Customer Reviews

Demigod

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Demigod has been receiving a lot of overly positive and negative reviews due to various factors. I am writing to set a few things straight from my experiences since the games release.

Graphics: 9.5/10 Top notch graphics that run decently on moderate machines, but a few very minor glitches here and there.
Gameplay: 9/10 Very fun, fast paced, strategy oriented with RPG elements.
Sound: 10/10 Music and sound effects are phenomenal.
UI/Controls: 8.5/10 Menu UI needs a bit of help, but controls are simple and intuitive.
Multiplayer: Currently 5/10, but once servers are fully operational 8/10.
Ease of Use (Install & Play): 7/10 until a few more patches are released.
Online Bugs: Currently 3/10 as about 30% of people are able to play fine. These will be fixed over time, but for now it is as it is.
Engine Bugs: 9/10 (very few issues once a match is going)
Balance: 9/10 Surprisingly well balanced for a release.

It is important to note that this game is NOT single player based and does not claim to be. It has single player tournament and skirmish modes (which act like a tutorial), but the game is meant as a multi-player experience.

Some back story on the release of this game is needed in order to gain some perspective on why the online experience suffers in its infancy. Stardock (publisher) had orders with multiple retailers. One of which was Gamestop. Gamestop asked Stardock if they could release Demigod before the street date release. Stardock said no and in response, Gamestop cut their orders by 2/3rds. Further, Gamestop broke release date anyway which resulted in a fair number of people having the game 5 days earlier then expected (over a holiday weekend no less). So Stardock has been playing catchup ever since. To make matters worse, pirates have been overloading their servers by attempting to log into them causing massive slow down for everyone.

Now yes these are the companies problems to have to deal with, but Stardock has been phenomenal in dealing with these issues AND keeping the customer base informed. These issues are, in fact, only temporary so the games quality and review should not be negatively impacted by opening week jitters.

So, long story short, this is an excellent online multi-player strategy game that has a few release problems that are temporary and being worked on. It is not a single player game any more then unreal tournament, Left 4 Dead, or a whole slue of other games that focus on multi-player while having single player elements.

If you like well balanced, fun, strategy games, you will like this game. Do not count its currently online state against the game as all current issues are temporary due to unforeseen problems and unethical behavior on the parts of certain retailers and people who are not purchasing the game.

Overall Demigod is a great strategy game and weaves RPG elements into its matches nicely.

Understand one thing up front: Demigod is not a single player game. Sure, there is a single player skirmish mode that pits you against the computer; but Demigod is not a single player game. Those of you looking for a game in the same vein as Dungeon Siege (also by the same creator), move along, there's nothing to see here. Go ahead. I'll wait. Alright, the rest of you still with me? Good. Let's move on.

Demigod will remind Warcraft 3 players of Defense of the Ancients (DotA), which is the intent. It's basically a single-minded game that wants to recreate that experience with fantastic graphics and sound, superb characters and that magical something that creates an addicting game. But let's back up a bit. When you first start playing Demigod, you will choose one of eight characters broken into two categories (General and Assassin) and then fight in one of eight arenas with the intent of decimating the other side.

The two groups of characters classify the type of character and how you'll play the game. Generals play like a small RTS-lite, giving you the ability to purchase totems of varying strength to summon a small force (two of each minion type for a max of six). The Generals aren't as strong physically and usually augment their minions, relying on them to do the most damage. On the other side of the spectrum, Assassins play like a Warcraft RPG hero. You don't get any minions, but then again you won't necessarily need them.

Each of the characters play so differently and I've yet to discover a character I don't like. Whether it's Lord Erebus, a vampire who can turn dead enemies into extra minions to augment his six, Oak, a tall hulking tree-like thing that can place standards to attract souls and heal his allies, or Torchbearer, an assassin who has two forms (ice and fire) with which to rain down destruction on his foes, there's a lot to love here. Each character has its own strategy and way of attacking. When I was playing as Lord Erebus, I tended to stay in the back, directing minions and making new ones as needed. However, when I played the similar Oak, I would try to get in on the action as my killing would heal myself and my minions.

