Rise of Nations Demo Released

Microsoft and Big Huge Games have today released a playable demo of their upcoming real-time strategy game, Rise of Nations. The demo is available from the game's official Web site or from the downloads section of the Rise of Nations page right here on GameSpot. Of the 18 playable nations that will appear in the game, only the British, German, Bantu, and Egyptian nations are available in the demo, and those can only be used to play the quick learn tutorial, since neither the conquer the world campaign or multiplayer options are present.

Rise of Nations is a strategy game that will span some 5,000 years of human history. The game is unusual in that Big Huge Games is attempting to combine the tactics and depth of turn-based games with the fast pace of real-time games. For more information on Rise of Nations, which is scheduled for release on May 20, check out our previous coverage of the game.