Rise of Nations is a breath of fresh air - a classy and stylish strategy that takes what works and makes it better.
User Rating: 9.4 | Rise of Nations PC
Rise of Nations is not from Sid Meier or Westwood studios - although at first glance it very well could be. The brains behind Rise of Nations belongs to Brian Reynolds - who founded Big Huge Games to work specifically on Rise of Nations. Before this, he was working with Sid Meier on games like Alpha Centauri and Civilisation 2 - so you can see where it's roots lie. However - different from the turn based structure of his previous games, Rise of Nations has the speed and playability of a strategy title like Command and Conquer - as well as the technology trees and strategy of Civilisation. Brian Reynolds has mixed and matched the concepts of two very popular game series - and came out a winner. The game actually closely resembles Age of Empires - and they are even published by the same publisher, Microsoft. But the similarities are only skin-deep. The game is very different - and plays expertly. There are 18 civilisations, each with their own bonuses and a couple of unique units - as is the norm. What is different to this title though is the introduction of features that gamers are used to in turn based titles. Things like maintaining a city border - making trade routes between cities and city assimilations are foreign to strategy titles like this. So this concept while new - is already in play in a different genre. Brian Reynolds has stated that while gamers love Civilisation 2 - games could last days. He wanted to create a faster paced game that had the features of turn based games - with the speed of strategy titles. He has suceeded in this marvelously. This concept isn't just a novel feature - it is the main focus of the game. National borders shift according to the gameplay - and in real time. So while it would be easy to just create a few cities quickly over a vast distance and connect them via trade routes - they would still be mostly empty cities - and creating troops to go into enemy territory at this time would be more taxing - as the troops sustain attrition damage. This forces the player to think strategically. You can only build five farms in each of your cities - so you can only sustain a set number of civilians and troops. Each of your cities you will get to know better - they are more than a base for your army camps. Each of your cities can be fitted out with buildings like Libraries, Temples and Universities - making them more unique, and also providing stat bonuses for your Civilisation. Also like turn based gaming - the player is forced to study the Techology Tree. You start out at the very earliest time periods - but as your cities grow - so does time go by. Learning new technology will give bonuses to your troops. It's a well implemented system which is greatly rewarding. Battle tactics even come into play here. Things like flanking enemies - creating diversions and rear attacks, placing an intelligence mole in the enemies outposts, Using General's to create suprise attacks and more. There are so many tactical options - and you will get the chance to try them all out in the game's epic Conquest mode. There are a number of ways you can win a battle - such as controlling 70% of the map, or taking over the enemy's capital. Even building a Wonder of the World may help - and these stay on in the battlefield long after you leave. In fact you may be drawn back in to just defend it - as it gives a permanent bonus to your troops as well. The main complaint that could be laid against Rise of Nations is it's lack of a story based single player adventure. Surely this could not have been hard to implement - and its absence is noticeable. However - the Conquest "take over the world" mode is much like the board game Risk - not an all too bad thing, and assigns you to different parts around the world in an effort to take it over. Either by force or diplomatically. Despite all the depth of Rise of Nations - this is a very easy game to get into. Those not interested in turn based titles - but want something more from their strategy titles will be happy here - Rise of Nations strikes a good balance. Although there are 4 areas of technology to be upgraded - over 8 stages for each - the game isn't bogged down with numbers or useless information. This has more to do with it's interface than anything else. Big Huge Games have done their homework on this - the interface and it's layout are excellent - everything is available at ease. Most of the technology and upgrades all take place in the Library or the University - so there is no need to scout around for different buildings for individual upgrades. This gives the feeling of a clean and risk free game that knows it's players very well - and rewards them for playing strategically. Graphics are extremly well done. Detailed from the individual civilians - to the large cities - everything looks clean and well done. The pace of the game can get hectic, but the game hums along at a steady rate at all times - never pausing regardless of how many are on the screen (which can number in the hundreds). A 2D isometrical display is what you will find in Rise of Nations, and while you may think this is holding the game back from titles such as Warcraft 3's graphical prowess, Rise of Nations has a lot more going on in the background, and the game would have fallen short if it had gone 3D. Remaining 2D has given Big Huge Games the ability to create convincing infantry and buildings, and also, the minimum specs for the game are low enough that anyone should be able to enjoy this. Sound is also suitably well done. An original soundtack has been provided - and while not especially memorable - it does draw you into the game. It does tend to get a little grating after long play sessions though. Effects are done effortlessly - with everything sounding as it should. From the sound of the individual clicks when you assign a citizen a duty, to the sound of the Smelter and Logging Camp, and even the units attacking and pillaging a Enemy city, small things make all the difference, and the games sound effects have outdone themselves - it's all very well done. Overall - this is a brilliant game. Usually strategy titles and turn based titles have sat at opposite ends - not sharing features even though they shared audiences. But Rise of Nations has taken the best of both and collaborated together to create a fantastic game that shows just how good a concept like this really is. Very highly recommended. 
