PC Hardware & Games

It's like Da Vinci, but with magic!

Video: 4
Sound: 4
Gameplay: 3

The real-time strategy genre, which has been around about 16 years now, really hasn't seen a lot in the way of innovation. At least not successful innovation - too many of the so-called "improvements" were merely novelty features that bogged down the overall experience. This is a big reason why Rise of Nations, when it came out just over two years ago was such a success. It successfully blended the typical resource management and technological advances of an RTS with the exploration and expansion of a turn-based game like Civilization. This no doubt because game creator Brian Reynolds had previously been a producer on past Civilization titles.

The original RoN focused on players taking a civilization from the Stone Age to the Modern Age, while battling rival nations and expanding their empire… and letting you do so in about an hour! So for a follow-up the team behind the game decided to do something a bit different, namely mix the "steam punk" technology of Leonardo da Vinci with a magical themed world reminiscent of Simbad's Seven Voyages. The result is a fantastic looking and sounding game that can still be played in about an hour. That's the good news, the bad news is that experience almost feels like something a well-intended fan would make, not a veteran game designer.

The first problem is in what's missing: namely the civilizations to play! Rise of Nations featured a dozen playable powers, with special advantages for each. This summer's Rise of Legends reduces the number to three, and while each is unique they almost feel like they're pulled from different games. The Vinci are a race based on those wacky inventions of the Italian "code" master himself, with robotic Clockwork Men and steam-driven tanks. These Renaissance men face off against a race of Arabian-styled wizards called the Alin, along with their magical monsters and strange creatures. And then there are the Cuolt, an alien race that has a bit of an ancient South American flare. Each side has its own completely unique structures and even slightly different economic system. This mixes things up a bit, but unfortunately adds to the learning curve as a result.

One area where Rise of Legends vastly pales in comparison is in the handling of the "conquer the world" mode, which was one of the highlights of RoN. This mode allowed you to play a large strategic turn-based game (ala Risk) and jump into some real-time strategy action at a tactical level. Instead RoL campaign bogs down with a predictable two-bit storyline and numerous scripted events. Thus for RTS fans, the core of the game is going to be the quick skirmishes and multiplayer modes. There is lot to keep your interest however, including a massive amount of maps, which as previously mentioned can easily be conquered in about an hour. With multiplayer difficulty settings, and the ability to play cooperatively against multiple computer-controlled powers the game offers a lot of re-playability - that is until you get tired of playing the same civilization against the same civilizations.

The interface and visuals of the game are truly excellent. The color palate makes seeing your forces and your enemies on a corner mini-map quite simple. The isometric view is fairly standard, but the game doesn't go overboard with 3D objects. You can zoom in and out of the map quite easily however, and unit control is pretty simple. The art is simply magical (no pun intended), and each of the units is so well thought out, that you almost can understand why there are so three powers. The Vinci's buildings and units look straight out of the inventor's sketchbook, while the floating cities of the Alin are really quite breathtaking. The Mayan look of the Cuotl is a bit less impressive, but still well designed and rendered. The settings, especially in the skirmishes, are well balanced and the randomness of each game further aids to the game's re-playability. RoL supports 32-bit graphical resolution up to 1280x1024 as well as 1280x960, along with an option for Anti-Aliasing, including low, medium and high sampling.

Audio has always been hit or miss with RTS games, but RoL has some great surround sound effects that help evoke the mood of this strange land, and equally strange powers. The designers tried to make the units sound as different as they look, and in that regard they succeeded very well. The musical score is mostly a retread of the RoN score, and while an Italian Baroque piece might have been suited to the Vinci, how would you create music for the other powers? On the down side there are a few bugs at times, including dropouts where buildings explode without the expected massive sound. Hopefully a downloadable patch will address any of these problems.

Over all, Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends is a fairly innovative RTS. It can be a fun game, and like its predecessor, one that can easily played a short period of time. But while RoN was a classic that remains so, RoL will likely be yet another strategy game that is slowly forgotten over time - unlike those old sketches of Da Vinci.

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