Got a few things to get out there. For some reason I have absolutely no screen caps for this and it was cleared in my GRAND CLEANSING of my system. Seeing as how Comcast has decided to make my download cap so low and how I’m bumping up against it I don’t think I’m going to be getting anything together for a little bit. So the images supplied will be from Steam’s storefront. So sorry. Other than that, I’m also becoming a little wary with my words of praise about Paradox Interactive published games for fear of branding both myself and this site as bed-wetting fan-boys. Argh… So much weight on my shoulders…

Fuck it.

When it comes to strategy RPG games I’m all about the balance of grand and small scale. Grand on the RPG small on the strat or the other way around. Grand on a few aspects of character building and combat, small on amount of chaotic events that occur and depth of story. This is all hugely personal preference. From the several hours of the prologue chapter alone in King Arthur II, I am not finding the balance. Everything seems cranked to the epic setting on the dial. This usually puts me off of a RTS-centric game, but in this case I think I’ve found myself on the other end of the interest-ravine. I never even knew there was something fun over here. Like the first time I took part in a 500 vs 500 deciding battle in Mount & Blade. Something indescribably refreshing about it. The grandeur blended with the depth and breadth of possibilities. Its electric.

The story being read and voiced like an epic novel. The world being as grim as the very subject contained within. The grand beauty of commanding the waltz of battle. I enjoyed all of this in the first iteration, but this has my jaw on the floor for how much effort was put in to making this IP into the game it truly deserved to be. Leaps and bounds, not just a skip and a jump like most titles ending with a numeric sequence attached. I find myself torn. I’m coming to a stage in my life where just hardcore burning any game is something I can’t just do. I have games I play with friends. I have the webcomic to write/draw/maintain. King Arthur II is begging me to forget all of that and explore its splendor. A promise of things I couldn’t even imagine.

Basically, I’m saying people should check this out. I will say this, it can be a challenge at times. I, and most everyone here at HH, are from an era where games kicked the shit out of you. You’d power your system on and let it take the boots to you, medium style. And you loved every second of it. King Arthur II feels like I could love getting my ass kicked by it, so its almost nostalgic, but with a pretty enough face that you know what year it is. If you think you’re up for the challenge, then dawn your armor and lead your legion to victory.