Evil Genius

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 150 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 116 out of 150
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 150
  3. Negative: 9 out of 150
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  1. GamerMonkey121
    Aug 5, 2014
    8
    got this game on a whim because I like real time strategy games, as soon as I opened the game I was transported to the 60s in to a James bond/ Austin Powers cartoon. You play one of three evil geniuses, every different evil genius has different skills so choose your evil genius wisely. You may have noticed you have three basic minions and one henchman, like your evil genius your Henchmangot this game on a whim because I like real time strategy games, as soon as I opened the game I was transported to the 60s in to a James bond/ Austin Powers cartoon. You play one of three evil geniuses, every different evil genius has different skills so choose your evil genius wisely. You may have noticed you have three basic minions and one henchman, like your evil genius your Henchman has his own specific skills too. Your goal is to take over the world. How I hear you ask? Build an underground lair of course. Be careful with the design of your rooms once its build you cant go back. You cant run the world with that number of staff, so you will need to build a barracks straight away to get more minions in your staff roster. At the start of the game. It will look like your building a hotel for your minions but once you have build the basic rooms (more importantly your control room.) You will have the ability to send your minions world wide to Plot, Steal and complete jobs. This is where your multitask skills would come in handy. You will find your self cycling back and forward to your lair to map view trying to juggle killing spies or capturing them and sending your guys to steal, plot or do jobs. Worth mentioning also is you will have to micromanage mostly everything especially your avatar evil genius you do not want him in any room with spies. Don't worry though you can build traps, Armoury and freezer rooms to help you out. Oh No the electric cut off just remember to save a big room for your power plant this will get annoying once you build many rooms but I am afraid it as to be done. In the later game you will have enough minions to upgrade to scientist minions and enough money to build better new exciting rooms for all your staff. You will see a lot of the objects have upgraded like doors and traps. You will also be building a hotel to keep the spies occupied and off your tail. So there is a lot to do in this Fun packed 60s James Bond cliche game. Its to bad this game didn't get as famous but there is still devoted fans websites out there for this game. I loved it 8 out of 10… Expand
  2. WilliamM
    Dec 23, 2009
    10
    Evil Genius was a game that begged for a sequel and one was FINISHED, but the creators of Tropico shelved it when they acquired the rights.
  3. [Anonymous]
    Sep 6, 2004
    10
    Just played the demo and love it, can't wait for the full game.
  4. TommyW
    Jun 22, 2009
    10
    Anybody who gave this game a low score probably had a bad computer or only played it for about five minutes and made a misjudgment. The game is a little slow at first, but that's to help you prepare for down the road. If you take the time to look at the glossary when confused, you can find the information you need to solve nearly any problem. This has been my favorite game since it Anybody who gave this game a low score probably had a bad computer or only played it for about five minutes and made a misjudgment. The game is a little slow at first, but that's to help you prepare for down the road. If you take the time to look at the glossary when confused, you can find the information you need to solve nearly any problem. This has been my favorite game since it first came out, and it deserves a much higher score than it has received.… Expand
  5. RonCaruthers
    Jun 23, 2009
    10
    i got this game when it first came out when i had some money laying around and i got to say it is a very fun game. i have played it over 10 times and still dust it off to play more. i'm thanking about getting it on steam so i can have it at any time rdy to play
  6. Skulb
    Feb 13, 2014
    8
    Playing Evil Genius reminds me of why I stopped buying computer games. It came out at a time when the people who made them got their jollies from making things frustrating and then mocking the users after release if they complained. And I loved it! Games these days have all sorts of conveniences for the fluoride generation that has hijacked gaming. These are the people giving EG a lowPlaying Evil Genius reminds me of why I stopped buying computer games. It came out at a time when the people who made them got their jollies from making things frustrating and then mocking the users after release if they complained. And I loved it! Games these days have all sorts of conveniences for the fluoride generation that has hijacked gaming. These are the people giving EG a low score here btw. Go back to CoD you wreckers!
    In the decade since it was released gaming has taken an amazing nosedive, with everything being "casual friendly", which is code for never frustrating anyone ever, which is code for making boring games.
    Anybody who wants a classic example of how PC games used to deliberately use frustration to make games fun should buy Evil Genius. It`s one of very few Dungeon Keeper derivatives released which is good, and the graphics and sound are still great after all this time. And so is the game play. Once you get the hang of base construction and learn how to use different traps, doors, cameras and guards for the best result it is amazingly addictive.
    As for the negatives it really is time consuming and occasionally little happens. But on the other hand you can control this yourself to a certain extent: By being active plotting and carrying out crimes on the world map you attract hordes of agents and you`ll never be bored. Of course you won`t be able to defend your base either, but finding the right balance between world map activity and base security is one of the joys of the game, although never easy.
    There is an exploit which is hard to resist at the end of the tutorial, when your task is to kidnap a maid. If you just don`t do this at all and instead send all your people off to plunder on the world map you can just go to bed or get drunk and you`ll have millions of gold when you wake up/come back. This neutralizes what would otherwise have been the hardest part of EG: getting enough gold while being harassed by super agents But since it`s an alternative that requires patience, which is what my enemies in the "casual" gaming community do not have at all, I am prepared to forgive this crutch.
    The only real negative is that not only is it hard and long winded, but it is almost a must to have played through the game before you can know what to do when, how much and in what order and so have a reasonable chance at finishing the campaign. If you haven`t you`ll aggro all five super agents to your island at the same time and die, place entrances, rooms and hotels in bad places, get the wrong henchmen or an endless number of other things you`re just not likely to get right the first time around.

