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B&W 400 mhz/128 RAM |
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Reviewed by Marty Dodge
All images in this review can be enlarged by clicking on them
What a concept! A strategy game for the Mac that is not a sequel. This is not just another game that has been updated to take into account the new technology available to Mac users. Granted this is a port of a game that has been out for the PC for a long time, has an interesting add-on and it about to see its sequel. Of course because of this you have access via the web and in book form to lots of information, cheats and hints on how to win this sometime diabolically hard game. The training mission(s) are well worth starting on. They may seem a tad easy and dull at first but that soon changes. The instruction book is very useful, but not that necessary. In addition, the game includes a helpful tip sheet that contains all sorts of useful information that can be accessed in an instant. Another advantage to Mac users is that PC users find any problems with the game.
As you may know, Age of Empires is Microsoft's
ground breaking strategy game where you guide a civilization
from the stage of hunter- gathers all the way up to the Iron
Age. Most of these civilizations are based around the
Fertile Crescent in the Middle East. You have many to choose
from, each with distinct advantages and disadvantages on the
path to the Iron Age. For the most part the descriptions of
the tribes are historically accurate. Not surprisingly a
tribe that got its start on an island chain is better at sea
craft than a landlocked one. You have a choice of playing
scenarios in a campaign to greatness or starting on a random
map ranging from small to huge, with your choice of number
of opponents and type of terrain. Be warned however that a
huge map with a large number of civilizations can be taxing
to even the fastest of Mac systems.
As can be expected from this type of game there is a significant multiplayer element to Age of Empires, allowing you to play over a LAN or the internet. LAN play, unlike Civ II Gold is easy to set-up and very stable. I have played at least 6 games in varying settings and never once had a crash. I ran this on a 100baseT Ethernet LAN with Hub between a B&W 400/128 and G3 233/32. We had no problems and it was an absolute blast, even when my friend and I both got our tails kicked by computer opponents. There is a deathmatch setting in which you are given all the resources you could ever need in an elimination race for supremacy. You may play over either Appletalk or TCP/IP. I understand that there are some problems with internet based play but these problems have not caused anywhere near the outpouring of frustration caused by CivII Gold.
The interface on this game is amazingly good. Your
units are large enough so that it is very hard to lose them
in the fray unlike similar cases in other games of this
type. As someone who has played the PC version of this game,
I can tell you Macsoft have done an amazing job of improving
the interface. I found the game much easier to play that the
PC version. Once I got used to using the mouse and the Apple
key at the same time to give orders. Never once have I had
the frustration of units getting lost or not doing as I tell
them. You still have to pay attention and to send units in a
as straight a line as possible as to not get them hung up,
but much less than other games of this type.
The animation in this game is nothing short of amazing, even down to being able to watch each villager cut a tree and collect wood. The cut-scenes and FMV are a pleasure to behold, especially after you have emerged victorious from one scenario or other. The only real frustration in gameplay is the limit of 50 total units at any one time. The easy way to avoid this limit is either by getting some of your lesser units killed or by hitting the delete when you have selected a unit. A tad crude but effective. On the PC there was a patch which allows this limit to be overcome, hopefully we shall see this on the Mac as well.
This game is highly addicting and you can expect
to lose sleep, as a result of the longer scenarios. As with
most games, you know its good when you are unable to tell
that time has elapsed. Playing AoE 3 or 4 hours straight
when involved in a long scenario is not unusual.
Fortunately, it is possible to save the game at any time and
the scenario orders are available at any time in the game
should you forget what you were suppose to be doing. In most
of the levels it is possible to win two different ways,
either achieving the victory conditions or by wiping out all
your opponents. This latitude allows endless play that will
keep you occupied for months to come. Those who are builder
types, can even create their own scenarios to challenge
their abilities.
As far as I am concerned, this is the best game of its type ever made for any platform. I hope that Macsoft and Microsoft will be able to bring the sequel Age of Empires II, which runs from Rome to the Middle Ages to the Mac. This an absolute must for anyone who has even a passing interest in anything other than shoot'em up type games. There is enough action to keep action fans happy and enough strategy to keep strategy fans happy. I never thought Warcraft II would ever be topped in my all time great games list but Age of Empires has done just that.
An essential purchase for all mac gamers. If you
rush, you can get a $10 mail-in rebate from Macsoft.
Editor's Note: As of 8/02/99, this is only the second game ever to get a perfect score by the MGA.
