Nintendo DS: Age of Empires Review
I pre-ordered Age of Empires: The Age of Kings for the Nintendo DS a while ago, figuring that I’d need something to keep me occupied while waiting for my phone line and Internet to be connected. Age of Empires is an historically accurate real-time strategy game in which players must build up a large civilisation to conquer single player scenarios or defeat the other player and is brilliant on the PC…
If you’re an Age of Empires PC game player, forget pretty much everything you already know. The scenarios and units are basically the same, but that’s where the similarities end. Where there was perpetual daytime previously, now you have days in which your group of men can only move and attack (or in the case of villagers: build) once before they need to rest.
Instead of building giant armies of archers or militia to spring attacks on the enemy, one ‘character’ represents a team of that type and targeting per special ability is a must to hold the foe back. Buildings seemed to be limited to a select few, and you have to build directly adjacent to your Town Centre. Mills cannot be built just anywhere — they must be placed on fields of wheat.
Forget creating 15 villagers to mine all of the gold before anyone else gets it; once you’ve built a mine on the gold you have to wait for it to collect itself. Villagers are left pretty useless once you’ve built farms (which seem to run themselves).
Differences aside, the game is just as addictive so far as its PC counterparts. I like the maps and building detail (even if they are on a much smaller scale) and am enjoying the challenge of making strategical moves based on individual limitations of each unit. I don’t want to give too much away because it’s only been out about 24 hours, but if you’re already a fan of the AoE series and own a Nintendo DS: go buy it now.
Anne said:
On 11 Nov at 6:39 pm
Huh…sounds interesting! Sounds like a mix between Empire Earth and Lord of the Realm (PC). In Lord of the Realm, you have limited time, too; in Empire Earth you have to put buildings in certain places or next to certain things. Sounds like fun, though!
Hillarie said:
On 11 Nov at 7:07 pm
Sounds fascinating…but I’m into the odd games that aren’t ‘cool’
Jessica said:
On 11 Nov at 9:33 pm
I so want a nintendo ds. I love those kinds of games but can’t afford jack in the electronics department of my life (not even a new tv). One day I will be a gamer again.
Gemma said:
On 11 Nov at 11:34 pm
It’s only since last week that I’ve owned a games console of any kind, and that’s a secondhand Playstation 1 that I bought to play Final Fantasy on. Nintendo DS sounds far too high-tech :)
Shannon said:
On 12 Nov at 1:56 am
Oh, I wish I had a Nintendo DS.
Dave said:
On 12 Nov at 3:53 am
Noooo! I used to play Age quite a lot and this just sounds like a bastardised version of it!! ;) @Gemma: I remember the days of buying consoles just for FF – I did it with the PS2. I spent an entire month working in Matalan to get it :)
Tiddley said:
On 12 Nov at 8:32 am
Eee, Age of Empires! I grew up playing that game, it’s like the best one ever! :P I’m even sitting next to the mythology one now! :D That one you have there sounds like no fun at all though! :o (well some fun, but limited amounts of it.) I always loved having a vast army of villagers, collecting all the resources and then retiring to live on a stupid amount of farms. Ah, fun times. :)
Chans said:
On 12 Nov at 7:10 pm
I’m not really a games person, I don’t own any other computer than my laptop. Although I have to admit that when I did still have a game computer I loved playing games like Final Fantasy.
Pam said:
On 13 Nov at 3:00 am
Hey, The game sounds interesting. I’m more into simulated living and creating story lines with characters. :) Hope the game comes soon to give you something to do.
Kelly said:
On 13 Nov at 10:30 pm
I think I’ll stick to the PC :P