Brian Reynolds's Rise of Nations lets you build a civilization from ancient times all the way to the modern era, from slingers and legionaries to tanks and Apache helicopters. It offers the strategic depth of a turn-based game like Civilization yet is a real-time strategy game like Age of Empires. Reynolds was lead designer on Civilization 2 and Alpha Centauri, and he's brought a lot of turn-based innovations to this game. As the game begins the map is dotted with special resources you can take exploit and ruins you can uncover to earn one-time bonuses. Nations have borders, and you can only build new towns and buildings within them. Troops can cross borders and lay siege to enemy towns and you can earn resources by destroying buildings (which models pillaging), but your troops take damage while inside enemy borders (which models supply attrition, mitigated by Supply Wagon units). Warfare makes use of facing, flanking, rear attacks, air superiority, and there are extensive espionage and special ops abilities available to harass your enemy.
Like in most real-time games you have to fuel your empire by gathering resources. In this game the resources are wood, food, metal, knowledge, wealth, and eventually oil. Rise of Nations makes it easy to keep your empire rolling: resources never deplete and most are gathered automatically. Caravans automatically trade with your towns as soon as they are built, and idle villagers will find work depending on what's resource-gathering buildings are understaffed.
The graphics are a stunning mix of well-animated units, gorgeous scenery, and special effects. Everything from combat, building construction, and the blast from a nuclear weapon is painstakingly rendered. Most infantry units come in threes, giving the illusion of large armies of foot soldiers while keeping micromanagement down.
Rise of Nations is a deep and complicated game. It offers full multiplayer options, sharp AI, and a Risk-like Conquer the World campaign game instead of a story-based campaign. It's one of the finest strategy games ever made, but some fans will be overwhelmed by the complexity and depth here. Suffice it to say: Any fan of Civilization style turn based gaming and Age of Empires style complex real-time gaming should give this a try. This is a game for the history books, one designed to stand the test of time. --Bob Andrews
Pros:
- Extremely well-designed and deep
- Terrific graphics
- Unlimited replay value
Cons: - Complexity might scare off or frustrate some gamers
- Steep learning curve (but worth the effort)
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