's graphics and voice acting, though he wrote that the controls can be annoying. Blevins concluded, "If you like old-school RPGs, you'll fall in love with Wizards & Warriors." [17] Jonathan Houghton of The Adrenaline Vault likened it to EverQuest , saying that the game's unoriginal storyline is compensated for by its depth and longevity. [20] In criticizing the game's controls, graphics, and story, Will Lally and Tina Haumersen of GameSpy wrote, "Aside from some nostalgia value, there is nothing to recommend this game." [15] Doug Trueman of NextGen wrote, "What might have been a decent RPG a couple of years ago can't compete today with the likes of Diablo II and Icewind Dale ." [18] Brian Wright of GamePro wrote, "RPG fans looking for a change of pace from Baldur's Gate II and who are willing to overlook a few flaws may want to give Wizards & Warriors a chance." [21] [lower-alpha 1]
Wizardry is a series of role-playing video games, developed by Sir-Tech, that were highly influential in the evolution of modern role-playing video games. The original Wizardry was a significant influence on early console role-playing games such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. Originally made for the Apple II, the games were later ported to other platforms. The last game in the original series by Sir-Tech was Wizardry 8, released in 2001. There have since been various spin-off titles developed for the Japanese market.
Darkstone: Evil Reigns is an action role-playing video game developed by Delphine Software International for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation. In 2014, the French publisher Anuman Interactive launched a remake available on iPad, iPhone and Android, with the cooperation of the original game's author Paul Cuisset.
Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator is a role-playing video game developed by Valkyrie Studios and published by Monolith Productions. It was originally released in 1999 for Windows; since then, it has been re-released via GOG.com for Windows in 2009, for OS X in 2013, and for Linux in 2017.
Shadow of Memories is a mystery adventure game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami. Originally released for the PlayStation 2 in 2001, it was later ported to Xbox and Microsoft Windows in 2002. A PlayStation Portable version was released on October 1, 2009 in Japan and on January 26, 2010 in North America.
Rune is an action-adventure video game developed by Human Head Studios which was released in 2000. The game is based on Ragnarok, showing the conflict between the Gods Odin and Loki and the buildup to Ragnarok. Built on the Unreal Engine, the game casts the player as Ragnar, a young Viking warrior whose mettle is tested when Loki and his evil allies plot to destroy the world and bring about Ragnarok.
Star Wars: Force Commander is a real-time strategy video game released for the Microsoft Windows platform in 2000. It was co-developed by Ronin Entertainment and LucasArts, and published by LucasArts. Its plot interweaves between Star Wars: A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, taking place in key battles. Peter McConnell created remixed tracks of John Williams's original score with influences from hard rock and techno music.
Summoner is an action role-playing game developed by Volition and published by THQ. It was released as a launch title for the PlayStation 2 in 2000, and was subsequently ported to Microsoft Windows and Mac OS the following year. In the game, the player plays the role of Joseph and can assemble a team of compatriots and summon powerful monsters. The game has a world map, involved storyline, and unique hybrid combat system involving real-time and turn-based mechanisms.
Sacrifice is a real-time strategy video game published by Interplay Entertainment in 2000 for Microsoft Windows platform. Developed by Shiny Entertainment, the game features elements of action and other genres. Players control wizards who fight each other with spells and summoned creatures. The game was ported to Mac OS 9.2 in 2001.
Zeus: Master of Olympus is a single-player strategy game developed by Impressions Games and published by Sierra Studios. It is considered to be an additional installment in the City Building series of games. Like previous titles in the series, Zeus focuses on the building and development of a city in ancient times. The game features a number of changes from previous titles in the series, including being set in Ancient Greece as well as changes to certain gameplay mechanics; however, it is considered to be in most aspects very similar to its predecessor, Caesar III.
Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom is the fifth scenario in the Wizardry series of role-playing video games. It was published in 1988 by Sir-Tech for the Commodore 64, Apple II, and IBM PC compatibles. A port for the Super Famicom and FM Towns was later developed and published by ASCII Entertainment in Japan. Wizardry V was released in the US for the Super NES by Capcom in 1993, and subsequently re-released for the Satellaview subsystem under the name BS Wizardry 5.
MechWarrior 4: Vengeance is a vehicle simulation game, developed by FASA Interactive and published by Microsoft. It was released on November 22, 2000. It is the fourth game in MechWarrior series. It takes place in BattleTech universe where the pinnacle of all war machines are huge, heavily armed robots called BattleMechs. The player pilots one of these "'Mechs" and uses variety of available weapons to battle enemy 'Mechs, tanks and other vehicles. An expansion pack, MechWarrior 4: Black Knight, was released in 2001, and a subsequent stand-alone expansion, MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries, was released on November 7, 2002. Two smaller expansions, Inner Sphere Mech Pak and Clan Mech Pak, were also released in 2002.
Legends of Might and Magic is a first-person shooter video game developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing and published by The 3DO Company in 2001. As a spin-off of the Might and Magic franchise, Legends has a fantasy theme. Reviews likened the game to a medieval Counter-Strike, but criticized it for being a mediocre clone.
Evil Dead: Hail to the King is a survival horror video game developed by Heavy Iron Studios and published by THQ. Released for the PlayStation, Dreamcast, and Microsoft Windows, the game acts as a sequel to the 1992 film Army of Darkness. This was the second video game released to be based on the Evil Dead film franchise, following the 1984 title The Evil Dead, and was also the first video game to be developed by Heavy Iron Studios.
Three Kingdoms: Fate of the Dragon is a video game developed by Overmax Studios in 2000 for the PC. It is based on the historical background of the epic 14th century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong. As one of the three Warlords of the Kingdoms, in 184 AD China, the player must build their own kingdom, develop new technologies and create mighty armies to conquer the other Warlords and ultimately take control of the Three Kingdoms and reunify China. Fate of the Dragon is a real-time strategy game very similar in format to that of the Age of Empires series, developed by Ensemble Studios, in which the user takes on the role of a character, namely Liu Bei, Sun Quan and Cao Cao from one of the Three Kingdoms and controls their kingdom through such means as pointing and clicking on certain parts of the map to decide what to do. The player is tasked with collecting various resources and building a standing army in order to protect their borders and defeat the other kingdoms in the game.
Star Trek: The Next Generation – Klingon Honor Guard is a first-person shooter set in the universe of Star Trek during the time of The Next Generation. The game was developed by MicroProse in 1998, using the Unreal game engine. The critical response to the title was generally positive with praise for the graphics, but mixed opinions of the level design.
NHL 2002 is a video game released by EA Sports in 2001. It is the predecessor to NHL 2003. The game's cover man is Pittsburgh Penguins superstar and owner Mario Lemieux, who had just made a comeback after being retired for three and a half years. It was the first installment of the NHL series to be released on Xbox.
Evil Islands: Curse of the Lost Soul, or simply Evil Islands, is a PC game by Nival Interactive that combines role-playing, stealth, and real-time strategy. Evil Islands introduces a new interface and full 3D graphics.
Moto Racer 2 is a motocross racing game developed by Delphine and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. It is part of the Moto Racer series, and is the sequel to Moto Racer.
Championship Surfer is an extreme sports video game developed by Krome Studios, published by Mattel Interactive in North American and GAME Studios in Europe, and released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation and Dreamcast in 2000.
MTV Sports: Skateboarding Featuring Andy Macdonald is a sports video game developed by Darkblack and published by THQ for Game Boy Color, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation and Dreamcast. It features skateboarder Andy Macdonald on the cover.