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"'Risk' for Facebook Pits Cats Against Zombies for World Domination [REVIEW]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRisk: Factions\nRisk makes its Facebook debut with Risk: Factions, a social update to the XBLA game of the same name.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRisk: Factions\nA battle from the game.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRisk: Factions\nA preview of the playable factions.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRisk: Factions\nSome of the maps are definitely not from this planet.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRisk: Factions\nYou can start and continue games of Risk over long periods of time, much like Words with Friends.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRisk: Factions\nA look at a home base. You can help your friends improve their headquarters.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRisk: Factions\nThere are side missions and objectives on every map.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRisk: Factions\nA fresh new headquarters being built.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRisk: Factions\nA look at a Zombie HQ.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEverybody gather 'round Facebook, it's time for board game night. Risk: Factions, a new Facebook game from EA/Playfish based on the tabletop classic, is aiming to reinvent the original and bring Risk to a whole new online audience.\nMashable had a chance to play around with the game and check out some of its new features, including a \"home base,\" special weapons and playable factions such as humans, zombies, cats, robots and yetis.\nIs this bizarre new take on Risk worth your while? Read on and find out.\n\r\nStory\r\n\nThe world has gone haywire, and different factions are locked in a bitter battle for control of the universe. The story behind Risk is basically just an excuse to beat down your friends. Do you really need an explanation why cats are fighting yetis?\n\r\nGameplay\r\n\n\n\n\n\nThe basic Risk gameplay is still here: Move your troops over the map and take over your opponents' territories. \"Battles\" are resolved by rolling a pair of digital dice, and the more territory you control, the more units you can deploy in the next rounds. It's a basic push-pull of expanding your dominion without stretching your resources too thin.\nFactions introduces some new elements. Each army has special weapons, users must manage a home base, and social elements have been introduced. The special weapons are as ridiculous as you might imagine. Humans get straightforward bonus units such as cavalry, but stranger tides include \"the book of the dead,\" which lets a zombie army regenerate any lost soldiers, or \"cat nip frenzy,\" which gives cat armies extra soldiers to deploy.\nUsers must also manage an HQ, where they can train new troops and develop new and better special weapons through a development tree. Heads up: You must train soldiers in order to play the game. The amount of soldiers you can deploy on a map depends on how many you have in reserve. The team-management aspects are an interesting twist, but it adds a level of clutter made more frustrating by a wonky user-interface (we were told this might be fixed in the final version of the game). It takes a while to amass a sizable reserve of troops \u2014 some take an hour to train \u2014 though players can skip the grind by buying special weapons and troops with Facebook credits.\nSocial plays a new role in the game. Users can post their successes and ask friends for in-game money or military support. Players can also establish alliances and non-aggression treaties, which helps players build up their base or prevent them from aiding an enemy.\n\r\nPresentation\r\n\nThe game has a familiar 2D-feel that is so often seen in social games. Fortunately, the character designs and maps are all inventive, with fun animations. Using a special weapon will bring up a comedic, over-the-top clip of your little guys in action.\n\r\nVerdict\r\n\nIt's a fun, tongue-in-cheek version of Risk, and the team clearly understands how to make a \"social\" game truly social. The actual combat part of the game \u2014 complete with its silly weapons and competition \u2014 is a total blast, but the team management is awkward, time-consuming and unpleasant. Pick it up for a quick play."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/01/11/risk-factions-facebook-review/>