Age of Empires II Age of Kings Developer: Ensemble Studios Publisher: Microsoft Category: Real Time Strategy System Req: P166, 32mb Ram, 200Mb HD Win95/98 or WinNT with SP5 Might look like: Age of Empires Date posted: 3 January 2000 Written By: Ahmad - This game was tested on PII 350, 64mb Ram, Nvidia TNT, Win98 - A little Introduction In Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings -sequel to the award-winning Age of Empires- you have 1000 years to lead your people through the Middle Ages to greatness. Control one of the most powerful civilizations of the time. Decide whether to conquer the world through military might, rule through commerce and diplomacy, or seize power by means of intrigue and regicide. There are many paths to power, but only one civilization will reign supreme. Strategy games, slow paced, repetitive and ... ? Normally, I hate strategy games and would never really think of actually playing any out because I find that they are very slow paced, repetitive and don't really have any actual strategy involved. Still, I know quality when I see it and when it comes to a game like Microsoft's Age of Empires II: Age of Kings, it's hard to say that the game wasn't good. Many thought that Microsoft's entrance into the gaming market wouldn't really last very long, but with games such as this, they have nowhere to go but up! Gameplay If any of you tried the first release of this game, you'd know that it wasn't just another strategy clone, it had something new in it that ignited your interest and kept you playing. It's the same with the sequel. This game has the same evolutionary system, where you have to build up your race technologically (civilization style) and then achieve victory depending on what the goal of the mission is. One really significant addition to the genre is that in the other strategy games, you used to have no contact at all with the other players unless you were trying to kill them, but with Aoe2, you can make trade routes with each other, build alliances and treaties, and even share information, food and other resources. This adds more to the strategic value of the game, making more possible ways to win a mission.    Another thing I liked about this title was the addition of various types of nationalities that you can play, although these groups didn't really diffrentiate from each other except for a couple of units and different style of buildings, but still, its nice to have choices. One place you will get the full aspect of each team is the campaign mode, which has 5 different stories to that will take you from participating in Joan Of Arc's crusade to leading the Arabian units into glory. The campaign mode is well presented and adds to the game's fun value, except that maybe it doesn't give you the same feeling as when you play other games such as Starcraft or Command and Conquer, since the stories are not really that involving and they are rather short. Next Page Up Previous Page If you want to review your favorite game, or if you work with a computer game company and want your products reviewing, mail info@playdevil.com. All contributions are welcome. Any problems and/or suggestions are always appreciated on webmaster@playdevil.com Nothing of this entire Site, animation & logo's included, may be reproduced, stored, saved, transmitted, in any form or means, electronic, written or otherwise without the prior permission of PlayDevil. Other Logos & Names are Copyrighted Material of its respectful owners. All Rights Reserved. PlayDevil Productions © 199/8-199/9-200/0 "rip your own stuff"