Scourge of Worlds is an interactive Dungeons and Dragons DVD adventure released in mid-2003 to mixed reviews. The adventure is set in the Greyhawk setting of the Forgotten Worlds and tells the tale of a rugged 5th level Human Male Fighter (Regdar), a demure 5th level Female Elven Wizard (Mialee), a determined 10th level Male Human Cleric of Pholtus (Barathion), a persistent 11th level Male Elven Druid (Rayne) and a wise cracking and mischievous 5th level Female Halfling Rogue (Lidda) as they struggle against ancient evils, deceit and each other as they find themselves on different sides of a struggle to keep a powerful and deadly artifact from falling into the wrong hands. We won't spoil the story for you, but basically this ancient artifact called the "Scourge of Worlds" is coveted by Barathion at the behest of an entity that appears to be an avatar of some sort from the god Pholtus. The story revolves around Barathion's journey to obtain the artifact, and his student Barathion's (with friends Lidda and Mialee in tow) struggle to figure out what side is the right side.
The interactive part of the DVD lets players choose, at certain points in the story, what choices to make, which in turn may change the outcome of the overall plotline. The DVD offers four endings - two good and two bad, and some plot choices made by the player lead to additional endings that are quick a sudden. The DVD was designed with fans of Dungeons & Dragons and gamers in mind, and those fans that purchased it (by most accounts I've read) were mostly satisfied with the purchase minus a few caveats.
Fast forward to almost two years later and we have Scourge of Worlds Collector's Edition DVD, a new release coming out later this month. The DVD, which works in standard home DVD players, PC-DVD and most consoles that support DVD playback (PS2, Xbox - with the purchase of the remote), brings back the interactive adventure and an additional DVD featuring some nice extras that fans of the first release will appreciate.
If you liked the original Scourge of Worlds then the Collector's Edition is a good deal because you get some nifty extras like an interactive trivia game, the complete non-linear non interactive movie, and some additional small extras like post production concept art (characters, monsters, environments), the movie trailer, and a Making Of feature with the film makers talking about everything from character design and story development to 3D design and motion capture sessions. The non-linear movie extra alone is worth the price of admission because it tells the story the way it might have been told without all the extra plot twists from the interactive version. The concept art is also nice because it offers a lot of interesting tidbits about the main characters from the film (including their level, their specific class specialties and what types of armor, weapons, enchantments and other special skills they prefer to employ).
While the original release wasn't much of a value due to its short length, the Scourge of Worlds Collector's Edition adds just enough extra content to make it a worthwhile purchase. If you're still looking for a way to get the bad taste out of your mouth left from that awful December, 2000 Dungeons & Dragons feature length film (I know I still wake up screaming once in awhile from the residual memories of it), then Scourge of Worlds is a good place to start the healing. If you didn't like Scourge of Worlds the last time it was released, then you probably won't enjoy a second serving.
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