For RTS fans, or history buffs who happen to be gamers, this game is a must. Recommended to all.
User Rating: 9 | Age of Empires Gold Edition PC
In 1997, Ensemble Studios changed the world of Real-Time Strategy games with their debut release, "Age Of Empires". The game is set in the time of the Ancient Egyptians, and Greeks, and much more. I will give a short description of the mechanics of the game. There are several modes. There's Random Map, Death Match, the Campaigns, and the Scenario Editor (where you can edit and create your own maps, scenarios, and campaigns), to name some of the main modes. When you start a game, you have four resources: Food, Wood, Gold, and Stone. You use your villagers (created at the Town Center, your central building. They cost 50 food each to make, but you start with 3 villagers and have 200 food to start with, so you can, and should, make more) to collect these resources, and to build more buildings, like houses to support units, and a barracks to create military units. As you advance through the four ages (Stone Age, Tool Age, Bronze Age, and finally, the Iron Age), more buildings, units, and technologies become available. The object of the game is to build up your army, and destroy your enemies units and buildings. I give this game (standalone) an 8.5. Very good game, though it does have its flaws. Units tend to get stuck very easily, and this can become annoying, but, it's not too bad, and its not that hard to deal with. The difficulty of the historical campaigns is, well, just too hard. Even on the easiest setting, if someone out there can get past "The Canyon Of Death" on the Yamato campaign, you deserve a medal. The campaigns are fun, but, they are just WAY too hard.
In 1998, Ensemble Studios released an expansion pack for their debut game: "The Rise Of Rome Expansion". It includes new civilizations (including Rome, of course), new historical campaigns, and a lot of new features, units, and technologies. You can now queue unit creations at buildings, to give an example of the new convenient features added to the game. So, all in all, this expansion pack not only adds a ton of new material, but it also makes the game a LOT easier to play. Can't say the same with new historical campaigns though. They are a LOT of fun, but, they are still too hard. All in all, with the addition of the expansion pack, my rating for the game goes up to a 9.0.
