Age of Empires 2: Age of Kings for Windows
- ESRB Descriptor: Violence Blood
- ESRB Rating: T - (Teen)
- Publisher: Microsoft
- Genre: Strategy
- Platform: Windows
- Game Series: Age of Empires
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Empire Earth vs. Age of Kings - "More Strategery"
Pros
Empire Earth dramatically improves the genre
Cons
EE Won't be released until November
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Age of Kings players should definitely reserve a copy of Empire Earth as it really progresses the strategy gaming genre to new heights.
As an avid AOK player Empire Earth really changes the pace. Although the premise of Empire Earth is little different than AOK the units, ages and strategy is entirely different.
The beta lets you play from the renaissance through to World War 1 - a fraction of the true timeline available when the game officially launches. It's refreshing to actually play and win games inside one or two genres instead of AOK where it becomes a technology race to the next age.
In the beta there aren't different civilizations with different building structures and units, but you do get some points which you can use to differentiate the attributes of your civilization.
The graphics are a real step forwards - now your 3D card actually gets used - the seas shimmer and the fish swim beneath the glimmering surface. The Earth has a more textured feel.
There are some welcome changes that take the drudge out of exploration - you can build a scouting dog and set it to auto-explore. Now you don't have to micro-manage scouts going in larger concentric circles!
One of the best elements has to be field artillery. Empire Earth introduces cannons and better still Big Bertha - the German railway gun that could fire one ton shells across the English channel. Now you just position your field artillery behind the front line and ensure you have a unit with the desired target within site. This lets your artillery units lob shells on high altitude trajectories keeping your guns well to the rear.
Another major strategic change are hospitals - the nearer wounded units are to hospitals the faster they heal. I found it necessary to pave my line of advance with hospitals that would keep my units at full strength. Ports act like hospitals for ships. You can also develop medics to heal unist as they fight on the front lines.
On the water EE provides a whole slew of different ships. Don't underestimate the galleon like I did - as an anti ship weapon this cheap to build unit has a very fast rate of fire.
You can elect to boost specific attributes of the units - adding armor to tanks and range to field artillery by expending wood, gold and iron. This makes the units differ greatly in capabilities.
Aerial combat in WW1 definitely adds to the game. You can build airfields and conversely AA and mobile AA guns. From airfields you can launch bombers or fighters to counter other air attacks. However I still found long range field artillery to be the best way to demolish enemy buildings.
Another new unit is the prophet with alost divine powers of destruction. Maybe I'm a stickler to real world battles but it just doesn't seem fair when your conducting an assault and the enemy creates an earthquake destroying ground units or a hurricane that takes down your ships.
The Empire Earth beta didn't ever crash on me and prophets aside the gameplay was fairly balanced. The immense span of time and sheer number of different units make discovering this game really enjoyable.
If you're an Age of Kings player I would recommend you put this on your Christmas list and set aside some long nights. Empire Earth is a definite leap forwards in "strategery" as our friend George Bush would say.
The beta lets you play from the renaissance through to World War 1 - a fraction of the true timeline available when the game officially launches. It's refreshing to actually play and win games inside one or two genres instead of AOK where it becomes a technology race to the next age.
In the beta there aren't different civilizations with different building structures and units, but you do get some points which you can use to differentiate the attributes of your civilization.
The graphics are a real step forwards - now your 3D card actually gets used - the seas shimmer and the fish swim beneath the glimmering surface. The Earth has a more textured feel.
There are some welcome changes that take the drudge out of exploration - you can build a scouting dog and set it to auto-explore. Now you don't have to micro-manage scouts going in larger concentric circles!
One of the best elements has to be field artillery. Empire Earth introduces cannons and better still Big Bertha - the German railway gun that could fire one ton shells across the English channel. Now you just position your field artillery behind the front line and ensure you have a unit with the desired target within site. This lets your artillery units lob shells on high altitude trajectories keeping your guns well to the rear.
Another major strategic change are hospitals - the nearer wounded units are to hospitals the faster they heal. I found it necessary to pave my line of advance with hospitals that would keep my units at full strength. Ports act like hospitals for ships. You can also develop medics to heal unist as they fight on the front lines.
On the water EE provides a whole slew of different ships. Don't underestimate the galleon like I did - as an anti ship weapon this cheap to build unit has a very fast rate of fire.
You can elect to boost specific attributes of the units - adding armor to tanks and range to field artillery by expending wood, gold and iron. This makes the units differ greatly in capabilities.
Aerial combat in WW1 definitely adds to the game. You can build airfields and conversely AA and mobile AA guns. From airfields you can launch bombers or fighters to counter other air attacks. However I still found long range field artillery to be the best way to demolish enemy buildings.
Another new unit is the prophet with alost divine powers of destruction. Maybe I'm a stickler to real world battles but it just doesn't seem fair when your conducting an assault and the enemy creates an earthquake destroying ground units or a hurricane that takes down your ships.
The Empire Earth beta didn't ever crash on me and prophets aside the gameplay was fairly balanced. The immense span of time and sheer number of different units make discovering this game really enjoyable.
If you're an Age of Kings player I would recommend you put this on your Christmas list and set aside some long nights. Empire Earth is a definite leap forwards in "strategery" as our friend George Bush would say.
