Empire Earth was released some 20 years ago and the yet the game is an amazing piece of software engineering and artistry. While Empire Earth is still a classic game, I prefer Empire Earth 2 simply because it combines the original with the Civilization series. This is a similar change that seems to occur to many games in their second iterations. Generally speaking, the original is the rough experimentation and sometimes it becomes more complex or less complex. Empire Earth 2 is the more complex approach and it is truly magnificent game with some rough edges around it.
Empire Earth 2 was a beefy game when it came out in 2005. In comparison with other RTS games, it sought to have a holisitic approach and combine many genres together. The original game was somewhat more RTS than a TBG(Turn-based game). Empire Earth was more about giving the player control and the emphasis on being a grander version of Age of Empires.
Empire Earth 2’s weather effects are a remarkable aspect of this game. Often video games in the contemporary era seem to shy away from such effects, choosing instead to focus on streamlining the experience.
Empire Earth was made in a time when streamlining was mostly something that one saw in console ports not in the PC market. Gaming on the PC was still its own hidden world, one that was separate from the consoles. It was the equivalent of finding a huge city in an endless stream of jungles. Empire Earth 2 had the privilege of having been right at the peak of PC gaming before it became too mainstream and would have its edges smoothed out by an influx of new players.
The Parthenon in this game is a true testament to this game’s beauty.
Sometimes, the best games are found in the past not the present.
While it may not young anymore, it still shines brightly and that why I enjoy playing this game and share it online with gamers.
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