During each fight, you can purchase upgrades for your character (items, potions, armor) and at the end of a match you gain favor points with which you can purchase lasting items. During each match, you can equip an already purchased "Favor Item" that will stay with you and which you can keep from map to map. As you kill enemies, you'll also game experience points and level up (to a max of 20). Like similar games, you have skill trees that you can put points into various skills, unlocking them and powering them up. What's good about this system is that there's really no wrong way of leveling. Each skill is useful and you can find fun and entertaining ways of combining the skills into effective combos.

Once you get into a match, you'll probably feel overwhelmed. I know I was, not knowing what to purchase, how to play or what I should be doing. This is where the single player mode comes in handy. Basically, the intent behind the matches is to capture flag points that provide bonuses (extra money, experience boosts, cooldown benefits) and eventually destroy the other side's citadel. The eight maps are broken down into sizes, giving you some idea about how many players per map you should have (anywhere from 2v2 to 5v5). While the arenas seem very standard, they do a good job in creating a different play style. Two of the 3v3 maps are completely different, with one being very open and the other very small, forcing battles constantly.

What I wasn't prepared for was just how beautiful the game looks and sounds. Demigod is built on a strong engine that can really output great visuals, effects and huge clashing armies with nary a stutter. There's been a problem off and on with online connections (a lot due to pirates in the beginning, but that problem has been lessened after a day two patch) but it's getting better I've noticed.

It's still not perfect and if you're holding off on buying the game because of the issues, know that Stardock is working to have it fixed by this week. In the meantime, the developers at Stardock are trying to provide other ways of playing. They recommend using a free third party program called GameRanger which acts like Impulse/Steam and allows you to play Demigod with friends. I've used it and it is a good work around until the issues with Impulse have been fixed. I bring it up as an option for those wanting to play with friends.


Overall, the music demands the spotlight. You might not recognize it right away, but it's there, adding to the chaotic spells and often funny mutterings (Torchbearer: "Would you like that well done or with a little pink?"). However, once you start to push towards the enemy's citadel, the music gets more and more majestic, feeding into your attacks. On the reverse, if you are losing, the music takes a drastic turn and I found it put me on edge, feeding into my adrenaline. It's very exciting and beautiful.

In the end, Demigod would be lacking if it weren't for a magic spark: it's addicting. It's hard to describe what the spark is, but you know it when you see it. It's Team Fortress 2's undeniable need to be player. It's Warcraft 3's tower defense that still lives years on. Demigod has it, too. And if enough people buy the game and Gas Powered Games/Stardock supports it, it can definitely have legs for quite sometime. It's great fun and I'd definitely recommend checking it out.

Demigod is a visually stunning game heavily influenced by the Warcraft III mod "Defense of the Ancients", otherwise known as DoTA or DoTA: Allstars. The similarities between the two are extensive, making Demigod a very fun game to play, especially if you are already a DoTa fan. The heroes have good variety in ability selection, and the game is highly replayable. There are several modes of play but online play gravitates mostly towards "conquest", where the goal is to destroy the opposing team's "base", the citadel. Graphics are top notch and large-scale battles are a joy to behold. Single player is really non-existent, by design. The problems are coming from online play. Demigod is made to be played by online multiplayer, which is extremely buggy. Many players cannot successfully join matches. A lot of time is wasted waiting for players with speedy connections to complete a session. The game will freeze and crash upon multiple failed connections. Once a session has begun, it runs smoothly with intermittent lag when a player drops. For a game where multiplayer is not only the main but the SOLE focus, this is inexcuseable. Documentation is also non-existent; I get the impression with many recent console and computer games that this is typical. I feel somewhat confident that with time the bugs will be patched, but until then only 3 stars for failure with the game's most vital component. The longevity of Demigod may also depend on the success or failure of "League of Legends: Clash of Fates" by the former developer of DoTA.

