HOARD: The UnWarcraft (PSP Review)

Written by Ryan Johnson Wednesday, 23 March 2011 10:00

Now I'm not talkin' WoW. I'm talkin OG Warcraft. I'm talkin' Starcraft Medieval. In college, I played Warcraft with friends. My strategy always involved patience: I would farm out a bunch of tiny towns so I was never annihilated, so after two hours my friends would give up. They would never find all of my men.

Hoard is the very opposite of what I knew in Warcraft, but in a good way. I was used to being the little guy: amassing resources to build weaponry to stop the incoming relentless attacks. Now, I AM the relentless attack. Upgrading is minimal, there are no new troops or such, it's just "make your dragon better." At times it is beneficial to LET the humans think they have a chance, as stronger towns bring more gold once under your control. It's not about killing all opponents, it's how you can keep them under your thumb. Games of Warcraft took hours, these are approximately 10 minutes.

Simply, HOARD is about collecting gold, princesses to ransom for gold, going to other dragon's hoards to steal their gold, making money, getting gold, oh....and I think you want to find gold. Cut and dry, you are doing what you know dragons do, and that's all you need to know. Combat is fast and frantic as the villagers send out archers and knights try to rescue damsels in distress. All you care about is the cash and getting more of it.

Hoard lends itself well to the PSP, though it has also been released on PS3. The quick-fix 10 minute time limit, along with the gloriously simple plot of "GET MONEY!!" declares it a must-have for the PSP. My busy life has unfortunately led me to not playing video games lately. A game like HOARD is one that I can tuck in a session before I head off to bed.

Hoard is a wonderful downloadable PSP game, and a steal at $9.99 (for a limited time, the PS3 price has dropped to $9.99 as well!). It is a fresh take on strategy. It is great for a handheld, with 10-minute levels good for a quick gaming fix. If quick reflex strategical gameplay is up your alley, add HOARD to your gaming hoard today!