Dragonshard single-player demo

• License:

  Free to try; $49.99 to buy

• Editor's Rating:

  5.0 stars

• Average User Rating:

  3.0 stars (out of 6 votes) Rate it!

• Downloads:

  50,814

• Requirements:

  Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, 1.13GHz CPU, 512MBRAM, 64MB DirectX 9.0c-compatible video card

• Limitations:

  Two chapters

• Date Added:

  August 10, 2005

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Publisher's description of Dragonshard single-player demo

From Atari:

Dragonshard is a real-time strategy experience based in the mystical world of Eberron, the acclaimed new Dungeons & Dragons realm. Within this wholly imaginative setting lives an inventive gameplay fusion: dramatic RTS play is affected by the risks and rewards of a thrilling RPG-styled underworld.

As players direct troops over the land, they also plunge smaller, hero-led parties below ground to an RPG-modeled world of beasts, battles and bounty. Experience and items gained in this underworld result in great powers and abilities above ground.

Using magic, weaponry and skilled maneuvers, players command armies from varying races to control, protect, or destroy, the powerful Heart of Siberys. Obtaining this omnipotent artifact will unleash its full forces, good or evil, upon the entire world.

This demo for the RTS/RPG hybrid features the first two chapters from the Order of the Flame Campaign.

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Editor's review of Dragonshard single-player demo

• 5.0 stars

• "Neverwinter Nights with RTS elements and superb graphics"

Real-time strategy games aren't as popular as they were in the late 90s, but Dragonshard will nevertheless win many gamers' hearts. The reason? Stunning graphics and sound, and an original combination of RTS and RPG action. The story takes place in Eberron, a new world from the Dungeons & Dragons universe. The action unfolds in two subworlds, on the surface and underground. Up above, the game is similar to many real-time strategies: you amass resources, build structures, and assemble an army. In the subterranean levels, Dragonshard is closer to an RPG: you lead a small party of fighters, archers, wizards, and thieves who kill monsters, collect stuff, and solve puzzles to gain experience points. The demo's two chapters are rich in cutscenes and character dialogs. The graphics are oustanding throughout, with detailed character models, rich textures, and an abundance of special effects. Be sure to have a powerful PC with good 3D capabilites. This is one of the best games we've seen. We would give it even more than five stars if we could. It's both a stunning technical achievement and a masterpiece of game design.

User reviews

• Average user rating: 3.3 stars out of 6 votes
• My rating: 0 stars Write review

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  This software version | All versions

• 3 stars

  1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

  Version: Dragonshard single-player demo

  "demo'd it"

  by fstony on December 16, 2005

  Pros: Graphics, sound and combat gameplay are good.

  Cons: Plot and empire building are uninteresting.

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• 4 stars

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

  Version: Dragonshard single-player demo

  "Looks and plays well, feels like a combo of some wc3 and a warhammer game i had"

  by wintergrey on September 5, 2005

  Pros: Has a nice cohesive cinematic feel, animations are smooth, environmental effects are nicely done, enemy and friendly units seem varied and interesting.

  Cons: Huge download, hard to tell if the actual game will be balanced for multiplayer, demo seemed a bit easy and also hard to tell if the enhanced strategy/base-building elements make it better or different than wc3 (which it seems to be emulating/contesting)... but I ended up liking the overall look and feel of the demo. Worth getting if you can stomach the download and were curious about this game from the previews.

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• 5 stars

  0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

  Version: Dragonshard single-player demo

  "its very nice"

  by khaledmosbah on January 11, 2008

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• 2 stars

  Version: Dragonshard single-player demo

  "characters do not show up in this demo"

  by foyle on October 16, 2005

  Pros: Nice Graphics, looks like an interesting game.

  Cons: Huge download, did not complete on first try after over an hour. When Complete, the game loads but the characters show up as only shadows.

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