User Reviews (1 - 11 of 41)

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Please don't purchase

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 30
Date: March 30, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game lacks a lot of things, the first and most importantly being a manual that covers what the heck is going on with the game. I play the occasional strategy game, and within 30 minutes was bored with this endeavour, as well as thoroughly confused with the game play.

It looks like a nice idea, but the execution leaves quite a bit to be desired.

Good idea gone bad

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 14
Date: July 11, 2000
Author: Amazon User

At first play a thought this game was for me. But a short time playing I relieved I was wrong.

Being a fan of sim/build/war games and expecting that from 1602AD I was very disappointed. The game does incorporate building and war but room for expansion is limited (all you have to build on is small islands). Game play was difficult due to poor feed back during game play (being attacked and not even made aware).

I purchased this game because people who brought The Sims also brought 1602AD.

If you want a good game of building/war/sim I would recommend any of the Ages of Empires or Civilizations. Both good games.

Please don't waste your time or money on 1602AD.

m m

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 14
Date: October 01, 2000
Author: Amazon User

wene i purchased this game it took me a while to figure it out but when i did and mastered it it wasnt any fun although i may not have purchased ceasar 3 or civilization i have purchased two of the age of empires games .The game is just boring after youve beaten it once or twice and it gets worse after a while i figured out how to build an empire i tried the scenerio builder and it was fun somewhat but not my kind of game so if you like batles and blood this is not the game for you please save your money.

This game would be a LOT better if it had good documentation

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 12, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Did I play the same game the other reviewers did? Seriously?

Maybe it's just the version I got, but this game is far too flawed to enjoy on any kind of consistent basis. Commands are not detailed in the manual or on the tutorial (for example, how to QUIT). There is no ingame help system, either. There is no explanation for important concepts like question marks over buildings in the tutorial.. the manual just says to look at them, decide what to do, and handle it. Overall, the tutorial was almost useless as a way of learning the game. Each segment of it appeared to last about 2 minutes and provide about 10 text lines of material, most of it encouragement. The manual, incidentally, can only be retrieved from the CD using Explore -- the CD auto-runs any other way you try to access it. It sure has a lot of pretty pictures, but it doesn't tell you how to quit either, or how to get tools, the shortage of which I tended to knock up against on a regular basis.

Graphics are blocky, but survivable. There is no explanation of what stars mean in the initial game setup -- I thought it was a rating system, but turns out it's probably a difficulty level. I still have no idea why I couldn't build a warehouse on the scenario I tried -- I had enough stuff, but it just didn't want to do it.

I suppose if I were more intuitive or more patient I could probably figure it out, but as it is, it's just too frustrating to play.

It is a different colony simulation

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I find this game to be interesting. The game can be slow when you have no pirates or wars breaking out. It has good graphics. If you are looking for a long running scenario game without the slash/gore that many pc games have today, this one can be entertaining.

Average game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: October 30, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I don't know how many of you have played Colonization, but it's almost like an advanced version of that game. While the idea of the game is exciting, game play is very difficult. The AI competition is too hard to handle while you're trying to deal with the complex stucture of running your colony. It's just an average game. I wouldn't consider bad or good, but I havn't played for a while now (if that says anything).

3/5

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: November 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

There seem to be two options. One is to start building at least one colony from scratch in an archapelago. This would be good if you're willing to play for weeks or months at a time, but it's awfully slow going. Or, you can come in at one of a number of situations. In that case you are, to varying degrees, established, but extremely difficult goals are set, and huge fleets of pirates prowl the seas in most scenarios.

SimCity with Supply Lines!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: February 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Has anyone else ever noticed that Germans seem obsessed with supply lines? This series, "Settlers", "Stronghold", etc. (I think "Stronghold" is British, but there seems to be a strong influence from German games.) You plant the wheat to take to the mill to grind into flour to send to the baker to bake the bread.... So it goes. One link in the chain goes out and, suddenly, you're breadless. (Well, it's not really sudden, but it seems that way.)

So, is it fun? Well, as they say, if this is the sort of game you like, you'll find you like this sort of game. It's not really a combat-heavy game. In fact, there is a points in one of the tutorials where you have to run from pirates--you have no way to defend. That results in some annoying micromanagement.

I tend to find these games sort of hypnotic. Once you get your supply-lines set up, there's not that much to do but watch your ships go back and forth and your workers tend the fields or what-have-you. That, and figure out where your supply-lines are failing. This game requires a bit more management than "Settlers", which you can read a book whilst playing, but I was never truly inspired to venture much into more combat-based scenarios. It's more "model train" than "combat simulation" in my experience.

There are a lot of good things to say about this game. Heck, look around and you'll see a lot of enthusiastic reviews. Whether or not you personally should buy it depends on a number of things: If you've played similar games (like "Settlers") and liked them, you'll probably like this, too. It has a less intimate and cute scale compared to "Settlers". If you're a die-hard combat fiend, you probably will want to give this a miss.

But uf you haven't played similar games and you don't require a lot of battles, there's really no way to tell whether or not you're going to like this one without trying it. (Unless you try "Settlers" or the sequel, "1503 AD", of course.) And this is as good a game as any to start with. You might find you really love it. You might, also, find yourself playing and waiting, waiting, waiting for the game to begin.

1602 ad personal views

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 35 / 40
Date: March 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game combines unique trading techniques with the usual gathering of resources and building a thriving empire. The neat part of this game is the fact that it is an easy going game. Players can focus mainly on expanding their colony and trade, which I think are the most fun parts of the game. Much later in the game players can attack a neighboring colony if necessary. Other players will be forced to expand their colony as well. This is a nice change, as most strategy games are focused solely on destroying the opponent from the get go. There are many more things this game has to offer including multiplayer (up to 4 players). I look forward to trying this feature, if I can find some other players out there. I would recommend this as a good purchase. The single player scenarios will provide players with hours of fun and practice, then players can try their hand at the multiplayer side where the possibilities are almost endless!

Great intro for people new to strategy gaming

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 24 / 25
Date: September 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

As an interesting alternative to the traditional building games like Caesar III and Age of Empires, 1602AD is easy to learn and play, with little of the complexity of the other, advanced games. You begin with a number of islands on the map, and with your flotilla of boats, you explore them, learning what each is good at producing. You settle on one, creating hunting lodges, tobacco plantations, sugar cane, chapels, and homes.

Just as in the Caesar III style of games, there are steps to take to create products. You take tobacco from the farm and turn it into cigars. Sugar cane goes to the distillery and becomes alcohol, and the tavern buys it. You can also establish trade routes. An island low in tobacco can ship that in, and send off the stones it is mining.

Homes develop in size as their needs are met. Quarry stone for more advanced buildings, and build your technology for more interesting options. Build up your sheep farm and send wool to the weaver for more content (and well dressed) inhabitants.

There's combat too - pirates lurk in the seas, and nearby settlements compete with you for land. You can invade their territory, or try to outmerchant them. You can even multi-play to take on your friends in high seas adventure.

While this is definitely fun for beginners, it leaves something to be desired for advanced players. I would recommend this to a family that wishes to play together, and for gamers new to strategy, who want to learn at a gentle pace how to manage resources and grow a city.

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