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What I was waiting for

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: July 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I am a big fan of real time simulation games that take place throughout history. Yes, I purchased and enjoyed Empire Earth. But in comparison Empire Earth does not even come close to the amount of detail, time, and effort put into creating RoN. Rise of Nations allows the player to control a nation and build citizens, soldiers, caravans, etc. It has a similar feel to that of AoM or AoE. The big difference with RoN is that when you build a new settlement it becomes a city and has its own borders. The game is played in real time and battles take place just like in AoE. However the design makes it feel like it really is a nation with borders and different cities, similar to the feel from civilization but it all takes place in real time.

Dissapointed - without great expectations to begin with

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 13
Date: May 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I don't want to slam this game, because I admit that I have somewhat peculiar wants in games, but, sorry guys, I feel I kind of have to.

First, I'd like to say that having heard that it was like Age of Empires and, especially, like Civilization, I was kinda excited.
I bought the game, started playing, and was bored in an hour and a half.

What this game does is take elements from a host of better games - Age of Empires, Risk, and, no, not Civilization at all - and attempt (but fail) to mix them together. What you get is none of the strategy of Risk, because nothing has anything to do with luck or strategical prowess (only with the AoE portion of the game), and none of the fun of Age of Empires, because the game branches out so little. Instead of having a logical progression of advancements along with many types of resources and schemes to cut enemies off from them, protect yourself, advance, and eventually win, the game has resources everywhere, and a technology tree, that, while not limited, is useless: the technology is so fast-paced that you either end up with flamethrowers fighting pikemen or, even worse, flamethrowers fighting flamethrowers - no distinctions, no gradations, no strategy... no fun.

The "Civilization" aspect, as well, is pathetic: city borders which are supposed to mean something but really don't. Big whoop, nobody ever builds too far away anyway (and if you want to, it isn't that cool not to be allowed.)

And the dissapointing thing about having these two different games - Risk and Age of Empires - is that they truly are entirely separate. You decide on a Risk move and then do an AoE campaign. The two are only connected in the most fragile of ways, leading to two disparate games, neither of which are particularly interesting.

Sure, the graphics are nice (though the music sucks,) but what this game has in technological muscle is more than lost in its creators' complete inability to grasp what makes a game good beyond the superficial.

This game was an astoundingly pretty pile of crap.

This game is awesome!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

It's cool! You can build your own army, whether it's a tribe of indians, a herd of cowboys, or a unit of soldiers. You advance through different ages like the ancient age, the medieval age, or the modern age. you have different resources you have to collect like timber, metal, food, wealth, and knowledge. Once you get to the industrial age you have to collect oil. You can buy buildings and army bases such as lumber mill(to increase your timber income) a granary, an air base and barracks for your soldiers.and a stable for your mounted soldiers. It's really pretty cool!! The rating shouldn't be M because it's not even close to bad. Trust me!

A good game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: August 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Rise of Nations is a very good game, it has smooth gameplay and brings some interesting and very cool innovations, such as having different cities to expand territory, which influences taxation income. I would have givin this game 5 stars, but for the graphics. I play strategy games like Warcraft 3 and the Warcraft 3 expansion set a lot, and playing a 2-D game like Rise of Nations is a bit of a let down after the other 3-D games I play. I've heard people say that the AI is too hard, but I had no trouble beating the computer on moderate after a few hours. The AI is very versitile and has many difficulty levels, which is a very good thing in strategy games, as in some games the AI is weak and slow. Even though the graphics are dissapointing, I would reccomend this game.

One of the best RTS games ever made.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: March 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I'm extremely glad I bought this game. Rise of Nations is one of the most entertaining and addictive games I've ever played. There's a lot of similarities between it and Civilization III and the other top RTS games, but for some reason this game really pulls me in. There's so much entertainment value seeping out of it that I can't stop playing. I won't list all the pluses I have for it because that'd be too large of a list, but there's a few miniscule minuses. For one, it's great that there are 18 nations to play as, but once you get going which ever you choose doesn't really matter; the nation special abilities don't alter the game that much and can even be disabled. My other complaint is that the game goes pretty quickly no matter the speed setting. I like to relax and build up my empire when I play sometimes, and that goes by too quickly to really enjoy the different ages within the game. All in all, this is the most fun RTS game I've ever played.

