RISK: Factions Review

Electronic Arts and Stainless Games have revived an old classic, bringing us both a new version of RISK, and the old classic to Xbox LIVE Arcade. Would you like to know if it’s worth risking $10 to take over the world again?[nggtags gallery=risk1]

RISK: Factions brings players a new type of RISK experience with the introduction of five new factions, including robots, zombies, and more. The game includes a  campaign as well as custom games of World Conquest or Command Room RISK,  allowing you to choose from twelve maps including the classic map, though map availability is based on the number of players. Depending on your preference, you’re also able to make the Command Room games quicker or longer by having it decrease or increase the number of objectives required to win. The custom options all transfer to Xbox LIVE as well, where instead of A.I. combatants, you can battle with 2-4 friends in player and ranked matches.

The campaign is made up of five missions, each placing you in battle against a different faction.  The factions don’t add any depth or advantages to the game itself, but they definitely add some welcomed flare and personality to the game. RISK was a perfectly-balanced game to begin with, so it’s great to see that its stayed that way. Each map in campaign mode is comprised of fictional worlds with helpful areas that, if controlled, give you advantages in battle. For example, if you control all three parts of a temple in one map, after a full turn, you can convert an enemy territory and all its troops into your own.  That’s one of many helpful and fun abilities you’ll encounter in the game. While the campaign in RISK: Factions may be  truly be a short-lived experience at only 2-3 hours for completion, the true value in RISK lies in the multiplayer, whether it’s A.I. or other players over Xbox LIVE.

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Custom games and LIVE games share identical options, though custom is of course limited to battling the A.I. You can choose to play either classic or factions mode, and either ranked matches or player matches. The Xbox LIVE community seems quite friendly for RISK, though you may a tougher time getting into a player match. RISK has a cult following, and the majority of its players are going to spend their time in ranked play. Regardless, most of the matches I’ve attempted have taken mere seconds to get into the room. Headset icons appear clearly beside player names if they’re using one, a nice little extra feature.

RISK is a time-consuming title to play. If you’re planning a five player LIVE match, you can expect the setup time to last approximately 10 minutes, choosing territories, setting up troops, and placing your capital. Of course, you could just choose the random setup, but most players obviously prefer to have their own choice. The games vary in length, based on players’ knowledge of RISK, and we can blame a bit on the attention span of some players too. From the few games I’ve played over LIVE, there seemed to be no issues regarding lag or disconnections on the network side.  If a player disconnects early, their remaining territories can still be claimed by active players, though the disconnected players’ turn will be automatically skipped.

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The presentation of the game is fantastic, with a well-rounded package of graphics and sound. In factions mode, the game dons a cartoon-style, featuring a handful of fun animations that occur during the battle sequences. The tunes during the game sound very fitting for the army-type game, and each faction has humorous yet expected sound effects during the battles. Even classic Risk looks great in HD, though the map is admittedly rather plain in appearance once you’ve spent some time playing Factions.  Regardless, the game looks fantastic and sound great, plus it has some stellar gameplay to top it all off.

At the end of the battle, RISK: Factions is a very welcome addition to the LIVE Arcade library, with its classic style of play as well as the new style. There’s a very solid amount of content for the 800 :MSPoints: price tag, including the campaign, LIVE play and a variety of options for custom games. You’ll also find a myriad of stats regarding your playtime and more, leaderboards, and some semi-challenging achievements.  RISK: Factions is a winner, so do yourself a favor and check this game out.

You can queue the trial or buy the full game on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.