***UPDATE 5/11/2009 If there was a documentation pamphlet, I missed it. A printed ability tree would be useful for each Demigod. Otherwise, the controls aren't difficult to figure out. I still can't figure out if there are equivalents to Warcraft III commands, like "attack move", "halt" , or shift-assigning a series of chain commands. The demigods just don't seem to respond as well as heroes in DoTA or other RTS games. As far as I can tell, personal minions are auto-assigned into groups accessed by the "8", "9", and "0" key.

Background - I am a casual gamer. I have little time for games but when do, I usually play on the PC strategy games like Command and Conqure 3 (all version), WarCraft 3 (yes...I still play this), Starcraft (again..yes I still play this), Rise of Nation (you probably understand by now my interest). I have been spending more time on PS3 than PC playing games just because of the # of game titles available. Anyway...

I highly recommend this game for those that like RTS style. You can read many in depth reviews on this so I don't need to elaborate on it. For me, I've been playing in single offline mode on normal or easy mode for the past month. This is mostly because of time constraint and little instructions from the game itself. The visual is awesome! Sound is great - I usually have my stereo receiver on when playing games for the sound sensation like being there. I find the game play is very addictive but is short enough that I can start and finish a tournment within 30 minutes or less and get on with my life. For me at least, this is one of the reason I enjoy it so much.

Unlike other games on the PC these days, this one doesn't require or install spyware type of stuff on your PC. This is rare these days. As a result I know many copies this game have been illegally been downloaded. I bought my game from Amazon and would considering buying future games from Stardock.

In short, this game is really good, addictive and it allows for a lot of strategies and combinations that will keep your mind thinking in new ways to fight non-stop.

Since this game doesn't require you to construct buildings and such it lets you focus purely on the strategy and battle components of a RTS. Units are respowned automatically at regular intervals so there is no need to worry about creating an army. You just need to focus on selecting the appropriate upgrades to your Demigod, to your citadel, and to your troops and then finding the most efficient way to kick your opponent's butt.

This game is multiplayer oriented 100% so it doesn't waste time with a story line, which for me is just great. If you are looking for a deep story sorry to disappoint you but this game has NONE whatsoever. Think of it like the Quake3/Arena of the real-time-strategy games. Another example of this is the game Sins of a Solar Empire from the same publiser Stardock.

The only problem this game has is that its internet servers have a lot of connection problems right now (tons of failed connections) so it's very hard to connect and fight against a human person on internet. And that's a huge issue since this game is based on the multiplayer feature all alone. In other words: no internet servers > no multiplayer > no game (except against AI controlled opponents).

Once the creators of this game get rid of their server issues this game will become a 5-stars game instantly. Until then, this game is only worth 3 stars because fighting against the AI gets boring and repetitive after a while.

First off, the game is visually stunning. Even with moderate graphic settings, it's real eye candy.
The game's gameplay is good, and with some work it could be even better. Lots of replayability, you'll get value for your dollar here.
The game has some technical issues, but those should be ironed out soon enough
There's no single player campaign, only skirmishes and a tournament. The real fun comes from the game's online multiplayer.

If you have the cash to spare, pick this game up.

I have been playing computer games for a long time, and my favorite genre is RTS (real-time strategy). I have seen several user reviews mention Defense of the Ancients, which is a custom map/ mod for Warcraft III. Although I have never played that particular mod, I am a big fan of Warcraft III, Starcraft, and most other classic RTS games.

One of the strengths of Demigod is the short duration of each round. In today's world, most of us don't have enough free time to spend hours on one round of a computer game. Demigod is action-packed and fun, focusing on combat between the Demigods, with the "reinforcements" automatically spawning through any portals that your team controls. The game removes most of the micromanagement inherent in the RTS genre, with the emphasis on multiple small focused battles, leveling up your Demigod, and leveling up your citadels (team HQ).

