Empire Earth

Pros

• Immensely complex and dynamic storyline
• Unparalleled tactical and strategic options
• Familiar controls and gameplay

Cons

• Limited updates to graphics and sounds
• No markets to buy, sell, and exchange resources
• Limited continuity between each chapter

For individuals who like ambitious games, Empire Earth spans 500,000 years of human history as an exciting and engaging real-time strategy.

When playing Empire Earth for the first time, most players are going to immediately notice its similarities to other titles in the genre. Not only was the design team pulled from some of the most renowned RTS developers in the world, it is also basically created on the same combat engine that Ensemble Studios has used for countless other games. What the Empire Earth lacks in originality, however, it makes up for with a new twist on strategy gaming and a huge variety of units, structures, maps and play types.

As most strategy games have begun the slow decline into quicker bursts of action, quite the opposite is true of Empire Earth. While there are still some great scenes of larger battles playing out against a huge amount of units, the depth of strategy that one will need when playing this game extends beyond simply min-maxing with more powerful units. The story stretches across 14 unique periods of warfare including futuristic battles pushing well past 200 years from the present date.

The campaign takes on a huge portion of human history spanning all the way back to migrations coming out of the Cradle of Civilization. Unfortunately, this also means that the continuity between each of the chapters is somewhat lacking, especially when compared to titles such as AoE. While this may seem disappointing, the lack of a cohesive storyline is made up for with the big names in history ranging from Alexander the Great to Menelaus. As time progresses through each of the chapters, players will find themselves working through some of the most prominent battles and events that have ever taken place.

When it comes to actual gameplay and controls, players that have ever touched a traditional RTS for the PC are going to feel right out home. The overall layout and keyboard macros are identical to countless other titles, which means little or no learning curve. What players will need to focus on is the bigger picture of each campaign and chapter. Animal species that are hunted too aggressively could be made permanently extinct and over-mining various resources could mean a huge dent in one’s economy if they are not careful.

For those who love this genre, Empire Earth is going to be both familiar and a bit strange from the start. While the overall feel and appearance is not groundbreaking, it is the simple, strategic and tactical additions that help this game keep pace with newer titles.

Pros

• Immensely complex and dynamic storyline
• Unparalleled tactical and strategic options
• Familiar controls and gameplay

Cons

• Limited updates to graphics and sounds
• No markets to buy, sell, and exchange resources
• Limited continuity between each chapter