Wrath Unleashed

I liked this game better when it was called The Unholy War.

I concede that PS2 is pretty seriously lacking in turn-based strategy games. But seeing this supremely subpar action-strategy hybrid released on the heels of the excellent strategy-RPG Gladius��it boggles the mind.

You begin with an astonishingly low-quality rendered intro, followed by an embarrassingly juvenile cinema featuring buxom women in ridiculously scant attire. That��s when the fun starts.

The game itself consists of working your way around a hex-cell battlefield, trying to occupy your opponent��s temples or wipe out your opponent��s units (or both). The occupying of temples takes place through the ingenious method of moving onto a hex with a temple on it. Meanwhile, you get to do battle with individual units via the revolutionary feature of button-mashing.

Sorry, give me a moment to tone down the sarcasm. To be fair, the real-time fighting engine does offer a few options beyond just jamming X repeatedly. Like spells. And blocking. Plus, the main map has a few spells you can let loose on your opponent. But the game is too simple for strategy fans and too complex for fighting fans. The occasionally interesting creature design and accompanying animation can��t save this one from its clich��d premise, uninteresting gameplay, and interminable load times. If you��re desperate for a turn-based strategy, you could do worse...but not much.

Rating: 1.5 Stars

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine.