Accessories

Nothing But Software ?
I received my package today to find that I only received a DVD-ROM CD and the key codes. Even though their company name may hint at it, I did not receive what was pictured in the actual item - was expecting a retail box version of the game. Did I miss something in the description that insinuated that I would be getting what appears to be a OEM version of the game ? I just happen to be one of the consumers who appreciates the packaging and instructions for games. I'd like some feedback, if possible.

Thank you !

Not fun
This game is impossible. Why bother making it if it's impossible. One unit of a certain type could easily wipe oot a whole frickin' army of another! OCH!!!!!!

Overlooking Rise of Legends
I would implore those reading this to think of buying this NOT so much for Rise of Nations as they would for buying Rise of Legends, with a throw in of the old "Rise of Nations." Rise of Nations, frankly, wasn't all that great. It wasn't much fun, and indeed was no more than a Microsoft knock off of the Age of Empires series.

Rise of Legends, however, gives you a completely different experience. There are no nukes, three completely different sides, all with different tactics needed, interesting tech trees, a far more interesting economy than Rise of Nations--in fact, if you can get "Rise of Legends" from gogamer.com (if they get it back in stock or if you can find it on a "$5.99 Crystal Only" shelf somewhere). Rise of Legends is a tremendous game and an even better long term multiplayer game. So If you're considering buying this, I would suggest you think of yourself as buying Rise of Legends with Rise of Nations thrown in as an extra, not the other way around. In all of the reviews I read, people review Rise of Nations. Nobody seemed to review "Rise of Legends" where you're given four "Heros" each of which goes up in level, rises in power, can certainly turn the tide of battle and in certain cases (especially with airborn heroes) can occasionally take smaller locations by themselves. It's a vastly different game from Rise of Nations. That's why I rated this 4/4--because it included Rise of Nations. If it were "Rise of Legends alone it would have received a 5 of 5. Here it's a year later and much like Supreme Commander, I STILL play Rise of Legends multiplayer with my friends via Skype. If you can, as I said earlier, try to get Rise of Legends itself and skip Rise of Nations completely, unless you've never played any of the Age of Empires games in which case it's barely worthwhile. But if you want to reach THAT far back in gaming history, find a system that will run the two Kohan games and skip the whole "Age of" series. I would also recommend Majesty and the Majesty:Northern Expansion, both of which have been on my hard drive for eight years now.

Age of Empires prequel
This is a 3d-that-looks-more-like-2d prequel to Age of Empires, the game play is fun, though a bit klunky. Good tutorial, and fun if you'd like an AoE sidekick, with a similar though not very eye-popping interface.

Great buy!
The reviewer who called this game boring totally missed out by playing only 1 out 5 of the campaigns. The Conquer the World campaign is fun, but yes it is the typical run of the mill RTS. But, the other campaigns have very different scenarios! For example, the Cold War campaign (my favorite) brings alot of historical perspective as you choose between propping up puppet governments or supporting rebel uprising, seeking appeasement with the Russians or going for all out nuclear war.

This game is a great buy, especially at the current price. I played it nonstop for 2 months and I break it out for about a week or two every couple of months.

Big Note: Don't lose the product key!