Minimum Requirements: PCI PowerMac, MacOS 8.1, 64MB RAM, 400MB free hard drive space, 4X CD-ROM, OpenGL compatible 3D acceleration with 6MB RAM, TCP/IP connection (for internet play)
Network Feature: Yes
3D Support: OpenGL
Retail Price: $39.99
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Availability: Out Now
Sometimes critics write reviews just to get their quote on the product. It's true. I mean, even Coyote Ugly has positive comments on its DVD box, I'm sure, and you and I both know that nobody on the planet was entertained by that movie; including those involved in its production. And a sure sign that a movie's in trouble is when they have to pull a quote from some periodical like The Smyrna Sentinel; the kind of publication that causes even Smyrna residents to say, "We have a paper now?"
But this reviewing for vanity's sake is especially prevalent in computer gaming. Why else would the box for Rune claim, "For people who like Vikings and melee combat, this is your game."
WooHOO! Finally a game for me! Viking lovers everywhere can at last rejoice that someone has catered to our Nordic needs!
The thing is, I can't imagine anyone really being a fan of vikings (especially after the lambasting the Giants handed them). I've met many people in my journeys, and I can honestly say that not one of them had a poster of Hagar the Horrible on his wall. However, I do know many people who like action games, especially gorgeous, big, and intense action games. And guys, "..this is your game!" - Applelinks
Rune was developed by Human Head Studios, taking advantage of, "...the latest Unreal® Tournament Engine technology." So okay, you know it's going to look great. But do you know what? So do Deus Ex, Oni, Heavy Metal FAKK2, and hey...Unreal Tournament, along with many other games utilizing a number of engines. So in order for Rune to impress me, it had to show me something more.
Story? Sure, it has one. You play Ragnar, a young viking (the fact that all video game heroes apparently have to be "young" has me constantly checking my palm to make sure my life clock hasn't started flashing) who sets out on a great journey against impossible odds to defeat an unbeatable evil. In a way, Pac Man told the same story. Of course, in Pac Mac you didn't have disembodied heads of gods offering advice, and after eating Blinky, you couldn't throw his eyeballs at Clyde.
Design? Now we're getting somewhere. Although based on the Unreal® Tournament Engine, Rune's design is a tad more complex than anything that shipped with it's forefather. Perhaps I've just played too much Tomb Raider (like that's possible), but I'm not used to crossing cliff ledges no wider than my feet. I'm not used to ledges that jut out instead of sloping up or standing perfectly straight. I'm not used to jumping on top of plants instead of running right through them.
You see, you can interact with nearly everything that appears in Rune, making the levels some of the most complex I've seen. Perhaps even a little too complex; exploring the first few worlds left me completely discombobulated (put that one on the box!). After you're killed at the adventure's beginning (yes, I know, but Odin brings you back to life), the first thing you have to do is swim through a confusing system of trap doors and cramped tunnels. Talk about getting thrown into the pool to learn to swim; it took me nearly a full day's worth of playing just to find dry land!
But find it, I did, and only then did my appreciation for Rune start to slowly grow. The landscape had me flummoxed at first, but the enemies were minimal and easily beaten as I grew accustomed to the game's layout and style. And the more familiar I became, the more I began to enjoy it.
The thing that makes Rune work so well isn't that the graphics are so much better than its competition (although they're certainly invited to the same parties) or that the action breaks new ground or that the story will inspire a series of young adult novels, it's that all of this comes together so well. Unlike in Tomb Raider or even Deus Ex, Rune doesn't happen in chapters; it doesn't give you strategic breaks at which you can stop playing for the night. Sure, there are some cut scenes and the graphics change as you reach new worlds, but one section flows so naturally into the next that it's difficult to stop at any point for fear of losing your place in the book.
This fluidity is even carried off in the manual. The instructions on how to play, set up multiplayer games, troubleshoot, etc. are interspersed with background story on Ragnar and his situation. It's done so well that I expected to see a Kirkus Review on the back cover.
I know, you're probably saying, "Kirk, my good friend, not a single one of us cares about the manual. What about the melee combat? What about the multiplayer aspect? What about the bloodlust and the ability to use the limbs of Ragnar's enemies against them?!"
Don't worry, it's all there. The combat moves are easy to learn and control, and for a while it's fun to experiment with different move/attack combinations. When you hit an enemy in the arm, its arm bleeds. Hit it there again, it bleeds worse. One more time and you chop it off. But do you know what? Most of the time you never even notice this. I liken it to boxing; when a fighter opens another's eyebrow, he doesn't stop to say, "Dude, nice blood." He keeps punching until his opponent is down, then he retreats to his corner and starts thinking about his next opponent. So yes, there's gore-a-plenty, but you'd either have to be some kind of blood-thirsty freak or an over-protective soccer mom to notice it.
As for the multiplayer aspect, it's decent enough for those who are into that sort of thing. It's no Unreal Tournament, but hey...Unreal Tournament is no Rune, either. At the risk of losing the respect of internet gamers everywhere (as if I ever had it), I think the best feature of the multiplayer portion is the spectator option. This allows you to go online and observe battles without actually participating. You can fly around the arena and observe from any angle. Aside from being oddly entertaining, this is also a good way to learn new moves and study the styles of your opponents. It also makes me think that the TV show Survivor would actually be worth watching if each contestant was handed a rusty mace or an axe on day one and told, "Okay, now go survive."
So yes, the game is full of action and carnage. I mean, come on. It's based on Norse mythology. Vikings wore pointy helmets for a reason, you know. And yes, the graphics are impressive enough to make your mother nervous that you're spending "...too much time on that silly, violent game. Why don't you play Uno with your sister?" But what it really comes down to is this...
The developers at Human Head know how to make a good game. They've conjured a decent story, surrounded it with lush environments, and punched it up with "whirlwind" combat. You won't lie in bed at night trying to figure out how to get to the next area of Rune, but getting to that area will keep you out of bed.
Okay, you think that was a cheesy line? It's better than, "Step aside Lara, Ragnar is coming to town." Do people actually write this stuff?
Review: Rune
The thing is, I can't imagine anyone really being a fan of vikings (especially after the lambasting the Giants handed them). I've met many people in my journeys, and I can honestly say that not one of them had a poster of 
You see, you can interact with nearly everything that appears in Rune, making the levels some of the most complex I've seen. Perhaps even a little too complex; exploring the first few worlds left me completely discombobulated (put that one on the box!). After you're killed at the adventure's beginning (yes, I know, but Odin brings you back to life), the first thing you have to do is swim through a confusing system of trap doors and cramped tunnels. Talk about getting thrown into the pool to learn to swim; it took me nearly a full day's worth of playing just to find dry land!
As for the multiplayer aspect, it's decent enough for those who are into that sort of thing. It's no 