    Other than that it`s great fun, and highly recommended foo anyone sick to death of "casual" gaming.    … Expand
  7. SharkL.
    Oct 29, 2004
    9
    Excellent game. Takes a little getting used to some new gameplay mechanics but once you've mastered the indirect control method it's so much better than standard RTS style control.
  8. LuatiF.
    Jan 2, 2005
    8
    This is an extremely entertaining game, with very simple playability and addictive gameplay. Its only downside are some irritating bugs that create some programming inconsistencies. Overall it is a very original and humurous game that will keep you entertained for hours!
  9. WouterS
    Dec 1, 2009
    9
    nice looking game,,where you can spend mutiple evenings, also the world domination and the research are nice loooking components,
  10. TimS.
    Sep 16, 2006
    10
    This is a great game really fun and pretty funny at times.
  11. ChrisJ
    Jun 18, 2007
    8
    Origonal and entertaining. Great game, funny and additive. Sometimes i find it hard to pry my fingers from the computer it's really that good, takes a long time to do some missions tho. I enjoy when people try getting in your base. Good fun. The music is incrediable, really sets the theme.
  12. MichaelL
    Dec 24, 2009
    9
    For those craving another game similar to Dungeon Keeper and DK2, Evil Genius manages to do well for itself. It started off kind of slow but once you start really completing your objectives and unlocking things it picks up nicely. The humor is entertaining and I enjoyed the music as well. I also got sucked into this game for hours at a time and had a lot of fun for the most part. There For those craving another game similar to Dungeon Keeper and DK2, Evil Genius manages to do well for itself. It started off kind of slow but once you start really completing your objectives and unlocking things it picks up nicely. The humor is entertaining and I enjoyed the music as well. I also got sucked into this game for hours at a time and had a lot of fun for the most part. There were definitely ups and downs, but a lot of that stemmed from it being my first time with the game and probably playing too cautiously. I will certainly be playing this game again and for the $5 or $10 you'll likely find this, it's totally worth picking up. While it doesn't recapture all of the magic of the DK series, it does bottle up a good portion of it and my only regret is I didn't discover this game sooner.… Expand
  13. Henryv
    Dec 28, 2009
    9
    Unique and fun concept with hours of entertainment needs a squeal
  14. VincentV..
    Mar 23, 2007
    8
    Its an entertaining game full of humor. One of the funniest games I've ever played.
  15. DarylN
    Apr 18, 2008
    10
    All claims about this game being frustrating and to much micromanagement are simply incorrect. Once you learn how to set up your base correctly it'll practically run itself (if you want it to). This is truly one of the best games I have ever played and I have played them all. It can be difficult to figure everything out in the beginning so it is worth having a look at one of the fan All claims about this game being frustrating and to much micromanagement are simply incorrect. Once you learn how to set up your base correctly it'll practically run itself (if you want it to). This is truly one of the best games I have ever played and I have played them all. It can be difficult to figure everything out in the beginning so it is worth having a look at one of the fan sites for tips. Don't cheat yourself out of a great experience do take the time to learn the mechanics and this game will keep on giving. Also note that technically this game was ahead of its time back in 2004 and even by today standards the graphics are quite good.… Expand
  16. MeritL
    Nov 30, 2009
    10
    With this game you're actually playing two games at once by switching back and forth via the tab button. Great music & humor, It's still one of my very favorite games because of how unique and inovative it was for its time. It is bit old now though.. I only wish they made an Evil Genius 2 ;(
  17. Dave
    Dec 29, 2009
    8
    Fun and addictive, Evil Genius is a solid title that will give you hours of devious delight.
