Posted March 18, 2010
Well, what can I say. RTS fans have a good day here. What's better than losing an entire day to the ebb and flow of an epic battle - "I've got him now, he can't resist this final push!"
Age Of Empires 2 Age of Kings, Empire Earth 2, and Rise of Nations - these were a series of games I'm dying to get back into my hands in a convenient DRM-free fashion. For the historical RTS - and read that again, RTS (it's not Civ. If you want Civ, buy Civ) this was one of the staples. Here are some pros and cons, especially as compared to EE1:
Pros: The graphics are mildly improved, but truthfully a little low detail compared to some of today's highly textured game models. The interface is much improved; selecting idle workers and assigning tasks is much nicer, the tech tree is a little more cleanly exposed, and the icon/tooltip layout is much more helpful. (I hadn't played EE1 back in the day - bought EE1 recently because EE2 wasn't out yet - figuring out upgrades/required building progressions was a challenge). EE2 makes it much nicer. Many customization options on the random map setup screen. The bonus (i.e. first player to next age) system is interesting. Runs decently well on an old lappy (ran fine on a Pentium M 1500, 512MB Ram, ATI Raedon 32MB 7500) system.
Cons: Pathfinding is occasionally an issue. If it bugs you, yes, you'll occasionally encounter cavemen vs tanks situations. Graphics again - well, they're decent, especially compared to some other classics such as Starcraft or Age of Kings. They hold up better, but nothing spectacular.
If you're an RTSer, buy it - and steer clear of EE3! (They dumbed EE3 down in response to people who said EE2 - with 15 or so civs and about 100 minor upgrades to pick from per civ) was too complex.
GOG - Thank you thank you thank you - I've been waiting for this since you released EE1!
I'd give 4.5 stars really - it wasn't a perfect game, but an epic RTS, I wasted days of my life on it, and imho one of the best RTS options on here at the moment.
Age Of Empires 2 Age of Kings, Empire Earth 2, and Rise of Nations - these were a series of games I'm dying to get back into my hands in a convenient DRM-free fashion. For the historical RTS - and read that again, RTS (it's not Civ. If you want Civ, buy Civ) this was one of the staples. Here are some pros and cons, especially as compared to EE1:
Pros: The graphics are mildly improved, but truthfully a little low detail compared to some of today's highly textured game models. The interface is much improved; selecting idle workers and assigning tasks is much nicer, the tech tree is a little more cleanly exposed, and the icon/tooltip layout is much more helpful. (I hadn't played EE1 back in the day - bought EE1 recently because EE2 wasn't out yet - figuring out upgrades/required building progressions was a challenge). EE2 makes it much nicer. Many customization options on the random map setup screen. The bonus (i.e. first player to next age) system is interesting. Runs decently well on an old lappy (ran fine on a Pentium M 1500, 512MB Ram, ATI Raedon 32MB 7500) system.
Cons: Pathfinding is occasionally an issue. If it bugs you, yes, you'll occasionally encounter cavemen vs tanks situations. Graphics again - well, they're decent, especially compared to some other classics such as Starcraft or Age of Kings. They hold up better, but nothing spectacular.
If you're an RTSer, buy it - and steer clear of EE3! (They dumbed EE3 down in response to people who said EE2 - with 15 or so civs and about 100 minor upgrades to pick from per civ) was too complex.
GOG - Thank you thank you thank you - I've been waiting for this since you released EE1!
I'd give 4.5 stars really - it wasn't a perfect game, but an epic RTS, I wasted days of my life on it, and imho one of the best RTS options on here at the moment.