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PC - Windows : Disciples II: Dark Prophecy Reviews

Gas Gauge: 83
Gas Gauge 83
Below are user reviews of Disciples II: Dark Prophecy and on the right are links to professionally written reviews. The summary of review scores shows the distribution of scores given by the professional reviewers for Disciples II: Dark Prophecy. Column height indicates the number of reviews with a score within the range shown at the bottom of the column. Higher scores (columns further towards the right) are better.

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ReviewsScore
Game Spot 84
Game FAQs
CVG 75
IGN 86
GameZone 88






User Reviews (1 - 11 of 21)

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Fun Fun Fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: November 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is a great game for a turn based game. The graphics are pretty good. And the themes of the game are great choices. I would get this game again. Without a second thought.

I wouldnt call it "strategy"

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 9
Date: March 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

A few people think Disciples 2 is the apex of strategy- but here's why it isnt.

1. Placing your units within their group (each group has 6 spaces). The guy who wrote a review before said this is a strategic element. Here's the strategy- Put your archers in back. Put your melee guys in front... I hope i didnt spoil it for you.

2. Combat- Yeah, you have to make sure you attack certain guys in a certain order to get rid of as many as fast as possible, but its not tricky. In fact, its not any more than common sense.

3. Missions- They're all "different" but the same. You start with the same leader. You have to rebuild your army each mission- and its exactly the same everytime. There's no need to switch up tactics. Essentially- you play the same mission over and over and over. Except the mission just gets longer. Or perhaps thats just the monotony that makes me thing that.

4. On each mission you build up your base, which isnt strategic either. Each building gives you access to a unit upgrade. You get 4 kinds of units that arent your leader- Fighter, archer/mage, big monster(ie dragon) small monster (ie werewolf). If you want your fighters to deal more damage, you biuld one biulding. If instead you want them to deal less damage but be immune to the first fire attack, you build a different one. And if you dont like your choice, deal with it. You cant get both trees in a single mission. So you get a variety of 4 units. And usually, only 2 are even worth using.

There's no deep strategy- its all common sense. Just make sure you dont pay for this. If you want real strategy- try starcraft, or close combat, or tetris, or pacman. Whatever.

Get this game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

If you have money to buy ONLY one turn-based fantasy strategy game, there's only one that will suit your needs, Disciples II. The graphic, depth, artwork, gameplay and overall quality of this game is very high. I do not suggest you buy the two separate companion games, Guardian of Light and Servants of the Dark. They are each 1/2 of the original game. Instead, buy Disciples 2: Rise of the Elves. That game will include the core Disciple 2 game and the expansion, Rise of the Elves. Again, do NOT buy "Servants of the Dark" and "Guardian of Light."

Anyway, back to the game. In this game, simply choose one of the races (Demons, Dwarves, Human, Undead, and later Elves) and try to conquer the entire map. There are two main resources, gold and mana. You need the gold for buildings and hiring units. But you also need mana to cast some spells which can help turn the tide of battle. Remember, unlike Warcraft, gold and mana are in unlimited supply, so you do not have to worry about running out of resources.

Your units are grouped in a stack of 6 and get upgraded as you win battles. There are very different units for different races. For example, only humans have healer, while the dwarves and demons tend to have powerful melee fighters (like Giants and Greater Demons). Usually, you tend to have one very powerful stack and create a lot of weaker stacks for fodders. This is overall a very enjoyable game and quite addicting. Even if you can't find someone to play with in multiplayer mode, the campaign is fun and interesting. At the cost of this game selling today, get it now! You can thank me later.

Very Good Turn-Based Strategy Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: March 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

As of this writing, this game is pretty old. However, I'd just like to add my two cents: This is a very good turn-based strategy game. You can play either the stand-alone scenarios or the story-based sagas (I played the latter). You can play through the sagas as any of the four races. And, since the sagas are different for each race, you really should play each race. Also, within each race's saga, you can play with a focus as a Warrior, a Magician, or the Guild (a Thief?). Each focus will add a different twist to the way you play. Plus, no matter what focus you choose, you can create and use five different types of heroes. Only three of them (Warrior, Magician, and Explorer) are really good for transferring from scenario to scenario. But, regardless, there's a huge replay value in this game.

The problems I have with this game are minor. The biggest problem is that when you transfer a hero to the next scenario, you can only transfer the HERO and five items. The party members you've spent all that time training don't transfer. Also, the spells that you've researched don't transfer either. This means that at the start of each scenario, you spend a lot of time just getting your party members up to a usable stage. Another problem is that you have to choose your upgrade path for your party members at a global level. It would have been really nice to have each city have its own upgrade path for the characters it generates. The last quibble that I'll talk about is that the cities themselves aren't of much use. Capturing a city doesn't give you any inherent income or resource streams. If there are sources of that stuff outside the city and within its area of influence, then you get those streams. The problem is that you can do the same thing by having a hero just plant rods at the resources.

I highly recommend this game. Old as it is, it's still fun to play.

