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A terrible butchery of the Settlers francise.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 9
Date: February 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Whoever is responsible for butchering the Settlers series into this title should be fired. I suspect UBI is to blame for wanting to make the game more "Mainstream". In the process, they destroyed everything that Settlers was supposed to be about and what we are left with is a pretty lousy game.

Its truely sad what has happened to this series, this title is best avoided.

Much better, thank you!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 13
Date: February 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I enjoy this game immensely. The previous Settlers games had some nice things, but the overall scheme was rudimentary compared to this newest version.

Finally, a Settlers game where the workers work, and don't take 20 minutes to walk!

The action is much more detailed, the graphics obviously much more so, and the quests/missions/maps are better as it relates to story-line.

Horribly Disappointed

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 10 / 15
Date: March 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'm horribly disappointed with what was delivered. The game doesn't run right even though my system exceeds all the requirements. It clearly needs numerous fixes for operation and graphics. It's almost nothing like the previous games in the Settlers family. I'll struggle with it for a while to see if I can get by, but chances are good it's going up for auction soon.

The Settlers - Now Like Everything Else

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 22 / 26
Date: March 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

In trying to upgrade and improve the Settlers series, the makers have taken away the very things that made the game stand out and in turn created a game much like everything else. Yes the graphics are greatly improved, a big change from the grainier looks of previous versions. But having already played many games like Age of Empires, I didn't want another game just like that.

Many people complain of the pokey nature of the settlers as they struggle to move the raw materials around the map. This is what made this game a great tactical treat. I could severely hamper an opponent not by attacking his army, but by striking at his production. By taking a few forts right in the middle of the path his settlers had to take to transport, say, coal from the coal mines to the weapon smith, I've now drastically affected how quickly he could create more soldiers. It also made things quite tense as I raced to finish a fort of my own, in which I'd heavily invested much raw materials, before the enemy could show up and knock the thing down. Nothing like waiting a long time for a large building to be constructed, sucking up much of your precious resources, only to have the enemy take just one of your forts and then trash everything around it, included your nearly completed building. All that time and materials, gone in a flash.

The new game has raw materials instantly "beamed" into your coffers. Yet despite this, it still takes forever to accumulate enough anything to really produce much. Money especially, a new item in the game, which is needed to create soldiers. Buildings now longer are constructed in that great view where first you see a wooden frame and then the finishing exterior goes up over it. Instead they just sort of rise up out of the ground in a cloud of dust. The game touted that you'd be able to rotate the view in a fully 3D world. You can, but you can't leave it that way. The view snaps back to the originally as soon as you let go of the rotate key.

I'm fairly disappointed with this new game, having considered The Settlers city a great find ever since the first, actually called Serf City. I still have the box and the 3.5" disks.

Great game, calm down fan boys

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 14 / 25
Date: March 17, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Ok, all the Settlers fanboys claiming that Heritage of Kings "butchered" the series need to seriously chill. The previous Settlers games were graphically ugly and who bothers about comparisons? We are talking about THIS game, not the previous ones. If you liked them, then go play the 2D pieces of crap.

Heritage of Kings has AMAZING graphics, better than any strategy game I have seen to date. The action is also very interesting and the game is far from easy. If you like a challenge it, this is the game for you. The game is never boring and there is a ton of upgrades. Also, you get quite a few heroes and each has two very cool abilities. In summary, if you like medieval strategy games (i.e. knights and swords, not star craft type of game), this is the game for you. Until Age of Empires 3 comes out in August, I say this is the best medieval strategy game out there.

If you liked Settlers III and Settlers IV...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 16 / 24
Date: April 18, 2005
Author: Amazon User

...you will *not* like this one. There are three new features that are an improvement of sorts - first, the weather. The weather, particularly the snow, is cool. Second, the graphics. Significant improvement, although slighly flaky on my XP laptop - could be something to do with my graphics driver or whatever, but not great. Third, the tax / trading system is an improvement on previous attempts - simply mining gold was a little too easy. However, big changes - serfs instead of settlers. A hierarchy of settler types rather than settlers who were all equal and could do any job - not good, probably reflecting some right-wing leaning of a new game designer (I'm kidding, I'm kidding). The little paths that they used to make are gone. The donkeys from SIV are gone. Carriers are gone. Stuff just 'poof' appears. The sequential requirements - need iron and coal to make steel for tools needed to mine needed to make iron and coal and the frustration of cyclical requirements (which one could always get around, if one worked hard at it) - are all gone. Instead you have sequential 'inventions' and 'discoveries'. Game play has changed dramatically, now heavily focused on fighting, and not on settling. No more geologists. Holes are in the mountains, waiting for you to build mines. No more forestry, trees are always there (sort of...still not sure about this). Puzzles and storyboarding now dominates, rather than the free-roving nature of before. Can build anywhere, no borders.