  18. Bobjohnson
    Jun 25, 2009
    9
    Great game, in the style of dungeon keeper 2. though the mission structure can be tedious at times, the game play is very fun. I really like the super agents it made me feel like a true bond villain. the fact that you can run a seemingly legit tourist resort is pretty hilarious too.
  19. AnonymousMC
    Jun 29, 2009
    10
    This is a great game, like many people have said. The game can start slow but it quickly picks up pace giving you access to tons of different rooms, traps, and different classes. Original and entertaining wile the graphics flow with the style of the game. Well worth the money
  20. MichaelM
    Jul 26, 2009
    9
    Clearly, these so called game companies didn't spend enough time playing the game. Agreed that the game-play starts out slow, but it picks up quick. The humor in it is clever and witty. I'm amazed at the amount of content put into this game, especially all of the missions and items. And its very nice to have a glossary of literally everything in the game. The only thing I found Clearly, these so called game companies didn't spend enough time playing the game. Agreed that the game-play starts out slow, but it picks up quick. The humor in it is clever and witty. I'm amazed at the amount of content put into this game, especially all of the missions and items. And its very nice to have a glossary of literally everything in the game. The only thing I found wrong with the game is some AI problems, and a rare bug that can crash the game. Great game overall for strategy-lovers and builders. Much better than other games in this genre.… Expand
  21. keefbaker
    Nov 4, 2013
    10
    One of the greatest base builders ever made. Still fantastic and totally playable to this day. Atmospherically this captures the feel of the 60s bond movies perfectly and who doesn't want to build their own evil volcano lair, I ask you!
  22. Posh_Bear
    Mar 3, 2012
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game, overall, is an experience you would be mad to pass up. This, however, is dampened by a lot of small, niggling issues that crop up over the course of the game, and that by the end, have you wanting to dominate the world for more than one reason. Evil Genius is, in theory, the antithesis to the hordes of 'good pure hero' stories that dominate the market. Much like Dungeon Keeper, you play the role of the evil, vengeful and hugely spiteful bad guy. It's a brilliant spin on the concept, concisely taking the piss out of James Bond, Rambo and a whole host of 80's stereotypes, allowing you to turn the tables on the pesky do-gooders and use their own patented movie-logic against them. Now, every evil genius needs minions, especially a genius as inept as you. While you play as one of three avatars with variously diabolical backgrounds and perks, they don't seem to be capable of a whole load. They stand around, give a stat-boost to nearby minions, and can prioritize the use or construction of a single object. That's it. I expected to be able to do more than that with a character who's capable of formulating a plot to bring the entire world to its knees. But no problem, right? Because you've got a whole host of minions to do your evil bidding, like a flock of detachable hands, or something. Except you can't control them directly. I'm fine with that. It's a neat little gameplay mechanic in itself. You can set objects to be built, moved, destroyed or researched. You can designate the need for minions of a certain type in the big wide world, and tag enemy agents with various treatments. None of this needs any micromanagement, as your minions are totally autonomous. They react according to the stimui you place in the environment. Their AI is, at times, atrocious. Managing flow through corridors, despite being a neat little concept that makes sense, is made frustrating by the fact that, no matter how many routes are avaliable, the minions take the shortest. No matter how congested, or dangerous. Wonder why your minions aren't training? They're all standing around, waiting for eachother, at the T-Junction at the entrance to your base. Or walking really, really