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Platform: PC
Related Links: Review: Empire Earth: Art of Conquest (PC) Review: WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos (PC)
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Empire
Earth II
Over
the years, many game developers who make RTS titles have been trying to
outdo one another by providing more factions to play as, more
units to play with, and generally bring an increasingly epic feel to
their entries into the genre. After
a while, Empire Earth came along from Sierra, which threw down the
gauntlet, challenging the competition to compare to this new game’s
sheer scope in terms of empires to play as, the amount of history
covered, and the number of units at one’s disposal.
Now Sierra is preparing to give it a go once more. |
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With Empire Earth II, it would appear things are going to be tweaked all over the place. Firstly, the number of empires available is being reduced from 21 to 14, while the game will now span 15 epochs instead of 14 (although these epochs will take place over 10,000 years, as opposed to the 500,000 years traversed in the first game). The game will also make it easier for players to manage their empire by providing a Picture-in-Picture display, so that they can keep an eye on a specific area of their territory while trying to do something else in the main display. Weather will also play a role in players’ imperial |
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development, as various conditions
will impact how empires progress, requiring players to adjust their
tactics accordingly. Of
course, the game’s multi-player features are getting worked over for
the sequel as well, which will have nine play types this time. What may be of particular interest in multi-player matches is
that players will be rewarded for showing military, and economic
superiority, as well as how well they expand their empires.
Unlike
a lot of RTS sequels, Empire Earth II doesn't appear to be simply trying
to add a truckload of new units, and a couple of new kingdoms.
There really isn’t much point, considering the sheer
expansiveness of the first game. Instead,
players can expect a liberal amount of nipping, and tucking, hopefully
resulting in a tighter game than the first. Mr.
Nash January 1, 2005
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