Screw up and you're finished.Īs the game starts, most of your attention will be focused on producing the things you need to build up your empire to the point that it no longer needs to fear its enemies. More intimidating still, everything in the game: resources, science, military strength, land holdings, diplomatic and economic standings and transportation ability, is absolutely vital to your survival.
If you think this sounds like a lot to keep up with, score one point - you're damn right it is. While all of this is going on, you must also keep your researchers funded and working towards new inventions that will enable you to harness more of the land's resources, transport them more efficiently and build better troops with the results. As the game wears on, you'll get access to Spies that can keep you filled in on what your enemies are up to, Rail Builders that can increase your transport capabilities and Merchants that can purchase land from minor powers. Each turn you move your troops on a Risk-like map, give your workers production orders, build new forts, roads and ports with your Engineers, build up production sites with your Builders, examine unexplored land for resources with your Explorers, buy and sell goods and engage in diplomacy with other foreign powers. In addition to these major powers, there are also a number of minor powers (Switzerland, Ireland, Denmark and Scotland are a few examples) that you can team up with in economic or physical alliances or go to war with. You control one of six great powers (Holland, France, England, Portugal, Spain and Sweden) as they compete for control of resources, trade and real estate. Let's take a look at why.įor those of you not familiar with the first title in the series, here's the basic idea. After a couple of weeks with the game though, I realized that while the subject material might not be as flashy or grandiose as some of the aforementioned titles, Imperialism II not only stands up against its competition, in many ways it often exceeds it. With all of these big names battling it out for what the gaming industry keeps trying to assure us is a niche market of gamers, it might seem like a weird time for SSI to try and release their slightly less well known turn-based strategy sequel, Imperialism II. After a long dearth, we've been presented with Heroes of Might and Magic III, Civilization: Call to Power, Civilization 2: Test of Time and Alpha Centauri. A turn seldom passes when you won't be contemplating the tubs moored at your capital's port (happily, there's no need to manually choreograph maritime logistics), wondering how many should be assigned to patrols and colonial milk-runs, and how many should be made available to ferry traded goods to and from shipless minors and tribes.It's been a banner season for turn-based strategy games.
In a typically elegant piece of design, your exploring ships enable amphibious invasions, conduct blockades and piracy, and also make possible trade and intra-empire transport. It's also a heaven for transport tweakers. Each turn, you're not only attempting to buy the goods you need at prices you can afford, you're also striving – sometimes by offering subsidies – to strike deals with potential annexees. Do enough deals with a minor or tribal state and one day it may like you enough to peaceably join your empire. When one of the 20 commodity types is traded, affection grows between the two trading nations. Being an investor rather than a divestor can be incredibly satisfying.Ĭommerce and diplomacy are beautifully linked in Imperialism 2, and both are crucial. The better the relationship with the tribe, the bigger the cut. From that point on, every time the tribe sells baccy, silver ingots or whatever from the purchased land, the player receives a cut of the profits.