Reviewed: September 2, 2003
Reviewed by: John Carswell
Publisher
Microsoft
Developer
Big Huge Games
Released: April 15, 2003
Genre: RTS
Players: 8
ESRB: Teen
9
8
7
9
8.5
System Requirements:
With Rise of Nations, Microsoft and Big Huge Games are trying to breathe new life into the Real-Time Strategy genre. Starting the player off in the days of clubs and slingshots, Rise of Nations takes the player through a whirlwind tour of history up to the days of ICBMs and near-future technology. Of course, during this time, the player is in a mad dash to conquer the world. With Civilization-guru, Brian Reynolds at the helm, there was never any doubt that Rise of Nations would be a solid title. The question is whether it can rise above the bevy of other RTS title currently clogging the market.
Features:
- Cross genre gameplay - Combining pulse-pounding real-time gaming with the epic scope of turn-based strategy games, Rise of Nations gives you a fast and fun experience. You can play a quick battle on your choice of map as your choice of nation (including random), or play the turn-based/RTS mix Conquer the World Campaign.
- Zooming scale - See enormous swaths of territory at once or zoom to watch one group of citizens or military unit at work. Maintain command of multiple cities and expansive military campaigns while still controlling the progress of individual cities and battles. Clearly defined national borders let you expand territory strategically.
- Multiple victory conditions – Gain dominion through non-military and quasi-military strategies including espionage, diplomacy, technology races and territory expansion. Or, simply obliterate all comers through the raw power of a military conquest.
- Streamlined multiplayer – In the multiplayer mode (up to 8 players), you'll accumulate resources and move through different time periods quickly, reaching the coup de grace in a timely fashion. Victory is just moments away.
In “Solo” mode, Rise of Nations starts much like Microsoft’s Age of Empires series: you have a village, a few villagers, a scout, and some raw materials in close proximity. You must then set out to harvest these materials and use them to create further villagers who then create buildings that let you build an army and so on.
However, Rise of Nations then departs from this formula by allowing players to create new towns. No longer are you confined to predetermined village placements but instead can create your empire around valuable resources and militaristically advantageous areas. For me, this is what makes Rise of Nations something more than “just another RTS”. To borrow from Agent Smith’s musings, the player gets to spread across the landscape like a virus—moving from one area to the next, reaping everything of worth, and leaving nothing of value behind. Unfortunately, the world’s resources are limited and you are not the only infectious intruder hungry for them.
Eventually you will no longer be able to ignore these other nations and—since there is little fun in virtual peace—the time to go to war is at hand. Rise of Nations’ combat system is very similar to the one found in Age of Mythology. Individual units are represented on screen, can be placed into various formations, and then sent off into battle or assigned various patrol and guard duties. There is naturally some strategizing involved but, for the most part, it’s just about having better weapons and more units than your enemy.
This is perfectly acceptable for an RTS but the formula is starting to get stale so do not expect any great innovations in this area. On a positive note Rise of Nations’ path-finding is excellent, so you will have greater luck in executing your plans than you would in other games. Also, I was pleased to find a very fleshed-out maritime system in place that was great fun to play and tweak. With Oil Rigs needing a good deal of protection, and exposed water channels practically begging for surprise invasions, Rise of Nations does an excellent job of integrating the naval side of warfare into the larger picture.
For those so inclined, Rise of Nations does include diplomatic and economic options. Running caravans between your cities is vital to keeping your coin purse full and is nicely automated. When it comes to other nations, various demands can be made and treaties proposed. However, the bulk of these features is rudimentary and lacks anything truly new. Considering that Rise of Nations has some roots in the Civilization series, it’s almost criminal that the diplomacy is so stale and derivative.
However, the Tech Tree in Rise of Nations is excellent and one of the game’s main selling points. Your citizens start as hairy barbarians, chucking rocks and spears, and end as shaved barbarians, chucking cruise missiles and ICBMs. Although something along these lines has already been done in an RTS setting (Empire Earth), the progression in Rise of Nations is more expedient so you won’t be staring at the same units for long. Your primary research is split up into general categories such as Commerce and Military. Advancing in these schools of science allows you to bring about sizable changes such as allowing for the creation of new cities and buildings. Smaller advances, such as weapon enhancements, and farming efficiency are researched by the structures most closely related to the technology.
Perhaps because of the speed at which RoN’s technology tree can be scaled, even the “shortest” of games (an hour or two) can feel epic. There is just something very satisfying (and addicting) about watching your capital city grow from a muck-filled, farming community into a towering city complete with missile silos.
As for various modes of gameplay, Rise of Nations has plenty. More likely than not, the custom Solo mode will see the most use followed closely by the multiplayer features. The amount of tweaking you can do in these modes is excellent and every type of RTS gamer will no doubt find something that suits his or her playing style.
Rise of Nations also features a “Conquer the World” mode. Playing out a bit like Risk with RTS elements, I found this mode to be refreshing. Although previous games such as Shogun have done something similar to this, Rise of Nations’ Conquer the World campaign delivers a much deeper experience than the previously mentioned title. This is mainly due to the variety of missions that you run into when entering into a new territory. In some cases, these new lands will offer little resistance and there will be a quick battle between the two sides. Other times, entering a new territory will launch a full-scale war of expansion and attrition. Although I felt this mode lacked cohesion at times and would have benefited immensely from a deep diplomacy system, it is still good fun and its global scope results in some very long games.
Mixing 2D and 3D graphics, Rise of Nations’ visual quality falls somewhere between Age of Mythology and C&C: Generals. Maintaining the same artistic style found in Age of Empires, Rise of Nations throws in three-dimensional character models, excellent animations, and a handful of brilliant special effects.
While it’s unlikely that anyone will be blown away by Rise of Nations’ graphics, they are certainly above average and any Age of Empire’s fan will love the ability to zoom in and out on the action. Besides, watching an enemy city being decimated by an ICBM is a visually stunning guilty pleasure.
Although the individual sound effects in Rise of Nations are merely adequate, in large cities, these effects combine to create a convincing “bustling city” atmosphere. The sounds of War are sufficient but lack the intensity one might expect from a game in which combat is so prevalent. The music is generic to the point of being dismissible. Across-the-board, Rise of Nations’ audio presentation is acceptable but nothing more.
Considering that the “Solo” mode offers so many options, if you are looking for something to replace Age of Mythology, Rise of Nations should do very nicely and provide plenty of replay value. The “Conquer the World” mode will be an enjoyable distraction for most, but Risk and Shogun fanatics will likely find themselves playing this mode for months. Essentially, unless you’ve had your fill of strategy games, Rise of Nations will provides weeks of solid entertainment.
In the end, Rise of Nations is a first-rate RTS. While it is more derivative than I had hoped, the mixture of playing styles works very well. Combing aspects of Age of Empires, Civilization, and Shogun, Rise of Nations delivers some degree of the magic found in these games while at the same time, becoming a game all to itself. Overall, Rise of Nations comes highly recommended and should more than satisfy any strategy gamer.