Age Of Empires: Collector’s Edition

Rating

What hours of enjoyment! I was new to the whole strategy genre when I came across a trial edition of this game. You don’t have to be a strategy game or RPG geek to enjoy this game.

A List of Surprising Things You Will Enjoy

-You get to single handedly raise a civilization from the Dark Ages through the Imperial Ages commanding the Japanese, Mongolian, Viking, Spanish, Briton, Huns, Franks and Native American powers (and much more).

-When you click on a worker or soldier, they answer your call in the native language of the civilization giving it a feeling of authenticity

-You can save whenever you want wherever you want giving you a way out if your plans to defend or conquer fail. I save using something like KJvsCM1 (Koreans and Japanese vs Chinese and Mongols)and add 2, or 3 or 4 every few minutes. This saving technique really lets you backtrack and try things out in different ways

-each civilization has its own unique soldiers or buildings. Japanese have Samurai, Koreans have Attack Wagons, Chinese have Elite Archers and so on

-It isn’t all death and destruction. You can build up an invincible defense force early on (a couple rows of stone walls with Bombard Towers at even intervals along with archers for good measure) and just have your monks collect relics and bring them back to your temple or church. Or, you can just build a “Wonder,” a work of architecture which is the culmination of your civilization. Keep it defended for a certain time and you will win.

-The easy click-and-make feature for farmers and soldiers (which each cost a certain measure of gold, wood, and/or food and putting the peasants to work making a building for you is quite enjoyable. You begin to realize the importance of limited resources and the Market (which you can make to buy and sell resources). When your trees are gone, they’re gone. When your gold and stone mines are dry, they’re dry.

-The campaigns are just about worth the entire 5 stars themselves. They have you help each figure of history, William Wallace of Braveheart Fame, Joan of Arc, Barbarossa, Genghis Khan etc throw off their oppressors and expand their empires. There is much more depth here than I realized, being a student of history myself, I was surprised at how much detail each step went into. It isn’t exactly a history lesson but living history

-The Online Multiplayer option is also quite a catch. Go online and team up with or play against friends customizing your civilization, the number of computer players, population, rules for victory etc. This is “What if” strategy at its finest. What if the Japanese at the height of the Edo period took on the Mongols at the height of their empire? What if the Chinese took on the Huns? What if the Celts took on the Vikings? The replay value is almost unlimited and for such a cheap price too.

Check it out. you won’t be sorry (save for if you get addicted to it start refusing to come out of your room. Come on folks, that is what the “Save anywhere, anytime” option is for.