I am currently deployed to Iraq with the Air Force, and have not yet tried the multiplayer online component, which is actually this game's main focus. But, based on the single player skirmish and tournament modes, I can say you will probably enjoy this game if you like RTS games with an RPG component, like WC3. I am looking forward to trying out the online aspect, which supposedly had some serious troubles around the time of release, which I imagine are cleared up by now.

Plus, No DRM!!!

Despite a horrific launch, Demigod was quickly patched, and repatched, and repatched until we have the current product. At present (2010-10-11) Demigod is on version 1.3 and has added in two new gods, most (if not all) of the original issues have been patched out, and it is available through the excellent Impulse Driven download manager (think Steam, but not as strict). This is an excellent game for LANs as one copy can be distributed to every LANer through Impulse. Demigod is DotAesque without being too "old hat," which seems to be the number one complaint of LoL and HoN.

This is a great game. It truly is. The gameplay is fun, strategic, and fast paced without being totally overwhelming to new players. The maps and demigods are all quite fun and varied and the battles often become truly epic clashes with frequent shifts of power and nail-biting endings.
That said, this game is really a multiplayer game. Though it does have a single player mode, it only amounts to a series of multiplayer battles with computer controlled opponents. So, while demigod is an amazing multiplayer game, it has one fatal flaw: the matchmaking service and multiplayer support are absolutely terrible. Though it has come a long way since its unplayable launch, it leaves much to be desired. Playing online in matches that are 3v3 or smaller is doable, however a single player with moderately-high ping brings the game to a painstakingly slow game of lag-tag. And playing a lag-free 5v5 match is virtually impossible. Add that to the frequent server drops and communication errors, and you've got yourself a headache.
So, while demigod's lack of multiplayer support will sometimes make you want to tear your hair out, the game is a pure joy when it woks. If you've got the patience to spend 15-20 minutes looking for a stable game every time you want to play, then I'd highly recommend this game.

For starters, I have played many games over the years, especially RTS and RPG games. This game is awesome! Hands down, the gameplay, sound, graphics, options available to make the game unique each time, number of characters and and additional options you get, great!! I'm 29 yrs old so I'm not just some first time RTS guy.

1. There are some glitches currently with multiplayer games however, you can connect up to Custom Games no problem at all. So it is not a problem.
2. There is no campaign mode but there is definitely an ability for them to add something like that some day. The game is created in a way that I could perhaps see them add a great story line and also upgrade the game to include a nice campaign mode similar to how a "Gauntlet" style game is set up. Only with far better graphics and gameplay but with the ability to play with other people as a great together.
3. Multiple Team play is awesome! Now there is no in game voice chat which would help but you can always use something else like Ventrilo, Team Speak, Steam or Xfire.
4. Even with a few glitches and bugs including a weird issue with clicking and nothing happens till you click off your play and back on him again, the game is great!!
5. Collectors Edition is worth the extra money with it currently selling for like $43 which is cheaper than the normal version from Stardock directly. So its worth the money.
6. Gameplay is easy to figure out! There is no tutorial but it does not take long to learn how to play in just a couple games. I recommend playing single player games and do like 3v3 games with 2 Hard AI people on your team against 3 normal people on the other team. It'll. I recommend starting with the Rook character. He's the easiest to learn to play and after about 10 games, you'll have the game figured out and know that there are other buildings to click on and buy additional items.

I will be working on a website for this game that will include a tutorial for this game. I love the game and I want to see the company continue with upgrades and make this a game that will give us years to fun game play. Love this game!! First time in a couple years that I've played something that is a unique design that is different than the usuall RTS, RPG or first person shooter games. This is a great combination, very well designed. Graphics are phenomenal! Sounds are excellent! Sound track is perfect!!

[...] as I will be up and running the new future. It is not ready yet but I'm going to do what I can to help people with some tutorials and tips and tricks.