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 Empire Earth 2

 Empire Earth 2 by Gareth Von Kallenbach

 
 

 

Following on the success of the 2001 Original, Empire Earth 2 is a bold and richly detailed adventure that will delight fans of the original as well as fans of the Real Time Strategy (RTS) genre.

As before, players select a civilization and work to build and protect the society through the ages. Players not only control the gathering of resources, but also control researching new weapons, technologies and the construction of buildings and weapons.

While at first the amount of detail may seem overwhelming, players have a great in game tutorial that will place them in control of the Aztec civilization over several historical eras known the in game as epochs. While fans of RTS games in the past have bristled over resource collection, Empire Earth 2 (EE2), thankfully the game includes a fantastic resource manager that allows players to turn over control of much of this task to the computer leaving them free to focus on strategy and expansion.

One of the best features of the game is the amazing weather effects. Once while commanding a legion of troops in WWI I was caught in a rain storm that limited visibility and unit movement. The driving rain and the flashing lightning were amazing touches. As good as this was, I would have to say that taking my planes on a bombing run amidst the snow was a delight.

The in game units are very diverse as there are land, sea, and air units each of which change as your progress to new epochs. This keeps the game fresh as the changing technologies require players to change their gameplay style. No longer can a player simply dig in and wait for an enemy to charge them, players must have a solid defense as well as offense, as fortune often can favor the bold.

Graphically the game is solid if albeit slightly dated. One of the best features of the game was the ability to have a picture in picture display that allows players to focus on a key area while keeping an eye on the larger task.

The multiplay portion of the game is solid as there are several maps and I was easily able to find many games to join. The ability to work with as well as against other players also allows players with beginner skills to take part in a large battle without being swept away early as they can have someone watching their backs.

If I had to fault the game, I would say that path finding was at times a bit off and at the start; the learning curve for some may seem daunting. That being said, Empire Earth 2 is a refreshingly solid and enjoyable RTS game.

4.5 stars out of 5

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Gareth Von Kallenbach

 

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