Amazon.com Review
As one of the first turn-based strategy/war games for the PlayStation2, Ring of Red is surprisingly rewarding for wannabe armchair generals looking to spend time in the heat of battle. You'll find that the war over an alternate-history Japan is surprisingly engrossing and very, very different from most PS2 titles.
Ring of Red's scenario is this: Japan didn't surrender to end World War II, and instead finds itself fighting a civil war that divides the country by pitting Soviet- and American-backed troops against each other. By the '60s, gas-powered Armored Fighting Walkers (read: giant mechs) do much of the damage across the country. You, as a half-Japanese, half-German pilot named Masami Weizegger, have the task of leading your American-backed squad into a long, explosive campaign that brings with it a gripping story.
Combat is split between maps for moving and placing mechs on the battleground and a real-time mode for actual fighting. Though the game is deep, with many commands to learn, Ring of Red feels just right for the Dual Shock 2 controller. The tense, swift battles are enough to make even hardened gamers sweat, and once you learn to survive them, you're rewarded with a sense of accomplishment.
Aesthetically, Ring of Red is a great-looking (and sounding) game that makes mech combat look real. Despite its somewhat boring dialogue and repetitive battle cutscenes, most gamers will play this title for a good long while. It won't make a lot of new converts to strategy gaming, but for many patient gamers, it's a great title that is different from the pack. Just be prepared for a long--yet fun--war over the future of Japan. --Mark Brooks
Pros:
Very good graphics and sound bring atmosphere to the battles.
Easy-to-use control scheme.
Deep yet fun strategy gameplay.
Cons:
Very long battles will turn off gamers looking for a quick fix.
Repetitive in-battle cutscenes cannot be skipped.
Sloppy script makes most characters seem somewhat dull. |
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