This is a great game. I remember when I first got this, I was overwhelmed. But after a while, you get used to the game. The game starts by giving you a single settler or more if it is an easy difficulty. From there you establish cities, build them up, settle more cities and eventually go to war. You can take your nation from fighting with spears and swords to battling on the skies, zooming about in highly-advanced jets. If you are looking for a nice, long game, or maybe even a short little adventure, this is a great game.
But there are several flaws. The most obvious of which being the lack of good AI. Although the computer can butt heads with a human on the lower difficulty levels, as you become more experienced you leave the computer in the dust. Honestly, it’s pretty sad. But then again, when you are that confident, you can play on the ridiculously hard deity. But giving the computer bonuses on higher difficulty levels doesn’t stop bad AI.
Instead of stopping your huge army moving to their capital, the AI will try to destroy that one scout unit. Also, you can predict where the enemy is going to attack, allowing you to fortify those areas and slaughter the attackers. Or building a Great Wall in a deserted, ice continent.
Also, the diplomacy system, though advanced, leaves you wanting. Honestly, the AI has the diplomatic skills of an old chair. It is possible to reduce them to a single city, no money and no army, and be on the verge of defeating them, just to have them offer a wildly unfair peace.
They don’t honor alliances very well (“Hey buddy! Even though you’re way stronger than I am, gave me all of my technology, are right next to me, and have been a loyal ally for 1,000 years, I think I’m going to pillage some of your improvements and then take your city!”), they often form questionable alliances (such as two nations who have never met, and who started on opposite sides of the continent making a pact to stop your aggression, when you haven’t harmed a fly or declared war on anyone), and they aren’t really good with borders or trade. In addition, the combat system, though fun, is kind of ridiculous. I don’t know how a unit of spearmen in the open field can defeat a battalion of battle tanks, but I’ll trust the game on this one.
But I think that the pretty obvious flaws are outweighed by the sheer fun of the game. Utterly crushing those same nations who were jerks to you earlier with super-advanced tanks is a big kick. The empire building is good, the battle system is good, and it’s a great game.
