If you're looking for a serious RTS game, look somewhere else. This game tries to please as many audiences as possible and fails miserably. The heroes are overly rigged, the strategy interface is horrible, not the greatest graphics and the units are overly simple. But if you enjoy RTS games and FPS games, this game might sadly entertain you as it did me. Running through waves upon waves of troops as Achilles, maiming everything in your path was never so much fun. Unfortunately, the RTS phase of it is quite dull. It consists of a simple rock-paper-scissors technique. Sounds like a balanced game, but then again, with 6-7 unit types per team, its not hard to keep it balanced. Not that balance matters when you have Alexander the Great on your side cutting a swath through the enemies' lines. The campaigns are also interesting. Theres those typical missions where you sit around, build a base, then an army and defeat the computer. Then there are those missions where they force you to play purely in hero mode. Sometimes it can be fun, like when you're on a trireme and have to kill 100 Persians with a bow and can board other ships then other times, its an adventure into a wonderful hell. You're stuck in the middle of a coliseum and have to fight your way through war elephants, gladiators and spearmen. Oh, and did I mention the 50 archers spread around various guard towers?
All in all, if you enjoy playing RTS games as well as FPS, you can pick this game up for some mindless fun, and I mean mindless. You won't probably won't ever get addicted to this game, or play it competitively, but you'll be entertained for a good while.
Other Helpful Reviews for Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War
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It is utterly ridiculous that gamespot and other reviewers gave this game such low marks. This game tries, it really does, and succeeds on many levels. Of course it's rough, but what game isn't? Rome Total War, one of... Read Full Review
