"A Good Tactical Game, But Needs Work."

Ok, first off, this game is a very fine addition to my collection of games, it is a great game which reminds me of superb games such as Age of Empires and Warcraft, but I had a couple of pet peeves with this game. Let me show you:

The Graphics: Good graphics, nice detail on the buildings, so-so on the characters, very good looking ships, overall I had no beef with the graphics, seeing as how they don't bug me, overall I give graphics a 7/10.

The Gameplay: Not as good as AoE or WC, but don't get me wrong, I love the idea of settling a new continent and fighting off your rivals. The gameplay is good but it needed more of a hands on approach, you cannot control civilians, only militia units. You basically click on a building, tell it what to do, and you are through will that building. Overall I give gameplay a 8/10.

The Plot: As with most games like this, there is none, it's just conquer your foes, you settle an island, then you build a colony, protect it, and destroy opposition. It tends to be repetitive after a while, so for a plot, I give it a 7/10.

Replay Value: This is what saves the game, you can create your own island and make an empire. I really like this, but now it is so cliche its not funny, it gets boring just making a colossal empire and having your enemies start with squat. I give the replay value a 9/10.

Challenge Rating: This game is pretty challenging, it is childishly easy at first, then it gets harder, which is the same as the rest of games in this genre. For this, I give challenge rating a 9/10.

Characters: This is not a rating for characters, I'm just telling you what you can play as. You are the same thing throughout the game: SETTLERS. People on a mission to settle new land, and build an empire. On your quest, you will come across natives, pirates, and rival settlers, if you play your cards right, they can be friend or foe. Take natives for example, set up a trade route with them, and you can get good material such as gold, corn, etc.. With pirates, you can pay them to either protect you, or attack the enemy. With other settlers, you can make a peace treaty and trade, or start war and destroy, it is entirely up to you. Enjoy.

Now I have to sum it all up, this game is good if you are looking to kill that boredom monkey on your back. other that that, you would do better with Age of Empires or Warcraft, even Starcraft if you like Sci-Fi. I for one really liked this game, I think most people who like tactical war games, will semi-like this game. Hope you enjoyed my review, hope it gave you a bit of insight on what the game is about, and most of all, hope that you enjoy this game, I did. Overall, I give this game a 7/10.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/28/03, Updated 01/30/03