Rise Above the Rest!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: November 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game blows every RTS since out the water. The graphics and earthly details about this game are AWESOME! The naval and air units play a cruical part in the game. Playing online with a group of friends is the ideal way to play this game. I also agree that intellect is a must in the strategic and tactical output durring battles against the AI or human players.

RON

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Rise of Nations is the product that learned from the mistakes of games like Age of Empires, Starcraft, and Red Alert. As the commander of a unique civilization, you get to control every aspect of your nation--- military, society, and economy---all with new ideas and concepts that are easy to adapt to. This game is two steps beyond anything in its genre.

pretty good but could have been more

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 11
Date: June 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

i had no informatoin what so ever when i first bought this game, and miraculously it didnt turn into a pitfall i thought it was once i bought it. the game is simple enough to get started thanks to the detailed and finally helpful tutorials that are mini scenarios in and of themselves. the ''deathmath'' modes where you face computers is also a good point with endless custom options. the best part by far is the Conquer the World mode which combines RTS with territories and armies that will have any die hard RISK fan drooling. so instead of a war of numbers, every time you attack a country it turns into a scenario in and of itself based on the terrain, # of units you have, and the enemies cities and cards. EX. if you attack from britain from france you'll have to actually cross the bay between britan and france to actually attack the french capital.

now for the low points.. i expected more from a game wtht he concepts of AOE and Empire Earth. the graphics are ok but nothing to oggle at, a basic combat system that relies on numbers and unit type. and theres no time for like in Empire Earth to admire the scenery and fight medievel. the best fighting is in the information age. be sure to put the difficulty on moderate and up though otherwise your in for a very boring game, but the AI is pretty good on hard difficulties.

overall it's a great game for RTS and old fashioned game board lovers with an economy system thats unique in and of itself. but for those ppl lookin for a spectacular visual and gameplay experience, save your money for Empire Earth 2, Civilization III and the upcoming Starwars Galaxies: an Empire Divided.

Ridiculous to call this strategy.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 16 / 46
Date: April 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Okay, so I'm supposed to build buildings and units. Got it. Wait, I'm also supposed to walk around and discover rarities that merchants can harvest. Got it. Wait, I'm also supposed to accumulate wood, food, & gold. Got it. Wait, I'm also supposed to study in the library AND (and this is the part that bugs me most) in every other building. AND. I'm also supposed to build an army/navy and deploy them in a micromanaging way. This game has some great parts - I am not denying that. However, it is a horribly flawed nightmare. I loved to micromanage in turn-based strategies. It is next to impossible to accomplish this in a RTS. I feel torn between wanting to research, build, gather, and explore. I defy anyone finding an enjoyable balance. Rise of Nations would be far supperior if it were turn-based. As it is, I constantly feel as though I'm neglecting one of my four desires. Also, it is ridiculous to be required to research advancements in multiple buildings. It sounds organized at first but it becomes a nightmare when trying to stay on top of technology advances. Developers should make ONE research interface! Second, units should not build buildings! Cities should build buildings! Do not make me responsible for creating a citizen. This makes no sense. Buildings a military unit makes tons of sense, but not normal citizens!!! I am begging the developers to redesign the city interface to encompass these changes! These minor changes would make this game fanastic.

Required: Some one smarter than Mr. Dizzle to play

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: October 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The only problem with Rise of Nations, is that it might actually take some intelect to play. There is alot going on in the game, which means you have to pay attention to minor details. This is not a game that "any idiot" can play such as Mr. Dizzle. If you want a game that takes RTS's to the next level, and enjoy a little bit of a challenge, Rise of Nations is for you. Once you play it you will realize the thought and time that the development team must have put into the game.

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