Empire Earth

"Warcraft III meets its match; one of the best RTS ever."

Before playing this game, I thought that Warcraft III would reign as the supreme RTS for quite some time. Empire Earth proved me wrong (note that I have not played Age of Mythology yet, so this may change). With huge unit diversity, the best 3-D graphics yet, and easy-to-master controls, EE is a truly great game.

Gameplay: 9/10

Empires Earth's controls are quite similar to other RTS like Warcraft III; it took me no time to master, as it should with other RTS veterans. As I said before, their is a huge diversity in units. Their are literally hundreds of ground, air, and sea units to choose from, echoing real-life units. You can compose an army out of swordsmen, army marines, gun cavalry, Vikings, and even futuristic units such as robotic Cybers. Virtually every kind of soldier, war machine, ship, and aircraft can be used to conquer your enemies. The units and buildings are arranged into 14 epochs, ranging from prehistory to the future. Unfortunately, advancing through the ages can sometimes be more tedious, expensive, and time-consuming then it needs to be. Still, fighting it out with huge, diverse armies eventually makes the game all worth it.

Video: 10/10

Empire Earth's graphics can be called nothing other than cutting-edge. They surpass the slightly newer Warcraft III in quality, although they do look polygonal if you zoom in far enough. The different units are usually quite easy to distinguish from one another. On top of the top-notch units graphics, Their are quite a few special effects that look visually stunning. Clouds of smoke are emitted from firing guns, explosions, and collapsing buildings. Fiery missiles fired from volcanoes and some ships leave smoke trails behind them. Buildings burst into realistic flames when damaged, and the water looks as if it could pour out of your monitor, completely wrecking your keyboard and causing hundreds of dollars in damage. None of these, however, come close to the awe-inspiring explosion created by an atom bomb; it must be seen to be believed.

Audio: 9/10

The music in the scenarios is not all that good, but it is quite quiet and should not be a problem. The main menu music, on the other hand, is quite good; sometimes I just stay on the main menu, listening to it. Unit quotes are not too repetitive and quite unobtrusive, nothing to get annoyed at. Although the audio of this game cannot compare to many other games, it is right on par for a RTS.

Replay: 9/10

The random maps, although quite open-ended, can get boring quickly. Fortunately, they stop being boring just as quickly. You will want to play a game, wait a while, play another... The campaign mode, while not too easy, is quite long and should take quite some time to beat.

Buy/Rent: Rent

Unless you are a serious, hardcore RTS fan who lives for the campaign, renting should be enough to satisfy you. If you can't rent it, buy EE instead; this game is a must play.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/15/02, Updated 12/15/02