Rating: 
Summary: A great alternative to Warcraft
Review: Okay, so you like Warcraft. No wait, you love Warcraft. You just can't help but smile with glee as you see your initial group of little peons turn into a massive army. You are a pro at these Real Time Strategy (RTS) games. You know all the strategies. If that is so, this is game worth looking, especially at the low prices selling nowadays. If you are not a real big fan of this genre, like me, it's still worth looking at considering the price. I highly recommend you download the demo (it's out there somewhere). It has the tutorial, so you don't really need the manual, and it has some skirmishes so you can see if you're really into this. Try it out. I thoroughly enjoyed this game, even though I think it's fairly difficult for me. I don't have the fast clicking fingers and the fast acting brain that some of the my friends have. The idea is that you choose among 4 different clans, each having it's unique units and heros. There are a lot of oriental themes here, like geisha's, monks, and samurai's. So it's a welcome change from the fantasy-style RTS. But like any other RTS game, the premises is still the same - to survive while wiping out your opponents. All the well-known tactics in RTS will work in this game, so if you're a pro, you'll excel in the skirmishes. You can do the infamous "rush" (very early rush attacks to cripple opponents); or the Zerglings-style tactics (Starcrafts players should know this); or the blitzkrieg assault (remember to save the game before doing it). There are many ways to win the game and many different variation to make the game fun. The computer AI is pretty smart, especially in large maps. It knows how to use decoys, stealth and multi-directional attacks. Graphics is okay, a lot of vibrant colors, but some of the buildings look too alike that I don't know which is which. Character animation is smooth, but battles can be a bit of a frenzy. Too many times I don't know what is going on until it's too late, but that is the nature of RTS. My biggest gripe about the game is that a (strategic) retreat is too hard to pull off. Too many times, the characters have a "battle to the death" mentality (probably following the samurai's honor code). Otherwise, this game is great and a worthy addition in your RTS library.
Rating:
Summary: A great alternative to Warcraft
Review: Okay, so you like Warcraft. No wait, you love Warcraft. You just can't help but smile with glee as you see your initial group of little peons turn into a massive army. You are a pro at these Real Time Strategy (RTS) games. You know all the strategies. If that is so, this is game worth looking, especially at the low prices selling nowadays. If you are not a real big fan of this genre, like me, it's still worth looking at considering the price. I highly recommend you download the demo (it's out there somewhere). It has the tutorial, so you don't really need the manual, and it has some skirmishes so you can see if you're really into this. Try it out. I thoroughly enjoyed this game, even though I think it's fairly difficult for me. I don't have the fast clicking fingers and the fast acting brain that some of the my friends have. The idea is that you choose among 4 different clans, each having it's unique units and heros. There are a lot of oriental themes here, like geisha's, monks, and samurai's. So it's a welcome change from the fantasy-style RTS. But like any other RTS game, the premises is still the same - to survive while wiping out your opponents. All the well-known tactics in RTS will work in this game, so if you're a pro, you'll excel in the skirmishes. You can do the infamous "rush" (very early rush attacks to cripple opponents); or the Zerglings-style tactics (Starcrafts players should know this); or the blitzkrieg assault (remember to save the game before doing it). There are many ways to win the game and many different variation to make the game fun. The computer AI is pretty smart, especially in large maps. It knows how to use decoys, stealth and multi-directional attacks. Graphics is okay, a lot of vibrant colors, but some of the buildings look too alike that I don't know which is which. Character animation is smooth, but battles can be a bit of a frenzy. Too many times I don't know what is going on until it's too late, but that is the nature of RTS. My biggest gripe about the game is that a (strategic) retreat is too hard to pull off. Too many times, the characters have a "battle to the death" mentality (probably following the samurai's honor code). Otherwise, this game is great and a worthy addition in your RTS library.
Rating: 
Summary: Online Multiplayer is atrocious!
