Black & White 2

 PC
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 50 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 50
  3. Negative: 2 out of 50
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  1. FiringSquad
    74
    There are a lot of little reasons to get Black & White 2, but none of them comes together with quite the synergy that would make them more than the sum of their parts.
  2. Edge Magazine
    70
    As an RTS, Black & White 2 is less deep, but just as flexible and responsive – and when creatures, miracles, wonders and large armies are all in play it’s arguably the greatest show in gaming. [Nov 2005, p.94]
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  3. GamePro
    70
    Vastly more playable, but still falls short of the series' graphical capabilities and ideological potential.
  5. GameSpy
    70
    Unfortunately, in the process of fixing the game, they ended up stripping much of what made the first game so endearing by allowing the numbers to take precedence over the personality. What Black & White 2 gained in competence; it seems to have lost in soul.
  6. Yahoo!
    70
    Black & White 2 shows a crystal-clear understanding of what makes games cool. If only it showed as good a comprehension of what makes games... well, games.
  7. games(TM)
    70
    Few can deny that these improvements have made Black & White 2 a resounding success. The trouble is that gamers were expecting many of these things four years ago. [Nov 2005, p.112]
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  8. The Sydney Morning Herald
    70
    There are many improvements, yet fans of the game's ambitious predecessor will miss its free-form nature.
  9. Gamenikki
    70
    Even with some warts, Black & White 2 is still pretty good. Heck, no god is perfect, right?
  10. Play.tm
    69
    Black & White 2, while enjoyable for a while, just isn't full of enough gaming nutrients to make it taste as appealing as it looks in the picture over the counter.
  11. PC Format
    67
    Unquestionably the most impressive thoroughly mediocre game you'll play this year - but hardly a religious experience. [Nov 2005, p.98]
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  12. GameBiz
    65
    This is nothing on the beautiful little gem I [didn't] played four years ago.
  13. Eurogamer
    60
    Much like Sid Meier's recent reinvention of "Pirates!,' huge numbers of ideas have been included at the sacrifice of any of them being particularly impressive. Jack of far too many trades, apprentice at only a few.
  14. G4 TV
    60
    Everything in the game is too clear and too consistent. There’s no room for ambiguity or context. You’re either a goody two-shoes or a complete jerk.
  15. ActionTrip
    59
    Black and White 2 might be one of the shallowest games I have ever played. In fact, I am depressed that a developer like Molyneux has been able to continually botch up awesome-sounding ideas so thoroughly for so long.
  16. Armchair Empire
    59
    The game is gorgeous, features great depth and affords some neat strategic elements. But as time wore on I couldn’t stop myself from thinking that I’d like to be playing a game that is less boring and includes more in the department of "doing things".
  17. netjak
    55
    While "B&W" simply was dull and arduous, B&W2 ended up being far too easy to handle with little reason to go through again as the opposite alignment.
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  18. Computer Gaming World
    50
    Disappointment is the litany of B&W2. As an evil god, I can build prisons and worse...but why? There's no payoff. Pointless minigames that eschew the game's central morality conflict end up being stupid, insulting, and/or infuriating.
  19. Boomtown
    50
    The basic problem with B&W2 is that once again you're micromanaging a world for people who are too lazy and stupid to be able to do the simplest of tasks, such as build a house or find someone to mate with, for themselves. It's a real shame.
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Awards & Rankings

73
#73 Best PC Game of 2005
41
#41 Most Discussed PC Game of 2005
31
#31 Most Shared PC Game of 2005

