The Gamespot review of Left Behind: Eternal Forces is up on Gamespot. The first sentence of the review tells you everything you need to know about reviewer Brett Todd’s opinion and attitude: “Don’t mock Left Behind: Eternal Forces because it’s a Christian game. Mock it because it’s a very bad game.”
Todd’s complaints include a number of near-fatal technical and game mechanics issues, but it is his observations about the gameplay that I found to be most interesting:
– Good guy units include gospel singers, nurses, and missionaries, while bad guy units include “college-trained secularists,” devils and foul-mouthed rock stars.
– Gender roles are strictly defined. Women don’t ever become priests or builders.
– Most of the bad guys are African and/or Arabic.
– When bad guys are converted, they change clothes, too. Suddenly, they wear Ned Flanders-style sweaters, and the women wear pumps and a “sensible skirt.”
– Friendly unit’s “spirit” levels are decreased by the evil rocker units, who may come by and play a power chord on their guitar at any moment. How do you sustain those spirit levels? Prayer.
– Contrary to numerous advance reports, I saw no indication that there was violence in the game. Apparently, most of the game centers on converting evil people to join your army of cookie-cutter, sweater wearing, KJV carrying fundamentalists.
“It is an awfully tough game to take seriously,” Todd observes, “because the absurd story only works as a self-parody.”
Posted by Matt 
Running With the Lion 