The original Dungeon Keeper is one of those games I hold dear to my heart. When Bullfrog created it, my mind was blown. You can actually be the bad guy and have fun doing it?! This tore at my little catholic mind and an evil sprite was created. Like lording over an anthill or taking all the lego wheels so your brother could not use them, it was good to be bad (just a little bit).
Dungeon Keeper 2 came along an I loved it even more. I grew weary of the few game crashing bugs but my love for it kept me coming back for more. I beat that game 3 times I think in a very short time span.
Fast forward to today and I am still looking for a updated version of that game. Heck, I was recently thinking on making my own. Then Dungeon Keeper for iOS came out from EA. It had all the same stuff but the love was not there. It was replaced with pay to win style gameplay. Not as bad as others are touting but it just doesn't let you feel the way the original did. I actually found myself playing the original on GOG.com recently to give me a quick fix.
I started looking out for others that might exist. Played several demos and have compiled a list for your devilish enjoyment.
Dungeon Keeper (1997) Bullfrog: The one that started it all.
Pros: Has a great story and feel. Lets you do what you want.
Cons: definitely dated
Rating: 5/10
Dungeon Keeper 2 (1999) Bullfrog: The masterpiece.
Pros: Everything
Cons: crashes sometimes, getting dated
Rating: 9/10 (Only reason why it don't give it 10 in it's own category is the bugs and the age)
Dungeons: (2011) Realmforge Studios: The attempt to expand the idea
Pros: Has the feel and humor
Cons: has unusual resources that force you to let people into your dungeon, steal stuff, and only then can you take them out. If you are going to do that, have some traps or triggers so you don't have to sit and watch and wait.
Rating: 5/10
Dungeon Keeper Mobile (2013) EA: The pay to win
Pros: has the right minons and same sounds and graphics
Cons: No way to complete. Just keep building and keep the others out. And if you don't want to wait, you need to pay a lot.
Rating: 2/10
Impire: (2013) Cyanide Montreal: The wanna be
Pros: has all the basics you want. Lots of content.
Cons: Doesn't have the right feel. AI is not really there. Overly complex systems.
Rating: 6/10 Has a more unique tail to tell rather than simply a clone. A rather good one at that. The tediousness of the systems really keep you from liking it more.
Dungeon Keeper 2 came along an I loved it even more. I grew weary of the few game crashing bugs but my love for it kept me coming back for more. I beat that game 3 times I think in a very short time span.
Fast forward to today and I am still looking for a updated version of that game. Heck, I was recently thinking on making my own. Then Dungeon Keeper for iOS came out from EA. It had all the same stuff but the love was not there. It was replaced with pay to win style gameplay. Not as bad as others are touting but it just doesn't let you feel the way the original did. I actually found myself playing the original on GOG.com recently to give me a quick fix.
I started looking out for others that might exist. Played several demos and have compiled a list for your devilish enjoyment.
Dungeon Keeper (1997) Bullfrog: The one that started it all.
Pros: Has a great story and feel. Lets you do what you want.
Cons: definitely dated
Rating: 5/10
Dungeon Keeper 2 (1999) Bullfrog: The masterpiece.
Pros: Everything
Cons: crashes sometimes, getting dated
Rating: 9/10 (Only reason why it don't give it 10 in it's own category is the bugs and the age)
Dungeons: (2011) Realmforge Studios: The attempt to expand the idea
Pros: Has the feel and humor
Cons: has unusual resources that force you to let people into your dungeon, steal stuff, and only then can you take them out. If you are going to do that, have some traps or triggers so you don't have to sit and watch and wait.
Rating: 5/10
Dungeons: The Dark Lord (2011) Realmforge Studios: The attempt to expand the idea version two
Pros: Still the same humor and good graphics
Cons: same problems as it's predecessor
Rating: 6/10
Cons: same problems as it's predecessor
Rating: 6/10
Dungeon Keeper Mobile (2013) EA: The pay to win
Pros: has the right minons and same sounds and graphics
Cons: No way to complete. Just keep building and keep the others out. And if you don't want to wait, you need to pay a lot.
Rating: 2/10
Impire: (2013) Cyanide Montreal: The wanna be
Pros: has all the basics you want. Lots of content.
Cons: Doesn't have the right feel. AI is not really there. Overly complex systems.
Rating: 6/10 Has a more unique tail to tell rather than simply a clone. A rather good one at that. The tediousness of the systems really keep you from liking it more.
War for the Overworld (2014) Subterranean Games: The updated clone that isn't afraid
Pros: Looks great, feels great, sounds great. Supposedly made by some of the guys who did the original
Cons: a tad expensive right now. too bad I missed the Kickstarter.
Rating: x/10 * I try not to give ratings to unfinished products but this is really looking like it will be a high score when done.
Cons: a tad expensive right now. too bad I missed the Kickstarter.
Rating: x/10 * I try not to give ratings to unfinished products but this is really looking like it will be a high score when done.
So my conclusion? I am looking forward to "War for the Overworld" but it is still a tad expensive for what it is recycling. Can't officially say until it's full release if it will be worth it. As for the rest, just stick to the original for now.