Review: Summary: Battle Realms fails to deliver on many fronts, most notably the multiplayer. If you are looking for a great multiplayer game with a superb online community, then you need to look at Empire Earth instead. Battle Realms is an online dud not worthy of the reviews that it has achieved for half a game...Otherwise, you will experience perpetual aggravation trying to play online using Gamespy. Also, the interface can be flakey at times. This is another couldabeen game that went out the door too soon. Gameplay: Battle Realms has 4 clans, two of which play similiar, and two others that can only be found in skirmish. The Dragon and Serpent clans play similiar, and you can play through the campaign as either one. The Lotus and Wolf clans play different, so the gameplay does vary depending on which one you choose. This is a small RTS game where you battle with up to 30 units while utilizing special abilities from each unit. While this does not sound very epic, it is a fast game that requires you to use hotkeys in order to command your troops. If you are a mouse-driven player, this game will be too fast for you. The one major problem with this game is that you can defend or attack, but it is really hard to do both. While the game has 4 towers with stun capabilities that you can place on your base, they are worthless without units that attack. This design promotes turtling since you have an advantage for attacking second. The missions are not that fun for me since the computer always attacks when you take your units away from your base. There are 2 resources used for unit and building purchases, while a third yin/yang resource is used for upgrade purchases. You acquire Yin or Yang in battle, depending on which faction you choose. I find training the units to be annoying since you have to send them to one building and then to another to "train" them. While this is an intersting concept, it is more tedious than just selecting a building to train a unit. You can select the gathering point to go to another building, but you have to constantly move those around to change what type of unit is being trained. Graphics: This game is loaded with eyecandy and is one of the best looking RTS games ever made. If you like graphics, this game has it in spades with stellar unit animations, 3D graphics, and outstanding battle visuals. Sound: The sound and music is well done and fitting for the environment. The notifications for rice and water outages are completely annoying though.
Rating: 
Summary: Great graphics, but beyond that....NOT THAT MUCH REALLY !!!
Review: The game has got excellent graphics and superb animation of the characters. Yet, the gameplay gets too boring after a while.
There are hardly any real strategies in that game. You simply build an army and then they hack teh enemy to pieces or get done themselves by the enemy.
Also the game has almost no defense buidings like gun turrets, towers or walls which make it impossible to build a good base or to defend teh buildings. It also takes a lot of tactical aspects out of the game.
Battle realms has a lot of cool features, but it lacks everything that makes a true entertaining RTS game. AOK for example is still fun playing after more than a 100 hours. The same applies to Starcraft. These new 3d RTS games try to impress the player with graphics, but have nothing more to offer.
Rating:
Summary: A game about Tactics
Review: There are alot of good things to say about battle realms, from its unique flavour, and distinct clans with distinctly different units and tactics, to its original method of unit development and its amazing graphics, including its varied unit animations that make combat look like combat. I'll have to focus on just one...the tactical aspect that makes the game replayable over and over, fresh with every game. Right off the bat, the game hits you with its graphics and the obvious new elements...like peasant training and horse gathering. cross training units between buildings to create more powerful units is also unique to battle realms and it presents interesting quandaries. Some people have worried that the resource system in the game was maybe too simple..that alot of the strategic aspects of other notables before battle realms, like ages of empires, were in the implementation of economy. Well economy is alive and well in BR...Peasants are infact, a resource...soldiers don't come out of thin air..they come at the price of workers, and working a good balance of this is essential to success. Horses also, can generate a quick rushing force-as most units can become mounted, or else they can be used to bolster ones economy by becoming pack horses.
Stamina is also a unit statistic that ads whole new realms of tactics to the battle field...rushing to an attack may mean not closing that range to the other guy's archers..or it may mean forgoing the possibility of retreat. Baiting units becomes more valuable in this game than it ever has been before, because getting back to significant locations in time to defend them may not be viable.
There are upgrades for units as well,and theywork like baptism by fire in a way...you get yang or yin by fighting...which you can use to improve certain units strengths, and the upgrades are unique in themselves. the further you are from home the more points you get to upgrade, which discourages turtling.
Some strategy veterans have unfortunately, been quick to discount the depth of Battle Realms because of some of the reduced accessories...less buildings...less resources. But units in other games have never had so much depth...Samurai are capable of staying at range and lobbing arrows...or else closing with their sword, for instance, and almost all units are further customizable by 2 options of battle gear that have affects in combat. units have innate abilities, like the kabuki's juggling that make peasants work better for the entertainment. The game is streamlined in the way you produce, without making that element unimportant. What it means in the end, is that the game comes down to the battlefield...and rarely in one duke out slug fest. A less sophisticated player actually has a chance against a grognard of the game...not because the game has no depth...but because he can actually pull the wool over the guys eyes and have it mean something. You try that in ages of empires...take out the pros first wave of cavalry however you might manage to do that...just to have him send a bigger one, because his economy outmatches yours 3 to 1. You can definitely have a stronger economy than the next player in battle realms, and it will matter...but it won't be the most significant factor that determines the winner and the loser. Combat in this game is fast and furious, but those who have argued that all you do is throw units at the other guy's units, will lose every time against a seasoned player. Buy it and see.
