Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars Review

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(More customer reviews)I loved the original Cossacks game, and this one is very similar, but only it's during the Napoleonic era, it's a wild, fun game to play, there is some strategy involved, and it's very close to the original, but has a few new differences, there seems to be a bit more to learn, how to control your troops and move them around, but it's still a fun game to play, and the graphics are still good today, even though they are a few years old.
I would recommend this game to anyone that enjoys strategy, and who enjoyed the original Cossacks titles and also Napoleonic era war games, this one is just build and fight.
I looked up the cheat codes online, to me for this type of game, makes it more fund, having cheats does not ruin anything for it.

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Medieval Total War: Gold Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)Although "Medieval II" has been out for over a year now, this first "Medieval: Total War" remains a classic. This Gold Edition contains both the original game and the "Viking Invasion" expansion pack, allowing for a variety of campaigns set between the years AD 793 and 1453.
The game is split into two sections. The first of these is the campaign mode. In this turn-based mode the player uses the map to control the kingdom at large, setting taxes, building units and facilities, managing his/her generals, moving armies and fleets, conducting diplomacy with rival factions and employing spies and assassins. The second mode is the real-time battle mode, in which the players commands his/her armies directly, positioning troops, selecting formations and tactics and engaging the enemy. The level of detail in this mode is excellent; the 3D landscapes are rendered with trees, hills, water and bridges; even the weather changes.
There are 15 playable factions on the standard (European) map and 8 on the Viking (British) map. Each of these have their own characteristic units (longbowmen for the English, Teutonic Knights for the Germans, Varangian Guard for the Byzantines, for example) and each demands a slightly different style of gameplay. The standard map can also be played in one of 3 time periods, chosen at the start of each game, with more or less advanced units and facilities available according to each. There are also five levels of difficulty, making the game adjustable for all levels of expertise. Aside from the main single player game, there are a number of historical campaigns to undertake, including the Hundred Years' War (featuring the Battles of Crécy and Agincourt) and the Third Crusade. There are also four standalone battles (including Hastings in 1066), a custom battle option, a quick battle option (ideal for filling coffee breaks) and a multiplayer mode.
There are, indeed, few faults to be found with this game. My biggest disappointment (and it is a small one) is that there is no manual booklet included with this Gold Edition, only a PDF copy on the disc. Because it isn't possible to view the game and the manual at the same time, it does make learning the game somewhat difficult - and it does take some time to master its full complexity. On the other hand, its very complexity means that once learned it is very immersive - almost as if one were really running a medieval kingdom.
Addictive, challenging and highly playable, "Medieval: Total War" is an excellent game, and even years after its original release, still highly playable. For people with older, lower-specification machines who may be unable to run "Medieval II", the original will prove ideal. Moreover, at the low price Amazon are currently offering it, it is an excellent buy.

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Age of Mythology Review

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(More customer reviews)Age of Mythology was one of the first good computer games I bought. The campaign was good, the graphic were excellent for the time, and there were so many different options you had to build an army. I really like the feature to be able to play custom scenarios as well and there is a lot of fan support for this game.

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Age of Empires 2 Gold Review

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(More customer reviews)The Age of Kings (AoK) along with its expansion pack, AoK:TC (The Conquerors--which we now call "AoC" when both are installed) is a superb game for either "Multiplayers" who play on-line or "Singleplayers" who don't. If a game which has a historical aspect to it which resides in the 1,000 year realm of ancient history stated has appeal for you (which isn't all 'hoked_up' with fantasy creatures), you cannot go wrong with purchasing the "Gold pack". I've been playing AoK/AoC for more than 2 years now and it still holds fascination for me... and many others that I know. Just today I was teaching one of my 10 year old grandsons about the game when he was visiting. We'll get him the Gold pack. My son introduced me to the game in Dec. '99.
Yes, in order to play AoC which epitomizes the development of the game, you need to install from both disks, first installing AoK, then removing it and installing the AoK:TC disk which you leave in the tray (it must be in there when you want to play). You can then go online to either Microsoft's or Ensemble Studios' websites for the game, Age of Kings: The Conquerors, and download the 1.0c patch which fixes any minor 'bugs' discovered and rectifies a few civilization "balancing issues" which have come up. Thus buying the Gold pack is a real good deal for anyone getting the game now as it cost me more than twice as much to have bought AoK & then AoK:TC, as they came out.
There are so many ways to play this game that it almost boggles the mind, but preferred game modes are "Conquest" followed by "Deathmatch" in popularity amongst "Agers". If you really want to learn to play the game using the various "strategies" for the 18 civilizations which Agers have developed, it's a good idea to join a good Ager gaming clan such as Tonto Clan, which caters to both Multi- and Singleplayers. You can find Tonto Clan by doing a websearch for "tontoclan1", or look for "Tonto Empire". The clan celebrates its 2nd birthday the 13th of March, 2002, so you know they aren't fly-by-nighters. And that's a good place to ask any questions one might have about the game.
A final thought: "Real Time Strategy" is a bit of a misnomer, oxymoron, in computer games as "twitch-and-bang" on the keyboard doesn't really give a person time to think, only act and react. But an aspect of AoC that makes it come closer to being enabled as a true strategy and tactics game is that you have the "Pause key" which when playing Singleplayer you can use to pause the game in progress in order to "think on it" a bit and decide what next you want to do. This brings yet another dimension to the game that most don't have.
There are other RTS 'historically based war games' which have come out since "Age", but it is surprising how many people will try them and then just keep coming back.... to AoC. And, for my money the next RTS slated to come along that might be as good or possibly better isn't projected to hit the market until Spring (if then) of 2003.
Ken aka tonto_real

