One of the most intense and violent games made for the Wii, Nintendo DS, PS3, PSP, PC, and Xbox 360 was released on November 14th, 2007. Its release, however, seemed quiet and unnoticed. Even though the game seemed unpopular, it had gained a large fan base, and for a good reason too. This game is one of the best I’ve played, and it’s because of the awesome graphics, gameplay and story.
The storyline is that Emma, the main character, is sent to France to become a veterinarian via taxi from her small ranch in the countryside. Then, the taxi breaks down, forcing Emma to go back to her ranch and get to France via horse, however, she encounters violent and epic battles on the way with equestrian knights. After battling these knights, you pick up a certain item after each battle, whether it be a sword, shield, money, or arrows. With money, you can buy upgrades for your items. Some of the swords you can purchase are the Mucro of Nex or one of the most powerful swords, Vicis Quod Tractus. You can also buy shields, like the un millier d’âmes.
The gameplay is unmatched by any other game out there. One thing that must be mentioned is the realtime multiplayer physics. It makes the players to feel like they’re in the game, and of course allowing other players to play from all over the world. If you think that’s cool, there is so much more. This game is the first ever that uses ICMP (Inter-Console Multiplayer) technology. In a nutshell, it allows players to play from different consoles. So if one player wanted to play in multiplayer and had a Wii, while the other had the game for the PSP, usually, games wouldn’t allow that, but Horsez 2’s new ICMP technology can make it happen. In multiplayer mode, you have the choice to play as Emma or one of the equestrian knights and fight with weapons you have collected in single player, so it’s important to try to collect as many weapons as possible before going to multiplayer.
A screenshot of a cut scene before battling one of the bosses. As you can see, the knight is holding the Vicis Quod Tractus sword.
The graphics are the best that I have ever seen in a video game. With 1024 bit graphics, playing Horsez 2 feels like you are watching a movie. These graphics are 10x better than any other game ever made, graphics so good it puts Crysis to shame.Not only are the graphics good, but the physics makes playing this game worthwhile. Every tiny movement from objects falling to swords and arrows flying in battle, the detail is 100% perfect.
And just when you thought the excitement would end, it hasn’t. Horsez 2 has a 3D option. If you turn it on, you can play the game in 3D, and not the awful red-blue glasses, but polarized 3D.
Overall, to wrap up this short, yet powerful review, Horsez 2: Equestrian Knights is, in my opinion, the best game yet. It challenges the senses. When I played, it seriously felt like I was the one riding the horse and slaying knights. It blew my mind on how detailed games can be nowadays. For one of the first times, Ubisoft has shocked me with one of its games. I totally recommend buying it for its $175 price.