Remember the good old days, when game companies
used to release totally different games instead of just rehashing an old idea
they had and then putting new graphics into the same engine and releasing it as
a new game?
Man, those were the good old days. Unfortunately,
Sierra doesn't remember their old school roots, or maybe that's because the
first Police Quest, Space Quest, King's Quest and
Leisure Suit Larry all used the same engine? Maybe that's the only way they
know how.
Anyway, with the price of games skyrocketing
faster than the price of oil these days, a gamer's gotta be making sure they get
a good game for their cash. So I was curious when I saw this game up for sale. I
figured it was Sierra, they might have something here, and gave Emporer: Rise of
the Middle Kingdom a look.
When I finished the install, and started up the
game, I realized I'd been had! This was just Caesar III with different
graphics and a storyline in medieval China. Curse you Sierra! It's like the guys
up there are saying, "If I have to go from being super rich, so rich, I'll kill
myself!" Roger Wilco is spinning in his grave...and disturbing Leisure Suit
Larry's sleep. What made you lose your way so thoroughly? Was it the time you
spent up near Fresno? I hope so, because that's the story I've been going with
so far.
For those of you that never played any of the
Caesar series, you may be in luck. This'll be a totally new game to you. Also,
hardcore fans of Caesar will enjoy this, too. Anyway, here's how the basic
concept of the game goes. Think SimCity with a clearly defined goal.
You're the governor of a province of China (or the
ruler of a Dynasty. I just figure Governor works better, because I don't think
rulers of Dynasties zone off residential areas and watch people move in.) you
have to meet whatever goals are assigned to you at the beginning. This will
involve building roads, houses, and all sorts of other sundry things to keep
your people happy enough, so you'll have met your goal by the end of a certain
amount of time, or before armies come in to make fertilizer out of your people.
To this end you must make sure people's sanitation
level is high enough, that they have a high enough quality of food, enough
entertainment, they have a place for their religion, and make sure their
buildings are routinely inspected so they do not collapse into unaesthetic piles
of rubble.
The beginning of the game gets quite addictive,
it's the later parts of the game that end up destroying my fun with Caesar after
a set period of time. I started to loathe this series for two reasons. First
off, it is now 2 games too long. Second, there are TOO MANY MISSIONS.
As I stated earlier, the game's fun at the
beginning. But by the time you've progressed into the campaign to get the really
cool stuff, the game has gotten boring and repetitive in a BIG way. In Caesar,
you were just supposed to continue building your empire into adjacent provinces.
By the time you finished the 3rd or 4th, most people were not going to sit
around and watch the city get built all over again. They, like me & my
roommates, packed Caesar in a box, and put it up on Ebay or on a shelf.
In Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom, the
problem is slightly different. You have to carry out missions within the same
city. This gets really bothersome, because in Caesar III you would know that
you'd be in trouble, but you'd throw some quick fix gardens or wells up to make
people happy temporarily. If you do that now, you have to live with those
mistakes for the next mission. Confronted with the choice of bulldoze city,
replay last mission better, or stop playing game, most gamers I know are going
to go with Option 3, because it's the least vexing.
Anyway, for the first time player, there are some
benefits to the game. First off, if you do enjoy SimCity, this is going to be
right up your alley. It goes a level of intricacy deeper than SimCity does, in
that you'll be asked to defend your city at times, and have to build up armies
to repel troops. You also have to watch out for their sanitation by placing
wells and herbalists around town, or you may have a rampaging disease problem.
There are a lot of factors that you'll have to monitor to keep the good people
of your Dynasty happy, or they'll all move and go to a different Dynasty. ("Hey,
that Dynasty's got cable!")
As I said, ever for me, a veteran of this series
who had gotten tired of playing it, the game was enjoyable for a few levels.
Definitely not $40 worth of levels, though. Maybe you could start with the last
Dynasty's campaign and actually stay interested long enough to run through that
one, but still, really not worth the price of admission. That said, a first time
player will get their money's worth from the game, and hopefully that's what
Sierra was shooting for, because honestly, anyone who played Caesar III is going
to see right through this game.
So for anyone who hasn't played any of the games
in the Caesar series, $40 might not be too bad of a price to be introduced to
it. Hardcore fans of the Caesar series can also consider that recommendation to
be for them, too. Other than that, everyone else can view Emperor: Rise of the
Middle Kingdom to be Emperor: Fall of the Caesar Series.
 
EMPEROR: RISE OF THE MIDDLE KINGDOM
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Emperor:
Rise of the Middle Kingdom