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Age of Empires 2 Gold Edition unites the exciting game play ofboth Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings and Age of Empires2: The Conquerors Expansion plus additional content for onecompelling gaming experience. Experience real-time evolution as youbuild your civilization into a flourishing empire, from the Dark Ageto the Imperial Age. Decide whether to conquer the world throughmilitary might, commerce and diplomacy, or intrigue andregicide. There are many paths to power but only one will reignsupreme.Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings spans 1,000 years,from the fall of Rome through the Middle Ages. Players control thedestiny of one of 13 civilizations. The game keeps the epic scope ofAge of Empires' gameplay while evolving the combat and economicfeatures. Developed by Ensemble Studios, Age of Empires 2features the expertise of Bruce Shelley, co designer of Age ofEmpires and the hit strategy game Civilization.Age ofEmpires 2: The Conquerors Expansion adds five new civilizations,four new campaigns, 11 new units, 26 new technologies, real worldmaps, and much more. Experience the adventure of the SpanishConquistadors as they enter the exotic lands of the Aztecs, or relivethe destructive force of Attila's pillaging Huns. This add-on packfocuses on the armies and military thinking of a handful of history'sgreatest tacticians, including Attila the Hun, El Cid, andMontezuma. The new civilizations each have unique attributes,buildings, and technologies, such as Chinese Rocketry and PersianMahouts. You'll put hussar cavalry, kamikaze siege units, andhalberdier infantry into battle in four all-new campaigns.Play up toeight other conquerors via modem, Internet, or LAN.

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Age of Empires III Review

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(More customer reviews)When I sat down with Age of Empires 3 I was hoping for a little more - something new and refreshingly different (ala the Lord of the Rings RTS for example). There is a new feature, the Home City. The rest of Age of Empires 3 is the same as the previous games at heart, with some new makeup and some new units. Don't get me wrong, this new Age of Empires installment is fun and just as addictive as its predecessors, but also feels tired at the same time. If you still enjoy the previous Age of Empires games, you will likely enjoy this one equally.
It has been some time since I played the previous Age of Empires 2 but I remembered a simple, relatively clean interface. In Age of Empires 3 I was a little taken aback by the clutter of information, and juggling Home City shipments (and Deck Building) with what was happening on screen requires a lot of micro-management.
This new installment has some great civilizations and in this regard, the units are new and refreshing. In an Age of exploration and the shift from archeic weapons to gunpowder, you have a variety of new units, and a few units that are unique to each civilization to help set them apart. In addition each civilization has its own unique advantages (and disadvantages) that set it apart from the rest. This is primarily done via a new feature: the Home City and the shipments you are allowed to send from it. I liked the idea of the Home City, but wasn't overly impressed with some aspects of its implementation.
The new units are fun and consist of both modern (for the period) and archeic units giving you some flexibility in what you want to field - however don't expect their power to be equal. The cannon physics are really well done, you can track cannon balls throughout their flight and watch the havoc they bestow upon enemy buildings (which now fall apart in peices instead of as a whole) or the holes they punch in rows of infantry. The charachter animations on most units are really well done, and occasionally you will see them adjust their weapons for long range of short range combat (they throw burning items at enemy buildings instead of firing their highly ineffective muskets). I beleive that musketeers can also fix bayonets to make them more effective at close range, although I didn't notice a signifigant difference, mine continued to fire their muskets regardless of the range of the enemy.
There is another new feature in Age of Empires 3 in the form of an Explorer. He is a powerful unit you can use to explore the map (although any unit can still do his job). The Explorer can take damage, and fall in battle, but doesn't die. He can be rescued and revived. The Explorer has the special ability to deal with treasure guardians in one shot, but a hardy group of soldiers can also take down the treasure guardians without too much difficulty. The Explorer can retreive treasure found on the map and can also build Trading Posts (settlers can build them as well) - this is how you interact with the Native Americans. Building a Trading Post near a Native American outpost forges an alliance with them and you are then allowed to train Native American warriors which are useful because they don't count against your population limit - but they do have a population limit of their own (15 seems to be the norm). In a bizarre twist, the Native Americans are not hostile to these new invaders unless they are allied with one of your enemy players - intersting.
In summation, I did enjoy trying out Age of Empires 3. My initial impression was that the civilizations and corrosponding diversity in units and Home City shipments helped add some variety to the Age of Empires format, but also meant more added juggling. Even with the new ability to zoom in and out a little, I still found it difficult at times to juggle my units. In combat, my nicely organized ranks merged into one wave of units that were impossible to divide up and thus made tactics difficult. You can assign numbers (via Ctl+#) to a group of units to help this, but I didn't find anyway to assign formations to the units (you could do this in Age of Empires 2). When left idle long enough - seeemed to take a long time - my units did auto-arrange themselves into formation, but didn't maintain that formation during attacks. I wish they would have borrowed a little from another RTS game that allows you to train units in groups that are then treated as one unit. This would have made Cavalry and Infantry units that much easier to manage, especially in large numbers. In addition, in that same RTS game you can assign different unit types to merge together and form a new formation of units that is again treated as one unit. This greatly simplifies training units and then moving them about the map and maintaining formations for attacks.
I do look forward to spending a lot more time with Age of Empires 3 as I'm sure there is a lot that I haven't noted in my initial observations. I think the game is true to its heritage and I think that Age of Empires fans will flock to this new installment. However, I don't think that Age of Empires 3 delivers enough new variety in either design or implementation to steal away the fans of other RTS games that are working to reinvent and revitalize the genre.

