Reviews and Post-Release Press

[Jefke]

Just a quick note to signal my humble little 2 pages review in the french paper magazine PC4WAR #24 (preview at http://www.pc4war.com). 8/10.

The magazine will be released in a week to shops. Latest news indicate that subscriber might receive it a bit later.

JeF.

[Annette]

Thank you, JeF, and welcome to our forums. I've very happy to see you here!

I have more to report...

In Belgium, the current issue of Pc Gameplay Magazine features a review of Dominions 3. Editor-in-Chief Frank Dolmans tells us, "It got a whopping 80+ score, which is quite excellent. Our reviewer was impressed."

And we're told in Italy Giochi per Il Mio Computer has designated Dom 3 "Editor's Pick" with a score of 8.5 out of 10. Reviewer Vincenzo Beretta tells us, "Great game BTW, and a good companion to the "Song of Ice and Fire" saga by George R.R. Martin I'm finally reading while not playing! Congratulations to all those involved."

Here at home, The Bovine Conspiracy has just published it's review of Dominions 3 with a score of 8 out of 10. It's divided into two parts: " Part I: Review for people who already know a lot about Dominions II," and " Part II: Review for people who don’t know anything about Dominions II." The consensus is:

If you played and enjoyed Dominions II, Dominions III is an easy recommendation. Hell, it's an easy recommendation for anyone who enjoys deep strategy games and don't particularly care about having the latest whiz bang graphics...It'll be one of those games that will never leave your hard drive. Until Dominions IV.

Please read the full review HERE.

[Annette]

Atomic,an Australian site affiliated with PC Authority, has posted it's review of DOM3. Reviewer David Kidd awards the game a score of 9 out of 10 and writes:

In the end, this is a big, complex beast of a game. It’s a game you have to ‘get’, but when you do, you’ll be a convert forever. You’ll explore each nation, each magic path, and eventually find some killer combination that dominates the map. And then you’ll put it aside and start all over again. And once it grabs you, you’ll find other games of its type shallow and simple. For an independent game, the US$55 might seem steep, but once you start playing, you’ll get months, or even years, of game time, which makes it a true bargain. This is what strategy games are all about.

You may read the full review HERE (link).

[Annette]

GamerDad gives their seal of approval of Dominions 3 for kids ages 14 and up. Reviewer Matt Carlson says,

The large tomb of a rulebook is your first hint that the game is fairly complex. The wealth of spells and fantasy units that can be found is almost overwhelming. However, the actual mechanics of playing the game are simple enough for a younger child (10+) to play. Aside from the battle animations, which an experienced player will almost always skip, there are no scenes of violence depicted. The battle animations depict the battle between opposing units, with defeated units falling on the field with a minimum of blood and no gore. Magic comes in many flavors, including death magic which has the typical fantasy overtones of necromancy and undead. Of greater concern is one entire line of magic, blood magic, which is powered by the sacrifice of slaves that have been previously culled from one's population. The concept is treated entirely in the abstract and players can choose to not specialize in blood magic, but its presence as a concept gives the game a 14+ rating from GamerDad.

He also awards the game a score of 4 out of 5 stars. The full review is found HERE (link).

[Annette]

Gamespot has just posted their review of Dominions 3. Their score of 8.2 breaks down as follows:

Gameplay _ 9
Graphics _ 4
Sound _ 5
Value _ 9
Tilt _ 10

Reviewer Jeff Lackey writes:

The wealth of options means that no single strategy or nation is a sure win (as opposed to other multiplayer games, where playing as certain factions and using certain units and tactics can practically guarantee victory), and you are likely to encounter something you've never seen before every game.

Therein lies the beauty of Dominions 3. Whether playing single-player or multiplayer, you can experiment with a practically infinite variety of tactical and strategic choices and never find a "best" one, because your opponent has the same breadth of options. Dominions 3 is a world both deep and ultimately mesmerizing to the strategy fanatic. If you prefer your games fast and flashy, you'll hate Dominions 3. But if you're the kind of strategy gamer who revels in hunkering down with a highly complex and deep game with a phone-book sized manual and a steep learning curve that really makes you pause, ponder, and think, this is definitely the game for you

The full review is HERE (link).

[Annette]

I'm happy to say we just got word that Cyberstratege has awarded Dominions 3 it's Golden Laurel award for Strategy Game of 2006. Silver Award went to Heroes V and Bronze Award to Medieval: Total War. Read about it in the issue hitting newstands in France and Belgium on Friday. Congratulations, Johan and Kristoffer!

[Annette]

Veteran computer game reviewer Troy S. Goodfellow has posted his review of Dominions 3 at Flash of Steel.

Though it can sometimes seem overwhelming, Dominions 3 is probably better at conveying that Grand Strategy sense of ruling a kingdom at war than any other game of 2006.

Think of it. A fantasy strategy game with wizards and centaurs is better at making me feel like Napoleon than Crown of Glory...

Some people complain about the price, but this is a game with more replayability than almost any flashy FPS and it comes with one of those “real manuals” that people say they used to like but miss...when the dog days of August come around and my computer needs to have stuff removed to make room for the next Age of Supreme Civilization expansion, Dominions 3 isn’t going anywhere.

The full article is found HERE (link).

[Annette]

I haven't received my copy yet, but according to metacritic.com
the February issue of PC Gamer gives Dominions 3 a score of 83, saying:

If you want great depth and bang for your buck, you can't go wrong with Dominions 3. [Feb. 2007, p.66]

[Annette]

A score of 85% from eToychest Edward Pollard writes:

The single player game is replete with innumerable options and settings, and the AI is robust and well worth playing. However, Dominions 3 features multiplayer offerings like almost no other game allowing over a dozen real world generals to clash in a large-scale conflict of nail-biting battles and second-guessed alliances. The diversity of the core game and how real world players will collide guarantees a diversity of tactics and options allowing nearly limitless variety in overcoming your opposition, so unlike other games of this type the war isn't over until the last battle is fought.

Dominions 3 pretty much stands alone at what it does, and its central gameplay is well balanced and extremely fun. .. if you're the slightest bit intrigued as to what Dominions 3 has to offer, you should most definitely check it out. Few games are this genuinely unique. Even if the polish is lacking to the point of absenteeism, the game remains brilliant.

The full review is HERE (link).

[Gandalf Parker]

Scott does fantastic work. I set up automatic news alerts on things that interest me and I see a definate difference between the PR work at Shrapnel vs other places.