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Campaigns » The Last Viking Prince - Book 2 (1034-1044)
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The Last Viking Prince - Book 2 (1034-1044)
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Author |
File Description |
Gordon Farrell |
Posted on 05/10/00 @ 12:00 AM
File Details |
Version: |
Age of Kings 1.0 |
Number of scenarios: |
3 |
It is now 1034 AD and Haraldr Sigurdsson has completed his tutelage under the great Viking prince, Yaroslav, King of Kiev and Novgorod. Haraldr must now go south where he will spend the next ten years in the service of the Byzantine Empire, during one of its most corrupt periods. A brilliant soldier and a charismatic leader of men, this young Viking will rise to the top of the Mediterranean world --- but it will cost him a price that gold could not measure.
This is Book 2 of Haraldr's story. All of the incidents are as historically accurate as possible, based on accounts by the great Icelandic poet Snorri Sturlsson, by writers who were contemporary with this amazing Viking, and by the evidence of modern archaeology.
SPECIAL NOTE:
I have ripped a special soundtrack for this campaign series from the movie THE 13th WARRIOR. The compressed files containing those tracks are labeled #1aHARmp3, #1bHARmp3, and #2HARmp3. They're easy to install, but they may take a while to download, depending on your system.
They're worth it.
Get the full experience. Become lost in the Age of Vikings. This extraordinary music composed by Jerry Goldsmith will make you hear the trumpets of war, and feel the waves under your dragonship...
The third and final installment in the Last Viking Prince series will contain one more small addition to this basic soundtrack package. Enjoy.
Please visit this page to obtain the first two sound files and to read the installation instructions. For the third sound file, which is new to Book 2, please click here.
SPECIAL THANKS
I would like to express my deep gratitude to Debbie Cox-Remme and Jerry Caldwell for their terrific playtesting work.
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Author | Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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The Conquistador |
Posted on 01/12/01 @ 12:00 AM
In my honorable opinion, this is one of the best campaigns ever made! Gordon Farrell, one of the great scenario design gods out there, has done it again.
The playability, being one of the bad aspects of the campaign, is still awesome. You can find yourself making difficult decisions throughout each scenario and the ending of the scenario will be altered by every choice you make, making you want to play the campaign again and again to find out all the things that happened. My only problem is that it's a tad too hard and dying isn't fun.
The balance is perfection. There is no chance that you can complete any of the three scenarios playing it once as treachery awaits you at every corner and one mistake can be fatal. So, the campaign is plenty to keep you busy for hours.
The creativity is another bad aspect of the campaign but still very good. The longboat instead of a regular transport ship being used as your transport is historical accurate yet creative in terms of trigger manuevering and manipulating the editor. But, most of the stuff in here are pretty conventional and I am afraid that an excellent 4 will have to be given ;-).
The map design will make you drool. The guy designs will his very own style that is similar to Mark Stoker and Ingo van Thiel but with a unique touch of his own. To say that his map design are excellent will be an understatement. I would give a 10 in this are if I could.
The story is very interesting and isn't the type that somebody would do a campaign on as the main character is a blood-thirsty Viking instead of a romantic knight on a white horse. But the campaign definitely tells a good story and it's nice to see something different for once. The instructions were plentiful as new messages are displayed on the objective screen everytime you do something (except for maybe walking from point A to point B) and you are never confused at any point. I don't think that there could possibly be any way that there could be more instructions.
+ Points
- Great Balance
- Fantastic Map Design
- Fullfilling Story
- Even a total newbie can't be confused
- Points
- Too hard and for advanced players only sometimes
- Could use a little more creativity
Final Thoughts: If you think in any way that Gordon has 'gotten worse' because he got a 5.0 in Viking Prince I, you are mistaken. I am a strict reviewer and will probably never give a 5.0 in my entire career as a reviewer. I say that Shadowmind and The Quest has been overrated, so really there is no concept of thinking of this campaign as any 'worse' than it's prequel. BTW, this is a great campaign and you should down load it now! |
Arthur of Kings |
Posted on 05/14/02 @ 12:00 AM
The second chapter of the Last Viking Prince does something most sequels don't: it exceedes the efforts of the last one. Not because it is funner because infact I do prefer the first one but because it is more creative, shows the makers experience in map design, and the story remains true. And of course you must not forget to download the music which is immemorable in itself.
Playability: Like the last chapter of the Viking Prince it is one of the most playable campaigns available. While it sometimes has a bump along the way you are so awed that you never really notice them unless you try.
Balance: Not to say anything is perfect but the balance may be as close as it comes.
Creativity: More creative than the last one. Why? Because of the lovable, inforgettable, one of a king longboat trick (the one where you get close to the longboat, click it and then you disappear and only the longboat is left, simulating our hero stepping onto his trusty ship.)
Map Design: Again, I believe our author has learned from his mistakes. He has made the maps even more beautiful and realistic: again I hope that he makes a Conqueror's version soon!
Story/Instruction: The story holds true to the original with new perspectives, twists, and even details on the nasty Byzantine politics. |
HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
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4.8 | Breakdown |
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Playability | 4.5 | Balance | 5.0 | Creativity | 4.5 | Map Design | 5.0 | Story/Instructions | 5.0 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 11,798 |
Favorites: [] | 3 |
Size: | 1.67 MB |
Added: | 05/10/00 |
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