Savage: The Battle for Newerth

Overview

"Savage: The Battle for Newerth" is a unique blend of the RTS, FPS, and RPG genres resulting in massive online battles, with players choosing to play as individual units, or as the commander.

Features

• Unique game play with RTS, FPS, and RPG elements
• Large maps and huge battles
• Plenty of weapons and items for each faction

Review

Savage is not like any game I've ever played. In fact, I had a difficult time coming up with what categories to put it under. After installing the game and picking a character name, you join one of many public servers which are hosted by players. There are two factions in Savage, the Legion of Man and the Beast Horde. When you join a server, you'll be one of many warriors on your team who must help your commander win the battle.

The game maps are large and shaped in RTS fashion. There are mineral deposits around the map that must be fought for. The commander builds gatherer units to mine the ore and uses it to upgrade new weapons for your team to utilize. You can help your commander gather ore or just head off into the action and attack the your opponents base. Players can actually gain experience by helping their commander gather resources which encourages team work. Players can also gain experience by killing enemies, or even killing neutral monsters on the map. The more levels you gain, the more equipment you unlock for yourself.

The human faction relies on weapon upgrades like new guns while the beasts evolve natural weapons such as poisons and larger jaws. The two factions play differently enough to make the battles interesting, while keeping them fairly balanced. The one major problem I've encountered with Savage is when an incompetent commander takes charge of your team, it can ruin the game very fast. Usually when this happens, you're left with basic weapons facing the enemy who, with a competent commander, has upgraded weapons and characters. I highly recommend Savage to anyone interested in large scale battle games. Those that enjoyed the Battlefield series or the Star Wars Battlefront series will surely be fascinated by Savage's unique game play.