Playing as a Warrior
Since there is only one commander on each team, it is the shooter-like role of a warrior that you will be playing most often. The FPS aspect of the game is reasonably well-executed, offering an interesting variety of weapons and most of the functionality action gamers are accustomed to. There is some great physics behind the bows, crossbows, and such that demands a little more skill than the average sniper rifle.
Although it gets the job done, it doesn't match the standards set by games like Unreal Tournament and Battlefield 1942. The interface could be a lot more customizable, details like the prone position are absent, and, perhaps most annoyingly, you automatically move from 1st to 3rd person depending on whether you're using a ranged or a melee weapon. That's right - you hit the '1' key to switch to your axe because you're out of ammo, and suddenly you're outside your head, sometimes with a tree or something blocking your view, trying to locate the enemy that is about to cleave you in half. I've heard more experienced players say that it's a good system once you get used to it, but as far as I'm concerned it just isn't right.
The game can get extremely unbalanced if one side gets way ahead on technology. Hardcore FPS fans might not enjoy relying on their commander to keep them competitive. Matches can be very short if one team rushes the other's base before they have adequate defenses.
Playing as Commander
Commanders are in a very different and relatively difficult situation, as they are playing a game akin to Warcraft or Command & Conquer, and the team is, in many ways, depending on them. Like most RTS games, gathering resources, researching new technology, building the right things in the right places at the right times, is crucial to winning. While good warriors can definitely influence the outcome of the match, without a solid commander a team has little chance of success. As a result, the commander will almost invariably be barraged with insults from teammates and burdened with all the blame for losses. On the other hand, it can make victory particularly sweet for commanders that exhibit superior craftiness.
There is a voting system that allows a team to impeach their commander if they are unbearably inept, or, god forbid, they become hostile. Unfortunately, the kick vote is all too frequently initiated less than two minutes into the match, long before the commander has had a chance to prove themself either way. This can be especially frustrating for newbies, as they must sharpen their commander skills in online games, because there is no single-player mode to practice with.
Again, it would appear that some compromises had to be made to make all this possible. The tech trees and unit varieties pale in comparison to what is available in current RTS favorites. Nevertheless, just the fact that there are real people controlling the units in the battle makes up for many of these weaknesses.
Graphics
Savage isn't quite up to what the latest shooters have to offer. It looks pretty good from a warrior's perspective - less so when playing as a commander. There's nice terrain variety in the maps and the environments are excellent, but the textures, models, and weapon effects are not that impressive. Still, it is distinctive, and it certainly isn't hard to look at. One unique feature is that the sun moves across the sky over the course of a match. You can also turn on moving clouds that cast shadows.
Bottom Line
It may not be the next Half-Life, and I certainly don't expect Savage to replace Warcraft any time soon, but it definitely is breaking new ground and offering something you won't find in any other game out there at the moment. Years from now Savage will likely been seen as a landmark project, being the first to make the RTSS (real-time strategy shooter) concept work. While it has been said that there aren't a lot of innovative games around these days, Savage manages to be both innovative and fun, which is no small feat.
