Okay, let's get the worst over right from the start: the interface is bad.  It's as simple as that: it is a very poor interface and it actively hampers the game (which is why I'm dinging it a full two stars).  I understand what the designers were shooting for, which is a thoroughly immersive and natural interface, but the mouse isn't the right technology for what they were attempting.  Now, if VR gloves ever start to penetrate the consumer market, then such an interface could be justified.
That said, if you can grit your teeth and look past the interface (and, for many players, that's just not going to be possible), the game itself is nothing short of revolutionary.  It's complex, its detailed, it's *entertaining*, it's imaginitive, and, above all else, it is utterly engrossing.  I've never played a god-style game where you actually started to feel like a deity in charge of real people, with the full range of responsibilities and, most innovatively, moral choices that such a being would face.  It's refreshing that the game doesn't compell you to be a good guy, or punish you for being a bad guy.  In spite of that, I've found that it's actually rather hard to deliberately be a malevolent deity for the very reason that you are so thoroughly powerful and your people are so thoroughly powerless.  Indeed, when I accidentally wreck havok (see above notes regarding the interface), I tend to feel bad about my actions and I find that I want to do something to set things right.  I suspect that, for many people, the game is going to be a moral ink-blot.
I can't over-stress the problems with the interface.  I can understand why that would suffice to drive a person away from the game.  It's also true that the game has stability issues (thank the avatars that I had a spare computer to install it on; it simply locked on the livingroom system in spite of all efforts).  But it's also true that there is much to love about this game and, if nothing else, I would encourage people to buy it just to support this style of game and this level of creativity in game design.  It may be a flawed child, but it is still a gifted infant.
Okay, let's get the worst over right from the start: the interface is bad. It's as simple as that: it is a very poor interface and it actively hampers the game (which is why I'm dinging it a full two stars). I understand what the designers were shooting for, which is a thoroughly immersive and natural interface, but the mouse isn't the right technology for what they were attempting. Now, if VR gloves ever start to penetrate the consumer market, then such an interface could be justified. That said, if you can grit your teeth and look past the interface (and, for many players, that's just not going to be possible), the game itself is nothing short of revolutionary. It's complex, its detailed, it's *entertaining*, it's imaginitive, and, above all else, it is utterly engrossing. I've never played a god-style game where you actually started to feel like a deity in charge of real people, with the full range of responsibilities and, most innovatively, moral choices that such a being would face. It's refreshing that the game doesn't compell you to be a good guy, or punish you for being a bad guy. In spite of that, I've found that it's actually rather hard to deliberately be a malevolent deity for the very reason that you are so thoroughly powerful and your people are so thoroughly powerless. Indeed, when I accidentally wreck havok (see above notes regarding the interface), I tend to feel bad about my actions and I find that I want to do something to set things right. I suspect that, for many people, the game is going to be a moral ink-blot. I can't over-stress the problems with the interface. I can understand why that would suffice to drive a person away from the game. It's also true that the game has stability issues (thank the avatars that I had a spare computer to install it on; it simply locked on the livingroom system in spite of all efforts). But it's also true that there is much to love about this game and, if nothing else, I would encourage people to buy it just to support this style of game and this level of creativity in game design. It may be a flawed child, but it is still a gifted infant.