1602 A.D.

"Slightly Underrated Methinks"

It was over 2 years ago when I first played this game. I'll admit it was only the demo version, and I didn't really enjoy it, but I found the cd again in May of 05 and decided to reinstall it. I loved it! So looking on EBay, I managed to find the game and won an auction, getting it for $5 along with p+h. For a game that when originally bought cost $80 (the sticker was still on the box), not bad. So that morning before school I stuck it in and played.

Graphics: For a game over 5 years old this was surprisingly impressive. It doesn't have the awesome animation of Age of Mythology or the stunning scenery of WoW, but considering it was made by a small indy-like producing company, it is good. With 3 levels of zoom, the second of these is at almost the perfect distance, the variety of different building images is good. Each housing level (Pioneer thru Aristocrat) has around 3-5 different styles of building. Well-detailed buildings are there such as the fortress (a large unit-creating building) and large shipyard (a large... well... shipyard - for fleet-building). Of course some buildings such as the stonemason and hunting lodge are bare and boring, but that is what it was like in the colonial era. Another cool feature was the fact when resources are gathered, some buildings stack them up (Watch the forester's hut, and watch the wood stack up inside it while being collected). Overall not bad, I haven't been able to play any other Sunflowers game to see what else they are capable of but I'm sure it's good. 6/10

Sound: I really enjoyed the sound in this game; It seemed to have it all.
Music: Songs like Greeensleaves, Amazing Grace and Morning Mood for those calm moments, and assorted fight songs and “Entry of the Cavalry” for when it gets serious. A good assortment, and unlike some games not as generic which is what I enjoy about the music in this game. 8/10
SFX: Not only do you hear the sound of waves crashing against the shore, but you hear the clink of metal against rock as a stonemason attempts to free clay from a quarry, or the sound of a tree falling, or the explosions as your enemy overtakes your land with swords and muskets and cannons! Realistic, doesn't drown out the music and isn't drowned out by the music. Really good! 9/10
Voiceover/Speech: I personally find this quite annoying. Although the narrator helps explain the storyline and tells you what is going on, his voice isn't the most tolerable one. Still, it come nowhere near balancing out the great sounds in the game. 6/10
Overall Sound: 8/10

Gameplay: Nothing too special, a lot like most RTS games except the timeframe is different to ones like Warcraft and the Age Series (Of course AoE3 will be set in the Colonial Era, but at the time of writing it has yet to be released). It is more development-based than conquest, although there is a good alley for that style – more on that later. There are game scenarios, which are sequentially unlocked: finish one and the next is available, and so on. There are also set campaigns, which follow a storyline and have 4 or so scenarios. On top of that is the custom scenario mode (more recent versions of 1602 AD have a built-in editor, but there are downloadable ones around) and my personal favourite, free build – You follow your own time with no set missions, the game only ends when you either are defeated or want to quit. With difficulty levels that have set variations, it is a great mode.

The combat mode was a bit disappointing, but not surprising as that is not what the game was made for. Unit-creation buildings (castles and upwards) are expensive and very slow at creating the four type of units. Along with that are the four types of boats, so combat is ridiculously limited. Also path-finding isn't that great, as units can't move between trees and crops and try to follow the road as much as possible, making sneak attacks impossible. However I can cut them slack because the actual gameplay for colonisation is great! 8/10

Replayability: Now this was impressive. With the long scenario mode and campaigns, it may be a while before you get through it all. Unfortunately it might get a little repetitive at times but trust me, it is very fun. After that, there are custom scenarios available online and a scenario editor, and of course free build mode! With random islands every time you play, you can set your own goals for the game. It's this variety that makes the game really replayable, depending on how passionate you are for games like this; you could play for a few weeks, to a whole year. 9/10

OVERALL, I think it's a good game. With the cheap prices you can find on EBay and online, it'd be better to buy than rent, because face it – RTS games are too long to be rented. However I wouldn't expect it to have many buyers now, especially with the pending release of Age of Empires III, set in almost the same era. The difference between this and games like AoE and Warcraft is that like another reviewer said, and I thought was a great quote: “It won't degenerate into a free-for-all arms race”. It's a proper real-time strategy that does require a little strategy, a little skill and a little luck. Think of it like scrabble but on a 17th-century civilisation scale. 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/12/05