Nothing new, but thats not a bad thing, what is there is done well and fans should not pass it up.
User Rating: 7.9 | Empire Earth II PC
Empire Earth has always been a game for what could be considered the hardcore strategy gamer. EE1 had a great deal of micromanagement along with fueling the war machine and big picture along, so its no surprise that EE2 considers the trend. Perhaps even moreso, with the inclusion of feature similar to a smart-box on a TV screen (the one that lets you see whats happening on another channel.) The problem with this is, it eventually serves the same purpose: Wow, really cool idea., except that you're too focused on the big picture and you forget whats going on in that little box in the corner anyway. Effectively its supposed to be a good way to keep an eye on your other cities, and if something goes wrong you can even try to deal with it from there. But again, we're only human, and unless you are on 8 cans of rocket fuel, you'll probably be a bit overwhelmed by this, forget about it, and play in the old school style anyway. Aside from that, featurewise, EE2 really doesn't offer too much new on the table. Granted, the AI is extremely challenging, but I will say its the first hardcore RTS I've ever played where I did not feel like the computer opponents were 'cheating'. This is actually pulled off very well, the computer is still tough even on the easiest difficulty, and makes for a really fun experience. The AI will adjust to your defenses, search out your weak points, exploit them until you fix that, then look for another. The same plays on your attacks, if you attack an area constantly, the computer will start beefing up the defenses, all the while sending attack waves to distract you. Graphically, EE2 is marginally better than its predecessor, which in a sense isn't a bad thing, EE1 had great graphics for its time. You can't help but feel EE2 looks slightly dated, but then again, the weather and seasonal effects are a really nice touch of immersion, and it looks great to boot there. Sound is good, each country having its own little piece of the music score, but again its really nothing new, and might seem slightly repetitive after a couple hours of play. Overall, EE2 is definitely enjoyable. A lot of hardcore EE fans may even feel slightly let down that EE2 didn't bring a lot of new to the table. But, like the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Give it a look, but don't pass up some other hot titles this season just to get this one.
