Have you ever wanted to be a god? To have unlimited power, change the world and affect those, who are living there? Well, in Black & White you can feel what that means. In this really unique game you can be a savior and protector, or an evil tyrant, raining death upon heads of mortals. But remember, you are not the only god there. You will confront others, who seek the same power, and to defeat them you will have to win the hearts of people. It is only your choice, how to reach this goal. Use compassion or fear, but make them pray to you! Their prayers will fuel your power and allow you to create impressive miracles.
You have also another tool that will help you in your quest. A mighty creature of your choice will be your avatar in this world. He will learn from your actions, but you can guide him in understanding what is right and what is wrong. After that he will be a mighty weapon to fight against enemies or a great help in converting villages. Or simply someone to play ball with. Great AI system makes him nearly a living thinking thing - he will remember what he sees and make decisions on his own.
Vortex system makes it possible to move objects and even people from one map to another. These portals allow you to prepare for the next stage, by gathering resources and then sending them through. You can also take your favorite objects (for example, you may be in love with some special stone or tree) with you through the whole story.
Thanks to the nearly complete lack of the menus, cursor that looks like a real 3D hand, and the overall atmosphere the game feels immersive. But try it yourself and create your own opinion. Despite the age of the game, it has no analogs that could offer the same experience and feeling of a real living world.
Some more of Black & White unique features: multiplayer, realistic physics, night/day change, ability to import real weather into the game (sadly, this is currently unavailable), gesture system (game reacts to special patterns of cursor movement).
Black & White was released by Lionhead Studios in 2001.