Risky Business

Everyone loves Risk at a base level, but only playing the game on occasion can leave the casual player feeling lost and baffled by some of the rules and intricacies of the game, so bringing this title to the online market was always going to be a challenge. Thankfully however, EA pulled it off, with a fun and updated version of the highly addictive board game.

While at its heart you still have the same gameplay you find in its board game cousin, you also have the new addition of specific objectives that can certainly change how you play the game. Leaving the person with the most objectives the winner, now having the most amount of land isn’t always the best strategy as you head for global domination. Some objectives will have you holding three capitals, or five satellite outposts, while others will focus your attentions on capturing certain area’s (continents) or mining minerals. Completing these objectives, not only adds a point to your total score, you also get a nice bonus, like the ability to build an airport giving you an extra defensive dice when defending any of the accompanying game tiles.

Adding objectives really changes how you play the game, and Risk Factions is much better for it. A game can now take just 30 – 40 minutes, instead of the long battles experienced in the board game version. But those cringing at the notion of playing an updated Risk, are safe in the knowledge that the classic version of the game is also included if you wish to play that way. But be warned, make sure you have ample supplies before you venture down this route, one game on Xbox LIVE in the classic setup lasted well over an hour, with 4 evenly matched players.

Besides from the new objectives, the game plays pretty much like you’d expect. After the initial setup, you position your troops; decide on whom to attack, start rolling dice and hope for the best. Rolling the dice, you hope to score a number larger than the defending forces to kill some of their troops, as a number even to the defenders throw results in a defensive win. One of the more frustrating parts of the game comes down to the fact that you can steamroll into a battle outnumbering your adversary heavily and come back with your tail between your legs. But that’s the joys of chance dice rolls.

To spruce up and add a little life to the game, EA have added a few factions to proceedings, Humans, Robots, Cats, Zombies and Yeti’s. All five have their own unique fight animation during stand offs and can be quiet humorous at the start, but soon they tended to fray at my nerves. Thankfully, these animations can be skipped and you can choose the fast battle option.

Redefining a classic formula is always a tricky task, but EA have struck gold with this release. There’s plenty here for hardcore Risk fans, but also a more novel way to approach the game for new fans alike, ensuring all players get something from their experience.

8/10

Review by Brian Buckley