Tag: review

Empire Earth vs Empire Earth 2: Two Games of Contrast

Empire Earth and its sequel are a study in contrasts. There are two games that represent differing ideas about what a game is. Empire Earth attempts to represent the classic RTS genre while Empire Earth 2 is attempting to chase after a new audience while being able to please the fans.

Empire Earth is about tactics and free form in its nature. It is a game that allows you build buildings anywhere.

Empire Earth 2 is more about strategic thinking and planning. The game integrates Civilization style scale with the RTS style.

Which game is better here?

Empire Earth at this point in time has remained the more popular of the two. On YouTube, Empire Earth 2 is largely obscure, only going due to the efforts of a few users.

Empire Earth however retains a thriving multiplayer scene. While not as lively as it once was in the past, there are significant number of players who enjoy it.

What is the reason for Empire Earth 2 being more obscure now? I believe it has to do with the overcomplication of the game.

Sometimes reinventing the wheel can be exciting but you are wasting money while your rivals are using tried and true technology which works now.

Empire Earth 2 attempts to put the Civilization series onto the structure of a RTS game.

Empire Earth knew what it was. The main selling point was the movement through history. That is what mattered to the players.

Empire Earth 2 was too much of a leap and Empire Earth was the comfy home which had the warm cookies made by your mom.

Many video games struggle with this. How much change should a game have? Sometimes its best to refine than to create something from scratch.

Empire Earth’s longevity as a game is a testament to the excellent structure and gameplay. It truly is a game that means what it says: Epic is too small a word.

The wide as an ocean and shallow as puddle worked just right for Empire Earth. That is why players continue to play and enjoy it.

Why the Video Game Reviewers need to stop proping up bad or mediocre games

There is general idea among regular gamers that professional reviewers are basically being bribed to push game sales. While we cannot say that this is the truth in every instance, it is clear that there many journalists are no longer able to review games without trying to use them to prop up their factions in culture wars.

It seems to me that the video game reviewers have become more like political activists rather than people who are actually trying to play the games and show their thoughts on it.

Some of it is a cultural change in our culture. The video game industry was seen as a not serious industry by many governments. It was simply part of the entertainment industry, which in the highly technocratic era of the Post-World War 2, was not seen it as a threat to their power. However, more recently, people have started to take a closer look at video games.

Politics and video games do not really mix as video games unlike movies, were truly seen as diversions not were taken up by the avant-garde. This means that video games have been more a product of middle-class values and concepts

However, more recently, people who tend to be more political have been getting more interested into video games. With this attention, they are bringing along the baggage which has been hurting the industry and its ability to make games.

What we need to is to return to when Video Games were made for people playing games.

We do not need activists in our games. Neither should they be in any form of media. Activism in this age seems more of a way to help one’s side of an oligarchical system in America.

Video games should return to being about entertainment and telling an inspiring story that matters to people of all ages, races and abilities.

When the video game industry and its critics manage to stop being so elitist, then the industry will be able to make great games that people will purchase and cherish.