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| Dominions 3: The Awakening Has Shipped It's time. Call in sick to work or school. Tell them you ate some bagged spinach and you're violently ill. Claim amnesia and say you don't remember ever working at the office or going to that school. Or just say you've come down with a sudden case of agoraphobia and if you step outside you're sure the squirrels, which have been plotting all summer to bring you ruin and destruction, will finally make their move. Whatever plans you have, wherever they may be, cancel them. For it is finally here. The game you've been waiting for, the game that will cause you to climb the tallest mountain and shout for joy. It's news so grand that it's worth repeating, in case your mind is still reeling with the implication of that last sentence. Dominions 3-you know, that fantasy strategy sequel to the smash hit Dominions II: The Ascension Wars for Windows, Mac, and Linux-is now shipping. Did you pre-order? We hope you weren't waiting to pick it up at the store. You won't find it there. Dominions 3: The Awakening isn't meant to be sold by some slack-jaw yokel in a blue polo shirt, no it's a game of inner grace and rapture that is meant to be carefully cradled in a USPS box, handled lovingly by the caring folks at Shrapnel Games direct to you. At this very moment, indeed this very second, those caring folks are sending out legions of Dominions 3 games to all of you waiting for the greatness to arrive. Soon friends, soon. You'll receive the game and the nice, thick tome of a manual, and fire up that first game on your PC, Mac, or Linux box. Bliss. Bliss on a CD. All hail the Dom. If you did not pre-order then let's talk about what you're missing out on. Dominions 3: The Awakening is the next installment in the best-kept secret of strategy fantasy gaming on your computer. Turn-based in nature, the general theme is one easily identifiable to gamers: conquer your opponents in a fantasy world spanning three Ages and encompassing fifty playable nations. Where Dominions 3 veers away from the conventional is in the sheer amount of gameplay. Most games leave you wanting more. More units, more spells, more whatever. There's a reason modding is so popular. With Dominions 3 you may still want to mod, but no one is going to say they've been left with too little. Just within the basic, unmodded game, you get over 1500 combat units, 600 spells, and 300 magic items. Basically imagine taking a shelf of D&D books and cramming them into a computer game. Whatever your play style, whatever your taste, you'll find it in Dominions 3. Speaking of play styles Dominions 3 caters to both the single and multiplayer player equally. If you enjoy playing against the AI you'll find plenty of maps to play on, with the ability to easily import new ones or even create them randomly. If you enjoy mixing it up against other players Dominions 3 supports a whopping twenty-one (live or AI) players in a game. And because turns are handled simultaneously the game never drags. Dominions 3: The Awakening is also the easiest game of the series to get into. The 299 page manual is highly informative, the interface has been revamped, and many of the mechanics have been streamlined and/or made much more visible. You'll be jumping into the game and spreading your dominion quicker than you can say, "Shib-Niggurath, Dark Mother of a Thousand Young, We beseech You to destroy our enemies, for they are as molten wax in your cauldron of hate". write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Game News :: home page |