slowly to where they need to be. Sometimes, tasks just WONT happen. No reason is evident. Minions are free, the path is unobstructed, but the object won't be placed, the research won't be done. The captive won't be executed, leading to their escape and destruction of half your base from the inside. Oops, sorry. Your minions were too busy playing pinball, or standing around, oogling all your tasty, tasy stolen loot. The game is seperated into two sections: your base management, which covers a small island, and a control-roomesque overview of the world, seperated into sections, inside which are Acts of Infamy to complete, both optional and mandatory. You can kidnap people to train better minions, steal money, plot to discover new Acts, steal Loot, and blow things up. Each Act is unique and funny, but you don't get to see it happening. Your view never shifts from the control room, so when your minions blow up Nevada, you get a short generic radio-broadcast clip from the attacked region of the world, some of your minion tokens fall over, and... oh, and your Heat goes up. There are two gagues of how well you're operating in the world. Notoriety, which is 'good', and Heat, which is 'bad'. Notoriety goes up in small amounts, almost never down, and displays how much you're respected and feared. Heat is how much a particular government wants to murder the **** out of you, and how many troops of what type and skill they're going to send to your island. It goes down over time, sloooowly. Notoriety has little use. Aside from a few arbitrary mission goals, and the ability to recruit directly-controlable, semi-invincible Henchmen from the world at various points of progress, it serves to do pretty much arse-all that is beneficial. It does attract the world leaders version of Henchmen, Super Agents, to your island, and they're a real pain. Henchmen, while not defeatable by ordinary Agents, can be killed by the frankly overpowered Super Agents. And late in the game, because you can do little except stall them until you unlock their 'defeat' mission, the Agents get really, really tiresome. It's a brilliant concept, with huge amounts of loving detail. Minions group together in their off-time and smoke, the graphic style is impeccable, and the reflections and shine make everything beautiful. Grapically, it's a 10/10. Conceptually, it's a 10/10. In the execution, things fall flat. There's not enough incentive or reward to complete Acts, Henchmen are mostly redundant, enemies are overpowered in the endgame. But by god, is it one of the most worthwhile games I've ever played, if only because it's a beacon of an underplayed genre with megalitres of potential. It could have been done a LOT worse.… Expand
  23. Dozmo
    Feb 17, 2013
    9
    A great game. I'd even go so far as to say it is a classic. There are a few issues, such as a minion named Red Ivan loving to blow up your base by using his rocket launcher indoors, and one or two things I wish it had (like more maps), but since everything else is great, it is very hard to complain. Particularly praiseworthy are the deep gameplay possible with doors and traps, theA great game. I'd even go so far as to say it is a classic. There are a few issues, such as a minion named Red Ivan loving to blow up your base by using his rocket launcher indoors, and one or two things I wish it had (like more maps), but since everything else is great, it is very hard to complain. Particularly praiseworthy are the deep gameplay possible with doors and traps, the memorable henchmen, and the way it is all tied together with an engaging theme. Even the music is great. Cheesy, but great. If you like base building or defense games, you owe it to yourself to try this.… Expand
  24. YourNeighbour
    Mar 24, 2013
    10
    About the most fun you can have with a single player game, playing on hard difficulty will grind your brain, but hey, it's on hard difficulty for a reason!
  25. overfiend87
    Aug 7, 2013
    10
    A very fun game. think Dungeon Keeper, but where you play a james bond'esque villain where you try to take over the world. You get henchmen to buld your base, guard it and even fool turists to try and keep your activities unknown.