In short, this is a different game. It's not an evolution of the Settlers cannon, but, rather, an Age of Empires clone. Another one. Sold yer soul, boys, sold yer soul.

Best settlers installment yet!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: July 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

though it differs from its predacessors, to me this one was the most fun and visually stimulating. the graphics are incredable and stylized and the gameplay is no longer focused on minning gold, instead earning it. mines do have their place though. this plays more on real life though it is set in a fantasy world. workers pay taxes while giving you the neccessary commodities you need to build an empire and defend it. the upgradable society idea work wonders here as well. i love the idea that you can butild a college and research a technoplogy, instead of just building a number of buildings in a certain order, or just having your people know already and just needing the proper tools.

like i said,this is more like life. you need workers for their taxes and rescorces, they need a place to stay and food. you provide this and you win their services. using this money and rescorces you can build great empires and armies. each platoon has a leader and the number of their followers can be increased, as well as armor, sight, and weapons.

this is by far my fav of all the settlers series. i know you will love it, even if all you are interested in the eye candy.

Settlers, but a different interpretation.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 22 / 25
Date: August 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Remember how the previous versions of Settlers had a big focus on resource gathering and expansion to the point of micro-management and by the time you reached the point where you had enough resources to amass an army it seemed like a moot point? I've played the original Settlers series for years and during long hours at LAN parties the game would end up crashing before we were able to have any meaningful battles. The Settlers series of 4 and prior was all about building yourself up and fighting seemed like an afterthought.

Enter Heritage of Kings: The Settlers. The resource gathering is still a primary focus, but it has been dumbed down just enough so that you can focus on what the purpose of the game is, to conquer. Where before you never got to that point in Settlers 1 thru 4, now you actually do experience battle and the game is more evenly paced.

I'll give you a perfect example: I haven't purchased the game yet. Why? Because I decided to download the demo and try it first. What ended up happening is I spent about 4 hours building my kingdom and amassing troops to conquer neighboring kingdoms. I went almost all the way through the technology tree as it is allowed in the demo (which is a step or two from the top) and I thoroughly enjoyed the game. My point is it's as captivating as Settlers 1 thru 4 was, but in a more balanced way. There's still fun to be had by playing the previous games, which is why you should own a copy of Settlers 4 and Heritage of Kings: The Settlers, so you can have the best of both worlds.

And no, I don't consider this game a sell-out. I consider it a welcome change. They focused on what needed to be fixed in order to give combat a chance in the game. Also, the kingdom you build is much more fleshed out and believable. I say why complain when Settlers 4 is about as good as you're going to get with the prior version. I think if they had released another game that played the same people would be even more upset. After all Settlers 4 is basically Settlers 3 Gold if you really consider the two side-by-side. What we have here with Heritage of Kings is a new game engine, beautiful 3D graphics, awesome combat and heroes with special abilities. Some say it's comparable to other strategy games, but I beg to differ. It's Settlers at its heart, just balanced for a more enjoyable experience. I find this game equally as enjoyable as any of the previous installments. Maybe more so since it's just a better game.

Cool but would like to see some key features return

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: December 17, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a fun new game in the settlers series with some cool features like heroes, great graphics, and great use of weather in the story.

There are also some sadly missing great attributes of the settlers series that I hope they bring back in the next version. Missing are carriers, trails, and the complex economy where you start with some bricks tools and have to build up industries relying on different foods, etc. The real fun of the old series is in the building of the economy, bounded and measured by the famous carriers. The use of carriers made sure that you had to make good sensible cities or they would end up horribly inefficient.

The new game has fun things too. The heroes bring a lot to the game as they have some character and special abilities and handle a lot of the fighting and leading of fights. Weather is used in an amusing in fun way - you have access to an inventor who can create a weather machine which freezes the lakes and opens up new avenues of attack.

There no longer seems to be an on-line community to create maps that allow the game to be replayable. This is one of the biggest missing features. There is an online section that does not seem to be connected to anything.

Overall I like this game but I hope that the designers consider bringing back the old favorites for their loyal fanbase and mix them with the new great ideas. I would buy it again if they did.

Another great series bites the dust

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: January 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The settlers series began as a great idea which empasized economic development rather than building a massive army to defeat your enemies...warfare is still a factor but the stronger economy always won...with this game the makers guessed that a new engine meant a better game...wrong .. I see many people praising the weather...ok so..? The point here is that the series which reached a golden age in Settlers III and IV took a steep dive with this one ..like someone else said..if you liked the old ones please spend your 29$+ s&h on some other more worthwhile title instead and if you've never played the Settlers series I recommend IV I guarantee you'll have much fun than you would with this POS ... I cant believe someone actually said "Best game in the series to date" ..how very wrong ;) anyways I hope the game goes back to its roots with the next one .. otherwise I will be a very dissapointed fan of the series :(

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