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.
