Dominions 2: The Ascension Wars ( Windows )

Rating:
Summary: An playable multiplayer turn based strategy game
Review: Difficult to learn and an awkward user interface - besides that, this is the best turn-based strategy game I ever played!

It is ideal for Offline-Multiplayer (Serverbased or via PBEM), since all players take their turns simultaneously, which allows PBEM games to be finished within reasonable time. Highly customizable. OS independent.

Disappointed by WalordsIV, I am now very happy to finally have found a cute, playable, turn-based fantasy strategy game.

Rating:
Summary: Try for yourself.
Review: Dominions 2 is a fantastic leap into TBS on an Epic scale. Huge Gods battling for supremacy by any means possible. Genocide, reckless magic, and disregard for humanity to be the last god of the panthenon.

A steep learning curve, especially for perfectionists it provides you with a simulation of fantasty combat as opposed to actual historical combat.

Low end graphics are balanced with the fact there are so many of them along with additional abilities.

A must for those who love 4X and TBS games. Not for everyone and documentation that does not do the game justice, it is hard to get into, but if you can get past the "I'm LOSING and I don't know why!" feeling, you will be well worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Finally, Depth over Glitz.
Review: Dominions 2 is a very special game that possesses enourmous appeal to a certain type of person but might not be made for everybody. The game has a difficult learning curve and it can be hard to find documentation on the game if your just starting. But under its 1980's graphics and daunting complexity lies a complete diamond. If there's anyone out there hoping for a faithful successor to Master of Magic, this game comes far closer than any other game i have played. There is a dizzying complexity of spells, units, economic effects, and playing styles. In response to the person who said the tech support is nonexistent i would have to disagree. He was most likely referred to the message board because the Developers regularly post on it and monitor it for posts on glitches and bugs, also this game has an extremely knowledeable and helpful community who are more than willing to help you get through the initial learning pains. If your looking for a game with depth and originality as opposed to graphical glitz, this is your game. If you decide to join the community, you'll find me there for a long time to come, and you'll find dominions on my computer for a very long time indeed.

Rating:
Summary: Ok game, terrible support
Review: Dominions II, while lovingly designed and balanced, due to its amateurish graphics, plays like a spreadsheet. The game itself is good enough to rise above this, however the tech support is abysmal. When the most recent patch was released, I was unable to apply it. When I contacted the developers for assistance, they were obtuse and unhelpful, eventually simply referring me to the message boards to get help from other players, refusing to even tell me if my problem was common, or unique. I love the idea of supporting small development houses, however, this one is small because they seem to think small.

Rating:
Summary: Best in Genre
Review: I believe this is the best game in the genre. It's gotten more play out of me than Master of Magic, Heroes of Might and Magic, Age of Wonders, Warlords, Disciples, Civilization, Alpha Centauri, Master of Orion, Space Empires, or Stars. Once of the other posters says they have bad support, but that's not been my experience. I've found their continued support and patches to be as good or better than any of the afore mentioned titles -- not bad for a 2 man team.

There is an amazing amount of variety in factions and would-be-gods you can play, and best of all it is for the most part solidly based upon Mythology -- far superior to the typically D&D derivative fantasy. Multiplayer is fantastic.

It is a complex game however, and not to everyone's tastes. Definitely check out the demo first. Beware though, it's addictive stuff!

Also check out the fan made maps on their website as well, some of which are quite pretty. If you're stuck getting started, try the excellent Walkthrough by Bruce Geryk, also linked from their site.

Rating:
Summary: this is a STRATEGY game!
Review: I emphasize strategy. What you will not find are fancy graphics, studio sound, arcade action, cheats, or a killer strategy that will win every time. This game is wonderfully balanced with 17 nations (another in the works), 1100 units, 400 spells, 400 magic sites, 250 magic items, and much more. But the neat thing is that they give you what you need to play in YOUR style. Berserker, defensive, researcher, swarmer, sneak, diplomatic, whatever. Instead of feeling like you are learning the strategies that the developer had in mind for you to learn, you can actually develop your OWN tactics and surprises. There are people who have played it over a year and still come up with new things to try. (and yes, its one of those games which will ACTUALLY survive on your machine for a year)

Rating:
Summary: If you're a fan of the old classics...
Review: If you aren't daunted by a little detail in a turn-based strategy game, and you don't mind graphics that fall short of the "latest eye candy test", and you're willing to spend some time bringing yourself up the learning curve, you'll LOVE this game.

If you find any of the above 3 make you doubt, you probably shouldn't get it. But for me, a turn-based strategy junky to the core, this game is an absolute gem. Probably the best I've bought in the last 5 years. For a specific niche of gamer out there, this one is extraordinary.

Rating:
Summary: The most addictive game since Civilization
Review: This is truly an amazing game, especially considering it's made by a small independent developer. There's a virtually infinite number of different unit types, spells and magic items so the game never gets repetitive (and this is possible *because* it doesn't rely on massive amounts of graphics). The different nations each have their own style of play. The AI is challenging even when set to "easy". You can download new maps and other modifications from the internet.

I only reduced the rating to 4 because of problems with the interface. It has a sort of unfinished feel to it. For example when the game ends, it always exits to windows rather than the main menu. Also, running a multiplayer game is very difficult and requires executing two instances of the game simultaneously.