Epic

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 10, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Disciples II is a good game. Most everything about it conveys a sweeping epic feel to it. Awe-inspiring music and graphics/artwork abound. During combat, the backgrounds change according to what type of terrain or location - if you fight on territory held by the Mountain Clans, you will be fighting on a cold wintry field; likewise, if you are fighting in lands held by the demonic Legions of the Damned your background will be a twisted, hellish place - and of course, if you attack an opponent's city your background will be, well...like a city and attacking an enemy on the water, your background will be as if on a ship.
The graphics during combat are always fun to watch - these are awesome pre-rendered artwork animations imported into the game, not pixellated blocky graphics. The music conveys a sense of both granduer and urgency - like a Conan the Barbarian-type movie with an epic score. The music really does enhance the overall feel and experience.
On the downside though, I've discovered that this game does get a bit boring and repetitive after a while. Playing only against the computer in single-player mode contributes greatly to this situation (in fact, every single computer game I've ever played falls prey to this conundrum). If I was to play real live humans via the internet, I imagine it would vastly and exponentially increase the fun factor.

the most addictive turn based style game i have ever played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

i have played allot of different games but disciples 2 stands out as the most addictive i have ever played i am at work thinking about new team setups how far i can level this one or that one up and what skills to choose when i do level up. this is a need to have game for all strategy game players

The best turn-based fantasy wargame thus far

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: July 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The original "Disciples" was a splendid addition to the turn-based strategy genre, but "Disciples 2" removes the "Heroes of Might and Magic" series forever from the throne (especially given a VERY disappointing "Heroes 4"). The graphics are out of this world; the gameplay is dead on; multiplayer rocks; and, perhaps best of all, there seem to be an unlimited number of units for your recruitment (if a very limited set of factions). It may not be as deep as the excellent "Age of Wonders 2," but "Disciples 2" takes the 1-spot on my list. Sorry, 3D0.

This game rocks

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: July 19, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I played this game once and I was addicted right then and there. Since then I have been looking for it and finally found it here.

This is the best Turn Based strategy game available!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I thought Heros of Might and Magic was supposed to be the best strategy game available. However, this game's A.I. totally blows Heros 4's A.I. away. I can beat Hero 4's A.I. while watching T.V. and talking with dinner guests. However, Disciple's A.I. totally kicks my ... sometimes. I think that's what makes a game fun--when there is a possibility to lose! If you want a challenging game go with this game. IF you want a wimpy strategy game...go with another company's games.

Excellent for some people, but not for everyone

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 29 / 30
Date: June 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Concerning "Disciple 2: Dark Prophesy," there's just about as sharp a division in people who like and dislike it as there was on the first Disciples. And understandably so since it's not for everyone. Why? Disciples 2 is a very unique fantasy role-playing turn-based STRATEGY game. And no, it's nothing like Warcraft or Starcraft which are real-time strategy games where you amass hordes of armies and attack in mass. (Sidenote: If that's the gaming experience you're looking for, turn to the latest and best in that genre -- Warcraft III). So what's Disciples 2 all about?

The name of the company who made this game is called "Strategy First" and by looking at this game, one can see that their company name is also their motto. This game takes thought, preparation, and there are many different options to win. Basically, you're given an objective or quest to complete -- how you do that is up to you. First, you select a monarch -- either a Warrior, Mage, or Guildmaster, each of which gives your empire certain bonuses. Next, who will you hire as your first general? For example, if you are the Human Empire (1 of 4 races) then you can choose the Knight, Ranger, Archmage, Archangel, or Thief. They cost different amounts, with each having their own strengths and weaknesses. Now you must select what other 0 - 3 individual units will serve under that leader's command from out of 4 other different units types -- again, with varying strengths and weaknesses and at different costs. (Note: An army of 1 - 6 units MUST be lead by a general.)

Now what? Well, your group's formation is key to winning battles. Once that's setup, will you upgrade your capital with various buildings to enhance your armies once they reach a certain level of experience? Or will you research spells? And once your generals themselves upgrade a level, what extra empowerment will you give them out of several different options? Etc, etc.

Then the battles. It's important who you attack, and not every unit can attack every other unit. Some can only fight adjacent units, others can fight any, and others can attack all at once. Note that the characters don't "walk around" during battle, but rather face off one in a static picture on a seperate screen. Once they choose their attack they become animated, but that's the extent of it. The graphics are excellent, as is the artwork, though I'd have to say I prefered Disciple 1's artwork.

Think of the game like this -- a chessboard. Each unit has a certain value set upon it, and each has their own abilities. The difference is YOU get to setup the chessboard with whoever you want. Buying all queens would be too expensive, while buying all pawns will give you numbers, but no backbone. As in chess, the pieces have to work together, but in this game, your units gain experience, becoming stronger and stronger through battling or potions and spells they come across.

One thing I'll also mention is the limitations on the army size. Yes, I also found it annoying at first that I had a minimum of four units (including the general) and a maximum of six after a LOT of fighting. However, I soon came to realize this was all part of the strategy element. "Finesse and tactics" play a larger role here than "might makes right." In fact, the company thought about bumping up the min and max units to 6 and 8 in the upcoming sequel, but they found that it took away to much from the strategy element. (Sidenote: If you are interested in VERY detailed battle tactics -- meaning taking control of every single movement and action of every single unit in every single battle -- then check out Age of Wonders 2, though it's not the best game in and of itself).

I like not having to run around managing multiple things at once, but instead I can sit back and think, "Hmmm. Now what are my options here, and what's going to be the best way to win this." It's STRATEGY FIRST as the company name implies. And if you like that sort of thing, then this will be the game for you, otherwise, if you're looking for non-stop action, go somewhere else.

Note that there are 4 empires: The Human Empire, The Mountain Clans, The Undead Hordes, and the Legions of the Damned. I only mention this in the event that some people and/or parents may have reservations about fighting with creatures like zombies or demons from the latter two empires. Otherwise, turn on your brain, toss in some imagination, and enjoy!

One Final Note: this game is almost identical to Disciples 1. Yes, the graphics are far, far superior, and there are some additional choices and units to level up as you gain experience, along with some rules which have been modified, but nothing drastic. So why did I only give it a 4? Had I not played Disciples 1, I would have given it a 5 because I love this type of game. However, after finding out it was merely Disciples 1 with better graphics, I found myself less enthusiatic and I never completed the whole thing, though I was still glad to have made the purchase.


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