Left Behind: Eternal Forces - PC

this game was okay. It was a decent substitute for some of the more violent games. .I was looking for great games for children who believe in God.

The clues given in this game are pure religious propaganda such as believing in the theory of evolution is a sin. Graphics are crude at the best except for some movie clips. Buggy. A complete waste of time. Gameplay is asinine.

As is pretty obvious, the other reviewer here wasn't reviewing the product, he was stating his personal hatred for any perspective other than his own. To counter his unjustifiably negative review, I've rated my own review one star higher than I might otherwise have done. (Realistically, this is a "4-star" effort, I think.)Here's a more legitimate review of the game.First, a minor preface. Yes, this game is, of course, based upon a belief in Christianity. Now, this does not mean that you have to believe in Christianity in order to be able to play, or enjoy, the game. No more than you have to believe in "The Force" in order to play a Star Wars game. (Odd that mentioning "the Force" doesn't seem to offend folks who react like a vampire exposed to garlic when Christianity is mentioned, huh?)Now, a basic review of the game's quality.The graphics are well done, though as with most strategy games, they have a cartoonish quality (which is really necessary for this sort of game... too much detail can be distracting, but not enough can be confusing). The game producers got this just about right... the graphics are very effective for conveying what the player needs to see, while not "messy" enough to distract you from the important details. Nothing "special" as far as graphics go - they're just "right."The audio is nice enough. Vocal work is inconsistent (some of the character spoken words are a bit too... "enthusiastic?"... for my tastes, personally) but works well enough in context. The music is, as advertised by the producers, very nice, and consistent with the game's scenarios and situations, although on occasion I've noticed that it can be repetitive (a common issue, unavoidable at the moment, with most computer games). Overall, the audio work in the game is a nice solid "B"... a good effort, but not an exemplary one.Gameplay mechanics are pretty consistent with most strategy games.. selection, tasking, etc... these work well, though every strategy game has it's own unique quirks, and this one is no exception. On occasion, I've found myself searching in vain for a character who has become "free" and needs attention. I'm sure that an expert with the game's user interface will have no trouble with that, but I'm not a full-time dedicated player of this game, and I must be missing some nuances.What's unusual for this game is the core mechanic of the game play. Effectively, it's a "harvesting" game... but the "resources" you're trying to "harvest" are people. The point of the game is not to kill, but to "convert." Note that (especially if you're playing the "Antichrist's Army" side) killing is certainly an effective tool, though not as effective as conversion in any situation! The trick is to try to get as many souls on your side as possible. Killing someone permanently removes them from the "potential loot" pool for the game... so you're better off (in gameplay terms) to try to save them (or, if you're playing "evil," to corrupt them).I tend to never play the "evil" side in any game... I always make the choices that lead my characters towards the "good side" (no matter the genre) and that's certainly the case in this game. I know a lot of folks really enjoy playing the evil side... which always makes me a bit edgy about those people, to be honest! My point is that in this game, I never got into playing the "evil" side, so I can't comment on that as fully as I can the "good" side. (As an aside, this is how I view real life as well... I really do believe that we make choices, every day, that turn us into a more "heavenly" or a more "hellish" creature... even the most inconsequential choices can have long-term effects, both to heal or to harm.)I've seen the articles, published by people motivated by a hatred of belief systems other than their own, claiming all sorts of things about this game. THEY ARE LYING, PEOPLE. This game is not, in any way, about "killing non-Christians." If you kill everyone who's not a Christian, two things happen. First, you don't achieve your goals (of "saving" these people by converting them into Christians) and second, your already-converted Christians cease to be Christians and "switch over" to the other side. In other words... play it as a "kill the enemy" game and you LOSE, EVERY SINGLE TIME.No, the point of this game is to "convert" the non-believers (relatively easy) or the "enemy characters" (which, while possible, takes a lot more effort). You "win" by getting as many souls saved as possible.Sort of like how Christians really feel about real life, huh?Is this game "propaganda?" NO!Why not? Well, you have to consider what "propaganda" means. Some people will try to define "propaganda" as any information which supports one position over another position. This is not a valid definition. For instance, if I'm debating with someone who believes that the Earth is flat, and I provide information which supports the concept that it is round (or rather, "roundish" to be perfectly accurate... it's not a perfect sphere, after all!) that is not "propaganda," even though it "supports one position over another position."So, what IS propaganda? Propaganda is the MANIPULATION of information (including misrepresentations, fabrications, and omissions) intended to form a desired opinion in the audience, especially an opinion which the audience would not normally form if provided with complete, non-misrepresentation, non-fabricated information.Propaganda, in the most concise terms, is a LIE, formulated to promote a false idea. It may incorporate aspects of truth, but the core concept is untrue, and is KNOWN to be untrue to those promoting the propaganda.For this game to be "propaganda," it would need to be promoting an idea which the creators know to be untrue, for some reason other than the stated reason. Yet, it is clear enough that Christians truly do believe that there is a real God, that he has a real son, Jesus, who is in some fashion an "aspect of God himself," and that there is a conflict on Earth between demonic forces, attempting to "harvest human souls" to deny them to God, and God, who could easily claim all souls, but has chosen to give us all free will so that we can make the choice ourselves.That's what Christianity believes. That's what this game models, in a pretty effective manner.Those who have already been "marked for harvest" by the demonic forces often are encouraged to do anything (including lie about "their enemies," even if those enemies are trying to save them from being "harvested")by their "farmer demons" to keep them in that camp, and to bring as many others into the "stockyard" as possible. By contrast, those who have been "saved from demonic harvesting" have only two real motivations... to keep their own salvation, and to save others from being "harvested by hell."That's the core of this game. And it works. (Even if you aren't' a Christian.)

It would be cooler if you could just shoot the Atheists or if the bible transformed into a Sword of Righteousness. Maybe if you had collect Jesus power and sweep a whole horde of Jews out to sea that would also be good. Instead you just have to pray. When does that ever work?More super powers needed.

I've been a Left behind fan for a long time. I've read the books and played the games. The Left Behind games give me a healthy, periodic break from Halo! LOL