User Reviews

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User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 142 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 76 out of 142
  2. Mixed: 48 out of 142
  3. Negative: 18 out of 142
  1. Chris_DK
    Jul 7, 2012
    6
    A decent game that can consume a lot of your time! It is quite enjoyable. But the warfare is completely stupid, what is the point of going toA decent game that can consume a lot of your time! It is quite enjoyable. But the warfare is completely stupid, what is the point of going to war if the enemy can use destroyed armories to create platoons? The enemy can create a fully experienced platoon in 3 seconds without having to recruit people. That makes warfare unnecessary and shallow.… Full Review »
  2. JonasH.
    Mar 23, 2008
    8
    This game is great. You control everything, being this the position of the natural resources (You need a tree in the town centre? Move it This game is great. You control everything, being this the position of the natural resources (You need a tree in the town centre? Move it from the forrest) as well as how you want your citizens to act. One thing I love especially about this is that you can make an evil creature who'll eat and dump on citizens. Only on one, rather vital, point does this game fail. It has a terrible bug that gives my Logitech G9 mouse (3200dpi) an 16DPi working resolution, and this really ruins the whole experience. It's very frustrating when, for the fifth time, you grab a citizen while trying to grab a tree or pad your pet.… Full Review »
  3. Fishymew
    Nov 10, 2013
    6
    In comparison to the original game, this follow up feels simplified. Sometimes it's for a good cause, but it often feels like content has beenIn comparison to the original game, this follow up feels simplified. Sometimes it's for a good cause, but it often feels like content has been ripped away rather than refined.

    The graphics are stunning, even today. But the game feels like a cheap RTS with uninspiring gameplay. You may take over villages by impressing them (this is the good way), and you do this by hoarding up a bunch of stuff in your starting village. It's unclear whether a lot of the stuff actually has any function besides looking pwetty and cranking up your impressiveness-meter. To unlock such things, you'll have to buy them through tribute. Tribute are earned by doing different "quests", which seems more like boring achievements. Such as building 10 houses, getting your creature to harvest 5000 grain, or taking over two towns. You may also earn tribute through silver scroll quests, that are a lot like the one's from the original game; where you have to go through small challenges such as solving puzzles or just throwing barrels from island to island. Even though the structure are the same as in the original, the quests feels a lot more shallow as your reward will always be tribute. You'll never be surprised by getting a silly beach ball or a new pet. In some levels throughout the game, the tribute thing may become a problem. Either you'll get bored, as you've unlocked everything early on; or you'll find a level impossible to win as you haven't unlocked enough stuff; while the opponent is about to build an epic wonder that'll be more or less an instant win. It'll then be very tedious having to restart a map that you've played for hours.

    The creature aspect is another thing that has gotten revamped. You may choose from 4 pets at the very beginning of the game with no particular quest leading up to it. Then you'll be stuck with the same pet throughout the game, as there's no other ones to be earned. Your pet is easier to teach, as he will have a much clearer thought bubble over his head about exactly what you may praise or scold him about. You can also go back to any learned behavior via some menu clicks to re-scold or praise him again, should you change your mind. It becomes clear early on that the scold and praise thing is more of an on/off thing, than just directions. This makes the pet a lot easier to maintain, but it will also feel less like a pet, and more like a robot.

    If you want to play as an evil god, you may take towns by force. This is done by creating soldiers, and may be combined with having your creature help out. The system will sometimes make things a bit too easy, as neutral towns rarely pose any challenge. The enemy towns tend to have an extreme amount of soldiers from the beginning though while you have to wait for the breeders to give you new men; making your small legions useless if you aren't stashing up heaps of them during a long time. The creature cannot take over towns just kill enemy troops and buildings; and as the influence system has been replaced with the impressiveness system, there's seldom any point in bringing the creature over to an enemy's town for other reasons than fighting.

    Lastly, the tribute system also covers for the miracles and the skills of your pets. You will have to buy your miracles, as well as your creatures miracles; instead of teaching him them. You will also have to buy functions such as hand gestures and the possibility to force your hand through the influence radar; all through some uninteresting menus with boring descriptions.

    Black and White 2 obviously aims to ease things for the player, making the system clearer and refined. But it comes off as shallow and uninspiring, and more of a regular strategy game instead of a god simulator. It's an okay game, but as the concept holds so much capacity; I must say I'm a bit disappointed.    … Full Review »
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