Rise of Nations Thrones and Patriots

Rise of Nations Thrones and Patriots both released this month, but neither game has the same scope and control as Empire Earth. In fact, both games were released in January for the PC and Xbox. However, both games had minor control changes, with both games incorporating a real-time strategy element.

Here's a short history lesson from developer Big Huge Games and publisher Microsoft for the games, courtesy of GameSpot News.

Released on the PC in February, Rise of Nations was the third expansion pack for Age of Empires III, and it included a number of improvements over the previous expansion. The most notable of these was a graphical overhaul that gave the game a significantly higher look, as well as an entirely new interface, campaign map, siege system, and unit select screen. The game also featured many enhancements, including improved 3D AI, improved terrain graphics, and other minor enhancements.

The game was originally published by Microsoft, and Microsoft itself retained the publishing rights for Rise of Nations. However, GameSpot's review found that the new version, while still available, simply wasn't enough to justify Microsoft's acquisition of Big Huge Games, which in turn made Rise of Nations a Universal Windows Platform game. In an attempt to avoid the problems that plagued the original Rise of Nations, Microsoft decided to publish the expansion pack in order to make the game easier to play. The enhancements included support for DirectX 9.1, and now the 3D performance has been significantly increased. This means that rather than simply getting the game to look just fine, you'll actually have to turn on various graphical effects to achieve a consistent frame rate. The game also features a full day/night cycle and advanced physics. The game also boasts several new multiplayer maps, such as a hillside theme park and the massive Castle Siege level.

However, Microsoft couldn't come up with a better multiplayer game. "It's not surprising that Rise of Nations has done well," said Tony Goodman, product manager at Microsoft Game Studios. "Rise of Nations has some really good features, and we have decided to add a whole new layer of strategy for players." To that end, Microsoft is promising plenty of new features, such as improved tutorials, new game modes, and new community features, as well as new statistics, resources, and expansion packs. Microsoft also announced a DirectX 9.1 release for Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. The DirectX 9.1 release is currently scheduled for release at the end of this year.

Also new to the PC version of Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is a new skirmish mode for single-player and multiplayer games. The new skirmish mode pits two teams of two against each other, each with different factions. The maps have plenty of points to earn, as well as plenty of gates to keep players from losing. "It's a faster-paced, faster-paced version of playing in single-player mode," Tim Stapleton, director of product management at Microsoft Game Studios, said. "This is one of the new modes that we're adding, and it will really make online skirmishes much more exciting."

In addition to the skirmish mode, Microsoft also announced a few new multiplayer game modes. Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings will be released later this year for the PC.

Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is a sequel to the original Age of Empires II and will offer more control over the series' medieval, industrial, and wood age regions. According to Stapleton, it will improve the visuals, and will let players play as armies of the sort they saw in the first game. The game will also let players start the game in new ages as they did in the first game, with new bloodlines and a new generation of military units, such as the ultra-cavalry cavalry and the land archers.

The designers of Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings were careful not to divulge too much about the gameplay, and it doesn't seem to take long for players to get their hands on Age of Kings. In addition, the game will have a new interface that is similar to that of the original game, and will come with additional elements such as new game modes such as "life" and multiplayer games.

Unfortunately, the company stopped short of revealing any more details about the game's graphics, including the particulars of its gameplay and the like. However, in the meantime, we checked out the new screenshots and movies for the game, and they looked as though they were shaping up nicely.

Age of Kings will also support four-player online matches.

The graphics in the game show the return of the series' historical roots. While there are definitely new additions, the majority of the most striking changes have been made to the look of the original Age of Kings, the interface, and the game itself.