Empire Earth II
- March 10, 2005 00:00 AM PST
Empire Earth II looks set to thrill RTS fans with deep, multifaceted gameplay.
The explosive growth of the real-time strategy genre continues unabated as countless variants vie for your attention. Hot on the heels of its recent acquisition of Sierra, VU Games is sending a new Empire Earth title into the fray. Empire Earth II is a nuts and bolts history simulator whose roots lie closer to Civilization and Age of Empires than gimmicky "me too" licenses.Empire Earth II lets you start from the Stone Age in skirmish mode or jump into several campaigns ripped straight from the history books. In the preview build, the Three Kingdoms scenario was realistic enough to make you forget all about Dynasty Warriors, and the Normandy invasion captured a much greater sense of scale than Medal of Honor. There are no Space Marines, Mumakil, or Medusae here--historical authenticity carries the day.
The new "Idle Citizen Finder" is a godsend and took much of the hunt-and-peck frustration out of allocating citizens to resource gathering or construction projects. Military units weren't as easy to manage, though a war planning screen helped coordinate troop deployments with allies. Another crucial new usability feature was the picture-in-picture display for monitoring hotspots. Up to six locations could be bookmarked, and units were selectable from within the secondary window. Another strategic upgrade was the Crowns system, which rewarded players for Military, Economic, or Imperial dominance. Winning a crown imparted special powers for the duration of the epoch and added nice flavor to EE2's already deep political and economic systems.
Along with unique units, new civilizations, and upgraded management features, Empire Earth II looks like it will be a hit with RTS gamers.
