2nd Op By

Keith McDonald 3.0 RATING

There isnt much to add to Mikes review. He pegged all of the major problems and few highpoints Enclave showcases. Whether its the shoddy save and combat systems or the extreme difficulty, I agree with him. There are a couple things that I feel deserve further attention.

Enclaves graphics, controls, and save system are exactly as Mike described. The character designs are rich and near flawless, and the different environments feel open and rich. The games control scheme is one of the few things this title gets right. The save system is the games worst vice. As Mike pointed out, a few levels offered a save point, but they were too few and far between. Ive come to expect games to take advantage of the Xboxs hard drive; alas Enclave does not.

The only things I feel were missed in the main review were the lack of character development and poor representation of mages in the games combat system. While Enclave does have an interesting and somewhat original story line, the characters involved seem to be nothing more than marionettes. There is no motive or drive for those participating in the story. Characters arent even given a name, just their combat class. This made it impossible for me to feel involved with the story and live this world through my characters eyes.

And while Mike mentioned that the combat system is extremely simplistic, it was not brought to light how overly difficult it is to use the magic wielding characters. I have always enjoyed playing frail but powerful mages in games, but thats not the case this time around. These characters have the absolute worst defense in the game. They use magical barriers that suck down the already limited mana, and adding insult to injury is their projectile magic. Not only is it inept, but very difficult to aim. This makes them the most difficult and disappointing character class to utilize in the game.

Enclave is plagued with numerous flaws and shortcomings. Had their been any enhancement to the save or combat system and characters, I might have enjoyed Enclave a little bitbut I didnt.

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