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| A castle under siege. |
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World certainly has a quality real-time strategy
pedigree. The main force behind the game is Rick Goodman, lead designer for Age
of Empires and Empire Earth. It’s the latter game that has had the biggest
influence on the design of Empires, a game that possesses more than a passing
resemblance to Empire Earth. However, rather than trying to model every time
period from prehistory to future wars in space, Empires focuses on the Late
Middle Ages through World War II dividing this time period into four separate
epochs. The result is a game that is more focused than Empire Earth and that
streamlines its gameplay. If you loved Empire Earth, then you’ll find plenty to
like in Empires. If you never played that game, don’t worry I’ll let you know
what to expect from Empires…
Empires includes nine different civilizations, but unlike a lot of other
strategy games out there each one is actually different than the others. Not
only do they have their own unique look, they each have unique units and
civilization bonuses. Playing each nation requires a different approach and
you’ll need to adjust your strategies depending on the foe you are facing. Like
powerful navies? Go with the British. Want to build might armor columns? The
Germans will suit your style. Or better yet, pick your nation at random, see who
you’re up against, and put the strategic side of your brain to work.
Empires comes with three single player campaigns: Korea as Admiral Yi defends
the country from the Japanese, England as King Richard defends the realm, and
America at the head of Patton’s armor in North Africa and Europe. The single
player campaigns are a good way to get used to the game’s play mechanics but
they don’t provide you with an exposure to the dynamic strategies needed to
succeed in skirmishes. View them as scripted missions that provide some fun in
their own right, but that don’t really provide the full Empires experience. If
you’re the type that buys strategy games primarily for the campaign, then you
may be a touch disappointed in the game – although just a touch.
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