Gods and Generals (video game)
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| Gods and Generals | |
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| Developer(s) | Anivision |
| Publisher(s) | Activision Value |
| Engine | Lithtech |
| Platform(s) | PC |
| Release date |  February 18, 2003 |
| Genre(s) | Historic first-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen |
Gods and Generals is a PC game centered around the American Civil War released in 2003. It was based on the book Gods and Generals and its subsequent film adaptation. It is a first person shooter and uses the Lithtech graphics engine, made popular by the more successful and critically acclaimed shooter No One Lives Forever. However, Gods and Generals is often considered as one of the worst games of all time.[1]
[edit] Critical reception
GameSpot gave it a score of 1.2 out of 10.[2] It also won "Flat-Out Worst Game" in GameSpot's Best & Worst of 2003.
A major reason cited in unfavorable reviews was the buggy programming. Some even reported that the enemy would shoot to literally random places. The soldier models were called "clones" by GameSpot, because the game uses the same facial and body models for nearly every soldier. The only change is the colors of the uniforms to differentiate Yankees from Rebels. As Andrew Park put it, "these clones wore blue, or gray, or sometimes ... brown".[3]
Also notable were the lack of game physics, which allow NPCs to "clip" through supposedly solid objects. The enemy AI is disastrous, as NPCs will frequently perform idiotic maneuvers (such as running into damaging flames over and over until death, standing around waiting for the player to shoot them). Trigger issues cause the NPCs to attack when the player approaches, but fails to make them move forward, meaning that the enemies will often stand in one spot and repeatedly attack the empty area in front of them.
The game is an advertisement for the movie with the same name. Critics of licensed games cite Gods and Generals as a prime example of a licensed game that is sub-par to an original game.
[edit] References
- ^ Gods and Generals Reviews. Metacritic. Accessed February 20, 2008.
- ^ Park, Andrew. Gods and Generals for PC Review. GameSpot. March 18, 2003. Accessed April 24, 2006.
- ^ Park, Andrew. Gods and Generals Video Review. GameSpot. March 18, 2003. Accessed November 7, 2006.
