Dubbed as a “Real Time Strategy Shooter”, Savage: The Battle ofNewerth comes off as one of the best initial efforts by a developer ever.Considering the all too frequent rocky roads that new developers face makingtheir first game, S2 has pulled this one off quite nicely and in a decent timeframe to boot. Everyone must admit that when they first heard of this game, theycringed with the horrible thought of a good idea going to waste (as most geniusideas do these days). Luckily they have nothing to fear as this game blends twocompletely different genres and meshes them into one whole package seamlessly.Not only does the game sport an excellent backdrop and concept, but this is anonline game, that is free. Yes, this is one of the first massively multiplayeronline games to come with only one price tag (the admission). Battlefield 1942and Blizzard’s game lineup have both done this to great success and it is niceto see that the developers are thinking of the gamers in this respect. Savagehas received significant hype in the last year, as it has been called manythings, from innovative to groundbreaking. Does it succeed at honoring thesepraises? Yes, and from many standpoints. Savage isn’t the best game in theworld, if it was; I wouldn’t be sitting here writing a review. What itsucceeds at, is taking two genres and mixing them together to create anmemorable experience. That’s all there is too it. In a world of over processedFirst Person Shooters and Real Time Strategy games, Savage comes off as awelcome relief. While it doesn’t bring much new to the table in terms of itsindividual components, the interface, players and nonstop action succeed atmaking the game fun, which is the least I can say for most of the FPS and RTSgames that have been released in the last couple years.

 

           Many would wonder if such a grand idea would be followed up with a plotor backdrop. Luckily for those D&D gods, the game features its own lore andhistory. A struggle for survival in a land with limited natural resources andfood, the two races fight it out so that they will be the last race standing. Toput it simply, the two races don’t really like each other much. There isplenty more to the story which is included on the game’s website and in itsmanual. To talk any more about it would ruin the enjoyment of the plot for whenyou decide to purchase the game.

 

           As stated before, Savage is an online game. It requires an internetconnection and I would recommend no less than Cable or DSL at this point.Considering the amount of players on screen, the game is very reliant on a fastconnection. The game is not set in a persistent world either, like most onlinegames. You go through a series of maps like you would in a traditional FPS game.There are quite a few maps and only a few don’t seem to fit, so that in itselfis good news. There are two races, the Humans and the Beasts. Both havesignificant power over the others and it’s quite balanced in terms of fairnessand strength. The RTS portion of the game is experienced by only two people at atime. Those people happen to be the commanders of each team. It is their job tomaintain resources and guide the military. The RTS interface is easilyaccessible and put together quite well. It quite simple to get what you need toget done and it’s never much of a hassle. Considering that both play stylesshare the same engine, it’s quite good to see that they work togetherseamlessly. While not as deep as most RTS games of late, the tech tree andresource management systems are adequate in keeping the balance of action andstrategy in check. Basically the keyword here is that it’s actually “fun”to be commander. The feeling of giving orders to live players is unmatched andwhile they have the will to disobey you, most players do respect your authority.The ability to suggest strategies and protect your city with towers is anotherlayer of the commander’s chair that simply needs to be experienced. Aside froma few minor game bugs (expected from a newly released game), the RTS portion ofthe game has been done very well.

 

           The FPS aspect of the game is essentially the heart of the game. Thefeeling of leading a squad of beasts or humans is quite good and it’s great towork as a team in that way. For solo players who prefer to go alone, it’s notrecommended but sometimes the lone ranger can get things done. You spawn as aweakling warrior that quickly grows into a stronger fighter that is a betterbenefit to the team. As you gain experience and as your commander researches newitems you will find yourself becoming more and more powerful. Your job as asoldier is to help build and repair buildings while being able to attack anddefend bases at the command of your leader. Securing checkpoints is a vital partof the game since getting as close to an enemy base as possible is a way toquick victory.  Defense is keyespecially for guarding vital checkpoints. The third person camera is excellentin its executions as it allows the melee portions of the game go off muchsmoother than they would have if it had been done all in the first personperspective. As new research is completed you will find a more advances weaponsarsenal at your disposal. The humans receive bows and guns while the beasts relyon mystical staffs and energy. New units also become available after awhile andeach have their own individual strengths and weaknesses. The basic warrior isfast while limited in his strength and the Summoner is massively powerful but isvery slow and is killed easily. Picking what your best at and what will benefityour team more if a vital part of the strategy. Having a full team of Summonersisn’t going to get you very far. All in all the Beast race has the overallupper hand. They have a very powerful summoner class as well as a very powerful(but slow) brute once the battle reaches its climax. The humans havesignificantly more powerful warriors that have better accuracy and aim. It alsodepends on taste. I find the Beast to be a much more enjoyable experience whilethe Humans rely on deep strategy. When your warrior is out of money, you canrequest whatever you wanted from the commander and this will either be grantedor denied. It all depends on the team’s current stockpile of resources. Thegoal of the game is to destroy the enemy stronghold and in doing so, you win thematch. You can go on and on all night through hundreds of matches, the feelingnever gets dull.

 

           The interaction available in the game is enjoyable. From voice chat to adetailed chat and vote interface, the game does not disappoint in terms ofoptions. When a commander is being unruly you can opt to vote him out by asimple keystroke. Also, when a map is finished you receive a map vote which willdetermine where the next battlefield will be. In terms of behavior, most of theonline players are quite nice and considerate to newer players. There is theoccasional outburst, but the players on Savage are overall a great group ofpeople. Interaction is key in online games and Savage has mastered that.

 

           The visuals in Savage represent an excellent first effort by a newdeveloper. The textures are crisp and the character models are smooth anddetailed. Considering most of the complaints that gamers have about third personplayer models, S2 pulled it off quite nicely as each race has their own movementstyle and varying animations. The textures are colorful and detailed. Theyexpress the state of technology and the atmosphere in the game world perfectly.There are a few graphical glitches here and there, some which will get youstuck, but nothing that will affect your game for too long. Savage also haspretty decent system requirements especially considering the technology oftoday. I wouldn’t recommend playing with out the recommended requirementsbecause it is a bit of a RAM hog, but luckily the game’s graphic settings arehighly customizable. While not groundbreaking, the visuals do what the projectset out to do. Overall the graphics are a nice effort from S2.

 

           Audio presentation isn’t looked upon as being very important in gamesof this type but it was pulled off very well. The soundtrack is simplybreathtaking and it reflects the atmosphere of the game perfectly. Sound effectsare also very nice as the grunts and groan of war roar all around you. Not tomention the excellent ambience and atmosphere that the music presents. If Icould pick out one problem with the sound, it would be the annoying taunts thatare sounded whenever a stronghold is destroyed or damaged. I wish those voicesweren’t as hard on the ears as they turned out to be, but it didn’t botherme much.

 

           Is Savage worth the price of admission? Definitely and considering theasking price for most online games these days (including monthly fees), thisgame comes as a miracle. While not doing anything new with the components ontheir own, Savage blends the FPS and RTS genre so well that I almost forget mostof the trash passed along to us gamers in the past few years. Replay is not afactor as I guarantee you will be playing this game for a long time. Anexcellent patching and updating system will make sure of that. S2 is alreadyhard at work on fixing lag and stability issues. I can only hope that theirfuture efforts are as enjoyable as Savage has been.