$20 Game of the Week: Empire Earth 2 Platinum Edition (PC)

I can’t review the second entry in Mad Doc/Sierra’s RTS series without bring up comparisons to Microsoft/Big Huge Game’s Rise of Nations. Both games merge Civilization-style world building with Warcraft-style RTS gameplay, let you choose from several different civilizations, and require epoch advances and research to give you an edge. However Empire Earth II has a much steeper learning curve than Rise of Nations. In addition to managing armies and conducting diplomacy, you also map out war plans for your allies, deal with the weather, and research tech trees. Going through each of the tutorial scenarios is a must when starting a new game. Empire Earth II features a new picture-in-picture interface which allows you to set bookmarks and view the action from afar. You can even direct units and production. The citizen manager allows you to manage idle citizens and assign them to various tasks, such as gathering a certain resource. These new features are complicated to use, but mastering them will make it easier to coordinate the action. The game includes three campaigns: the Koreans, the Americans, and the Germans. There are also several campaigns known as ‘turning points’ which recreate key points in history such as China’s Three Kingdoms era and the World War 2 Normandy Invasion. Also part of the package is the Art of Supremacy expansion pack. It features new civilizations, campaigns, and a campaign maker. It wasn’t well received as the main game when it was released on its own, but as part of the package, it’s a pretty good value. For fans of Age of Empires who want something even deeper, Empire Earth II will reward patient players with a solid RTS experience.