    Sadly there are only 2 levels, but with all the reasearch and the length of time missions can take this is a game you can play for hours on end with the many    A very fun game. think Dungeon Keeper, but where you play a james bond'esque villain where you try to take over the world. You get henchmen to buld your base, guard it and even fool turists to try and keep your activities unknown.

    Sadly there are only 2 levels, but with all the reasearch and the length of time missions can take this is a game you can play for hours on end with the many different traps and science devices you can strap agents too, uncluding a laser like the classic bond film, Gold Finger. One hell of a buy if you ask me :)

    I highly recommend altering the gaming code for more minions as 100 is very small when you start getting secret agents coming on your island and massacreing everyone.    … Expand
  26. hydroquaqua
    May 25, 2022
    10
    _как и спортивные игры, жанр стратегий должен быть у каждого уважающего себя игрока, помимо всех других известных наименований. Мой Evil Genius, начинается с боли - повторения, понимаю, с каждым проигрышем твой навык увеличивается и становится легче, но так ли это полезно, тем более когда речь идёт о строительстве, экономики и количеству юнитов на одной карте

    Is it possible to cultivate    _как и спортивные игры, жанр стратегий должен быть у каждого уважающего себя игрока, помимо всех других известных наименований. Мой Evil Genius, начинается с боли - повторения, понимаю, с каждым проигрышем твой навык увеличивается и становится легче, но так ли это полезно, тем более когда речь идёт о строительстве, экономики и количеству юнитов на одной карте

    Is it possible to cultivate readers' affection for a character who has been trained from his tenderest years to dismiss evil as a "loaded word"? Australian writer Jinks, author of the Crusades-era Pagan series, successfully meets the challenge in this very different novel. She devises gradations of wrongdoing so steep that her antihero's adversaries leave him (almost) smelling like a rose. At age seven, child prodigy Cadel Piggott lands in a shrink's office for illegal computer hacking, where psychologist Thaddeus Roth delivers startling counsel: "Next time, don't get caught." - описание к книги "Evil Genius", автор Кэтрин Джинкс.

    _разбирая всю представленную сюжетную линию, от самого начала до его конца мы что и делаем - копим, тратим, похищаем и строим, отбиваемся от шпионов. Такую рутину, как я считаю, разбавляет стилистика - вся игра отдаёт всеми возможными отсылками к старым фильмам с Агентом 007 и тому подобных, в том же духе присутствует музыка и конечно выбранный стиль персонажей, времени и всего окружения - ретро футуризм 60-70ых годов

    _преодолеть хотя бы постараться выдержать половину игры, наблюдая за всеми карикатурными действиями персонажей бегающих туда сюда как муравьи, исполняющие все прихоти Главного Злодея, после уже на повторы постоянных действий не обращаешь внимания, получаешь удовольствие от глобального захвата нашего мира.

    *_like sports games, every self-respecting player should have a strategy genre, in addition to all other well-known names. My Evil Genius, starts with pain - repetition, I understand, with each loss your skill increases and becomes easier, but is it really useful, especially when it comes to construction, economy and the number of units on one map

    Is it possible to cultivate readers' affection for a character who has been trained from his tenderest years to dismiss evil as a "loaded word"? Australian writer Jinks, author of the Crusades-era Pagan series, successfully meets the challenge in this very different novel. She devises gradations of wrongdoing so steep that her antihero's adversaries leave him (almost) smelling like a rose. At age seven, child prodigy Cadel Piggott lands in a shrink's office for illegal computer hacking, where psychologist Thaddeus Roth delivers startling counsel: "Next time, don't get caught." - description of the book "Evil Genius" by Katherine Jinks.

    _by analyzing the entire storyline presented, from the very beginning to its end, we do what we do - we save, spend, steal and build, fight off spies. Such a routine, in my opinion, is diluted by the style - the whole game gives off all possible references to old films with Agent 007 and the like, in the same spirit there is music and of course the chosen style of characters, time and the whole environment - retro futurism of the 60-70s

    _to overcome at least try to endure half of the game, watching all the caricature actions of the characters running back and forth like ants, fulfilling all the whims of the Main Villain, after that you don’t pay attention to the repetitions of constant actions, you enjoy the global capture of our world.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

68
#68 Best PC Game of 2004
31
#31 Most Discussed PC Game of 2004
56
#56 Most Shared PC Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 51 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 51
  3. Negative: 0 out of 51
  1. PC Format
    88
    Everywhere you look there's another cute animation and another cool gadget. Combine this with an addictive research tree and a challenging campaign, and you have yourself a great combination of "Dungeon Keeper" and "Austin Powers" - just not a very long one. [Oct 2004, p.94]
    Read full review
  2. Next Level Gaming
    82
    Now RTS's are generally a little slow for me, but Evil Genius has a few elements that you have to control simultaneously, so you won't have to sit and wait long for something to build or develop.
    Read full review
  3. Game Revolution
    75
    The rare success of style over substance. It has everything an Austin Powers movie offers, but draws it out over twenty hours instead of two. There are sparks of genuine delight that make you wish the game was balanced better.
    Read full review
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