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Strategy Game - 1 User - Complete Product - Standard - English - PC

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Rise Of Nations: Rise of Legends Review

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(More customer reviews)This is an edit of my original review, which I posted soon after acquiring the game. Since then, I've edged a fair way into the campaign and played numerous "quick battles".
What's been said about the campaign is mostly true - it's neither polished nor very appealing. To be sure, there are some good strong characters, but they are not fleshed out very well, and the story feels overall quite by-the-books and predictable.
Not so the world behind the game, though. It takes a lot for an RTS setting to come alive, which has put me off from them somewhat. But Rise of Legends rises to the challenge, with three very distinct cultures, each of which has a well-developed internal realism. The steam and clockwork of the Vinci feels worlds apart from the more traditional eastern-based magic of the Alin, and the strange Mayan-style of the Cuotl is rarely portrayed in recent video games. Along with these are excellent game mechanics, oriented for those who prefer combat to endless nation-building and running after resources. National borders appear as colored lines on the minimap, soldiers take attrition damage when traveling through hostile territory, and the capitol city is one's prime target. Added to this, the units are quite diverse and complex; even basic soldiers have multiple combat styles/abilities, and the many heroes available are powerful and help your nation in various ways. Each culture can obtain a master unit, which is an alternate way of achieving victory - save enough for a master unit, then, if you use it wisely, your game is won. This is often more enjoyable than simply sending hordes of lesser warriors into enemy territory. It takes some time to master these details, but the game's AI choices are varied and quite well-balanced, so you won't be crushed time and again as a beginner, nor wind up trouncing the hardest settings easily.
Graphics are quite stunning, as well. The game camera changes elevation based on terrain, and very realistic atmosphere responds to this. Flora is beautifully detailed, and some of the more exotic maps especially are incrediblly well rendered. Those with a computer powerful enough for maximum settings are in for a real treat. I mostly make do with medium-low settings on my laptop, which is in need of RAM. While the minimum requirements list 256MB, my 384MB doesn't cut it; this game needs about 1GB to really do it justice. Also, a 256MB video card is required for a couple of the highest-end effects. Fortunately and finally, each graphics setting provides detailed information as to what part of your system it will affect, making fine-tuning astronomically easier.
Rise of Legends will probably never be as popular as, say, Company of Heroes, for the sometimes strange fantasy world will not appeal to all. As well, the campaign leaves much to be desired. But if you, like me, buy an RTS much more for the skirmishes than the campaign, you'd have to try hard not to like it. Quick, intense games, good strategic combat, and probably the prettiest RTS world to date, combined with all the originality this title commands, it's well worth trying. You might well be inspired, yourself.

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