|
History Channel: Civil War: A Nation Divided | 
 enlarge
| From: Activision Inc.
Category: Video Games
List Price: $29.99
Buy Used: $11.94
You Save: $18.05 (60%)
New (13) Used (26) Collectible (2) from $11.94
Rating:  31 reviews
Platform: Playstation2
Genre: Military and Historical Strategy Games
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Batteries Included: No
Age: 12 - 20 years
Operating System: Playstation 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: 75305
UPC: 047875753051
EAN: 0047875753051
Release Date: December 14, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: 100% GUARANTEED! Fast shipping on more than 1,000,000 Book, Video, Video Game & Music titles all in one location! Discover Your Entertainment at goHastings.
| |
| Features:
|
| Accessories:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
History Channel: Civil War brings you into America's bloodiest war. Carnage and chaos are everywhere, and withering fire cuts down your best regiments. The screams of the wounded are deafening, but the destiny of a country is in your hands. Rally the troops and organize a counterattack -- Your strategic decision and talent as a commander will decide if the Union is preserved or if Dixie wins its independence.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...
 Very Disappointing January 4, 2009
BasinBictory (Nowhere in particular)
My wife bought this game for our son on Christmas, and we've been playing it because we like Medal of Honor and Call of Duty-style first-person shooters, which this game appeared to be.
I think I can sum up my opinion of this game as such: It's a Civil War version of Medal of Honor, but is about only a third as long, a third as challenging, and a third as detailed. This game felt like it was basically rushed into production long before they could do justice to it and make it a truly challenging, engrossing, and expansive game like the Civil war theme deserves.
Pluses: The period weapons were very neat. Um - I guess that's about it.
Minuses: The gameplay stinks. You basically just move down a prescribed path (no free-roaming or wandering or approaching from different angles like in Operation Flashpoint) where enemies just come at you, fire at you, and stupidly try to reload their guns in plain sight of you (so you can just gun them down). You're mostly on your own, and even the guys on your side mostly just do their own thing and ignore you - so it's not like you are part of a squad trying to do something or a leader of a detachment tasked with a mission. You just wander around completing missions like blowing up a cannon, then stealing a document, then delivering it to your commander, etc. There is no feeling of being in the middle of the line as the enemy charges your position, or conversely, charging the enemy as part of a huge division while the enemy is encamped behind a wall on a hill, which is what most actual Civil War combat was all about. If you were a cavalryman where most of the time you WERE out as part of a small detachment doing raids, reconaissance and other unconventional tasks, then it would make sense, but the game depicts you as a regular foot soldier.
Also, most of the weapons of this period were single-shot musket-rifles. Repeaters like the Henry, Spencer and such were in extremely short supply, but this game makes it seem like they were the rule rather than the exception.
Still, some of the gameplay was pretty fun, such as Gettysburg and Chattanooga, because those battles were depicted fairly well, but most of the other battles were pretty worthless, IMO.
 A fun lesson in history August 19, 2008
Granny B (northern Michigan)
This game is not especially difficult to play, but has the reward of teaching history lessons after each battle. I bought it for my grandson to play on his PS2, and feel it was well worth the price.
civil war game desicion want or don't want it August 16, 2008
I love this game however the sound could be better. All you ever here is come on lads,for the president,ahhhh,they're retreating. Another thing is you always start out with the same weapons until the last 2 levels of each campaign which drives me crazy. Another thing is there is no bad language or at least only few things here and there. If you've ever played a game and haven't been able to take control of a weapon like a cannon forget about it this game has a total control environment. How ever you don't have allot a freedom like Medal of Honor Airborne. Its very historical which I love. If you love history,war games or first person shooters/adventure. This is it!
 Great Game April 29, 2008
AL born/CA fed (CA)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This was the first History Channel game we purchased and it was worth the price. My son loved it so much that we also purchased the History Channel's Battle for the Pacific.
We highly recommend this game because it is fun and because of its historical tie in. Great Game.
 Nothing Spectacular February 1, 2008
tvtv3 (Sorento, IL United States)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
My brother originally brought this game. He's a college student who enjoys playing video games and has a side interest in American battles. He purchased CIVIL WAR: A NATION DIVIDED soon after it came out. He played it through and when asked afterwards about it, said the game was "just okay". I, too, enjoy playing video games from time to time and I am an amateur history buff, but I don't have as much time on my hands so I didn't get around playing CIVIL WAR: A NATION DIVIDED until recently (about a year after it came out).
The game is a first person shooter game. There are twelve different battles that you can fight in, six that you fight in as a Union soldier and six that you fight in as a Johnny Reb. Only one of the battles is available to play at the start; you unlock more battles once you "win" a battle. I use the term "win" rather lightly because there isn't much winning going on. On each of the levels you are given specific missions to complete. The visuals of the game are quite impressive and the sounds of gunfire, shouting, and sometimes cannons roaring give the impression of being in the heat of the action. However, usually your character isn't. Instead your character is set on a linear course to complete the various objectives. Sometimes a random shooter from the sidelines will fire upon you, but other than that the only fighting you encounter are the pawn-like soldiers that stand upon the trail as you attempt to complete your objectives. I was really disappointed by this. I had hoped, from the description of the box (which includes pictures that turn out to be nothing but still shots from scenes you don't fight in) and advertisements about the game on the History Channel (which was a co-creator of the game) that when you play CIVIL WAR: A NATION DIVIDED you would be involved in massive battles or at least would have the opportunity to direct the movement of troops or something. The only exploring off the beaten path that your character gets to do is find an the occasional alcove or hidden alley.
From a historical perspective, CIVIL WAR: A NATION DIVIDED does have some value. Before each battle a narrator explains why the battle came about and after each battle he explains the aftermath of each conflict. Depending on versions of the game, there are some discrepancies (for instance I know that on some versions it says that 50,000 men were killed at Gettysburg, but on the version I played it said 50,000 casualties). I also know that there's also an issue with the visuals and the overall set up of the battle, for instance the battle of Shiloh is terrible and except for the brown and blue uniforms has no distinction in it being a Civil War battle at all. Despite these inaccuracies, I still believe the game has some educational value because children--through teens are the ones that will probably be the people most likely to play the game and there's just enough interest here that might incite in them a desire to learn more about American history, especially the Civil War.
As far as games go, CIVIL WAR: A NATION DIVIDED is just a typical first-person shooter video game. In regards to educational games, it does have some flaws, but there just might be enough here to interest in kids about the Civil War that they'll do more research on their own. Recommended for kids through teenagers. If you're a Civil War buff you might also enjoy the game, but you might be disappointed in how limited the game is or upset by the flaws.
|
|
|
Copyright © 2008 Games Today. All rights reserved. | |