Rating:
Summary: Don't listen to the hype.
Review: This game had so much potential! I picked this title up ready for a wonderful twist on the old RTS formula. To say I was disappointed would be a gross understatement. The four clans graphically are very different, but the strategy is all the same. You rush to build the biggest force and rush the poor sap that hasn't got as large an army. That's it. Yeah there are things like fire arrows, but all the clans have something of the sort so it dosn't really matter which clan you play as. The single player campain is not bad for a RTS, but still needs work. To sum this game up, it's nothing more that Warcaft with another coat of paint. It would be a great bargin bin game, but I would not purchase it at its current price if I had it to do all over again.
Rating: 
Summary: Battle Realm?4 stars?fun?
Review: This game is easy and hard.It's easy because the first 6 stages are easy but when fighting against two clans the word hard coomes in.If you are great with stragedy games you should buy this item.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, but repetitive
Review: This game is pretty fun, but there is little variety. I haven't finished the game, but so far, every level is just building up enough forces and wiping out the enemy. This is like Command and Conquer, only the natural resources are unlimited (rice keeps growing, water keeps flowing) and the number of units you can have is limited. In each level, you can only have a certain number of men, around 20 or 30 so far. So it's difficult to have enough men defending the village and still have a large enough attack force. That may increase the challenge, but it is frustrating. It is more involved, too. You have to activate abilities for them to do anything, so you have to watch the fight and use the abilities at the appropriate time. In C&C, it was more getting together a large force and just leaving them to it, or going by stealth and capturing buildings in the enemy base. A problem is that units sometimes don't react very quickly. Some abilities cause this, but they also do it without being afflicted by anything. Also, it allows you to choose to save peasants from tyranny or force them to submit to your will at the beginning. But that seemed to be the only time, which disappointed me. Battle realms is fun, but only some of the time. It doesn't require much attention and can get old quickly. It's cheap, so give it a try.
Rating:
Summary: sometimes AI = computer cheats
Review: This is a generally good innovative game. But if you play a game just for fun and not for frustration, because after all, it's just a game, then you might think that the computer cheats when you play this game. The AI is different than that of some other games like Microsoft Age of Empires because a wounded unit is more sluggish than when it's healthy. This, in a sense, is a refreshing novelty. However, the frustrations in not being able to control the units make me feel like the computer is programmed to cheat. At normal difficultly level: computer enemy populations grow faster; some of the units refuse to follow direct instructions (ie it would not run away from a fight to save itself or to engage some other unit even when it's perfectly healthy); the musketeer only does what you want it to do after it completely and slowly loads its musket and fires (after which time, it has already been whacked on the head enough times to be useless), the geisha (healer) refuses to stand ground and keeps moving into harm's way; some units immediately run around in circles first before following your instructions. All of this on top of the fact that a computer already has an advantage over the gamer when it comes to controlling all the individual pieces in a real-time game means frustration... and this is just at normal difficulty level with no cheat codes. Yes, this game introduces some interesting innovations, but 5 stars? No.
Rating:
Summary: Battle Realms
Review: This is an excellent game I would reccomend to inexperienced and experienced strategy gamers alike. For those who don't play such games very often, you can learn the game quickly through a nicely designed tutorial and begin playing the campaign immdediately. The game has four unique sides to play as, so mastering each one will take a great deal of time. The amazing graphics and fun gameplay make this game a very good buy.
Experts will enjoy how innovative this game is. Instead of creating peons (peasants) they are generated, and all other units "come" from peasants, so sending a peasant into the appropriate building will produce an archer, warrior, or any other basic unit. If you like you can send this basic unit into a second and third bilding, creating even more units! Any unit can also go into specific buildings to gain "battlegear", which are basicly special powers. These and other original ideas will make this game a breath of fresh air for people tired of typical RTS.
Well that's why I like this game so much, so check out the demo at www.battlerealms.com and buy it if you like it.
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