A demo is available for the End Times RTS Left Behind: Eternal Forces. Once I get the office organized and my upgrades installed, I’ll be giving it a whirl.
I’m not the only person looking forward to this game. And, like many of them, I am probably looking forward to it in a most uncharitable and un-Christian manner. The books on which the game is based are terrible (as both literature and theology) and there is a sense of great expectation that Left Behind: Eternal Forces will be the guilty pleasure game of the year.
Like many games that are clearly “about” something, it will certainly be a challenge for us pseudo-journalists. If a game has a positive message, should that count in its favor? If a game has no redeeming social value and is only there to shock, should it be penalized? What if a game has a message that some find uplifting but others find a grotesque parody of a sacred message?
The LB:EF developers have been very vocal in saying that they primarily wanted to make a good game, and, for the sake of gamers everywhere, I hope they do. We can always use more good games. There has been a lot of speculation about how much unbeliever slaying will be involved in the game, though, so I wonder if a good game is possible when it is based around a modern Crusade? (Curiously, gaming pundits have less problem with games made about the actual Crusades or other historic religious conflicts).
The final game won’t be revealed until early November.
Looking forward to your review…!