Dark Messiah of Might and Magic Critic Reviews

The core first-person melee combat is incredibly solid and the exploration, storytelling, and character growth are integrated brilliantly to create a unique and compelling experience.

Truly a great fantasy adventure! Lose or modify the healing spell, then the difficulty level would be right.

An outstanding experience. It manages to create a constant sense of threat, includes some stunning set-pieces, and introduces a cast of breathtaking beasts, all within a combat system that is one of the most versatile and violent we have ever seen.

There's really nothing that can match Dark Messiah's combat. The mixture of weaponry and convincingly cause-and-effect physics really does take first-person fighting to new places.

Not a run-of-the-mill RPG, if it is an RPG at all! It is a graphically glorious, murderously marvelous first-person fantasy action game that no self-respecting FPS fan should overlook.

While a bit unbalanced in its current incarnation, the MP Crusade mode is a nice bonus that should improve over time.

Everything about Dark Messiah oozes quality and there are multitudes of ways around every obstacle.

If the game suffers, it's from over-explanation, the occasional lapse in the combat, and the repetitive nature of the environmental weaponry. But I was kept entertained all the way through, and I've never felt so directy responsible for chopping off a goblin's arm.

Dark Messiah is a prime choice for action lovers, but keep in mind the little letdowns and possible performance issues before you put down the cash to buy it.

Toss in a multiplayer mode that’s basically "Unreal Tournament" for fantasy fans.

You won't remember Dark Messiah's busty-woman character guide, but you will remember the sheer joy of mutilating the orcish, undead and assorted monstrous hordes in a variety of imaginative ways. When mass slaughter is as imaginative as this, it can't help but be memorable.

The only real beef we have is that the XP system means it's never long before a few veteran players have pumped up their characters and become virtually untouchable, clubbing everyone else like baby seals. But it's empowering if you're one of the vets, to be sure.

Dark Messiah has the uncanny ability to tap into the primeval bloodlust of anyone that devotes more than a few minutes to it. A resounding success.

The game will probably be patched in the future, but for now, you will have to prey to the dragons of Ashan each time a multiplayer map is loading and why not, when playing. Thumbs up for Arkane, thumbs down for Kuju!

A superb game, but not without its problems. There are a few unfinished graphical holes, the length of the game is a tad disappointing and the multiplayer isn’t quite attractive – especially with those dreadful load times.

Think of it as a combination of "Deus Ex" and "Half-Life 2," wrapped within a fantasy feast for the eyes.

Arkane's previous offering, Arx Fatalis, shares many general similarities but lacks Dark Messiah's energetic, if somewhat ill-fated, attempts to bring physics, stealth and a variety of combat options into the mix of a game that may not live up to all of its potential but still delivers the goods where they count.

Between the bugs and lack of originality during the single player campaign, Dark Messiah is a great idea for a game that was executed only somewhat well.

Not quite an epic but still a grand adventure with character, impact, and kickable heads.

Action fans will revel in as much recycled intensity as they can squeeze out, and it’s for them that Arkane Studios built Dark Messiah.