Platform: PC
Published by: Microsoft
Price: US$19.99
Age of Empires on the DS is one of those games that just seems to come out of nowhere. Very little to almost no hype, I think just about everyone I know was pretty surprised to see that this former PC juggernaut could actually be viable and enjoyable on Nintendo’s double screened handheld.
First off, Age of Empires has been completely retooled to be more “user friendly” on the DS. Instead of forcing you to be quick with the point and click, everything has become turn based, with a style of play that closely resembles Advance Wars. Even with this gameplay change, there’s quite a few classic Age of Empire elements left intact.
Age of Empires DS takes things to the medieval ages, giving you control over five different factions, which include: The Franks, Japanese, Mongols, Britons and the Saracens. Each faction has their own campaign to play, with storylines revolving around famous historical figures, such as Joan of Arc, Genghis Khan, and many more. It’s a nice touch to put in some “names” to really draw in people with the battles. It gives everything a bigger sense of importance when you feel like you’re actually contributing to history in some fashion. All the campaigns are incredibly well conceived, with different challenges, optional missions, sleights, and other tactical mind benders. You can literally spend hours in one sitting without realizing how much time you’ve spent playing.
The game bears a pretty close resemblance to Age of Empires 2, both in look and gameplay. The top screen of the DS is used to show terrain info, information about units, while the bottom screen is your actual play screen. Every turn you’ll move units, engage in battle, spend time in research and build up. All the standard RTS rules apply here as well. Units need gold and food to help maintain their status, but the game doesn’t go off the deep end when it comes to keeping an eye on everything either.
Anyone that’s played an RTS before will realize that the key to strategy is in building a force that doesn’t mirror your opponent, but is better suited to breaking thru defenses. Most units will have a counter unit, something that can easily whomp them on the field, much in the way a game of rock-paper-scissors would work. You can spend time in upgrading your available units as well, or toss a bit of effort into developing new units and weapons. The choice is up to you, and keeps the game fresh every time you go to play it.
All in all, Age of Empires is a fantastic addition to the DS library and provides exactly what is needed when it comes to strategy on the go. If you’ve been looking for something to play after finishing up Advance Wars DS, look no further; this is the
- Dustin Chadwell currently resides in Ohio, USA. He's been playing video games since the Atari 2600, and believes he can whoop anyone's ass in Joust, and Galaga. Probably not Halo 2 though. New technology tends to confuse him.