A Video Game Review
by Ryan Mason

Civil War: A Nation Divided

This particular game by the history channel is a first-person shooter, but one that is greatly researched and plays fairly well. The game, clearly, is about the Civil War and the conflict of interest in it. The weapons in the game are attuned to the era, with muskets and rifles actually 'working' like they would in that time. I personally liked the Springfield; A musket that can be used in the game. You can play as both sides in the conflict, Union and Confederate. The actual gameplay is fairly decent, there are a few flaws as in any game. For instance, I consider it annoying how the enemy always seems to go right after you, even if there are twenty or so other possible targets for him right in front of you. It's also a tad bit annoying how indirective the game can be, sometimes making it difficult to know where exactly you are supposed to be going. Players with bad directional skills be warned. But, besides its problems, the game pulls itself out from being a failure. Since it is done in part by the history channel, it has some very nice info in it about the war in its entirety. I don't have an overall score, since I'm fairly new at this sort of thing. But you can be the ultimate judge of the game yourself, once you play it that is.   Graphics: 6/10 - (Could have been better, could have been worse. Nice details but unrealistic at times, glitches and the like.) Gameplay: 7/10 - (Not bad, had a nice ring to a story but no real involvement. Standard first person shooter to boot.) Value: 6/10 - (Good game for its initial price, which I got was low. If you have a couple of bucks to spare, this game would be a nice thing to use it on.) Appeal: 5/10 - (Not many people are fond of history channel games, and I'll admit, this one isn't a shining example of video game prowess.)