Age of Empires DS

vietgurl

vietgurl

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Is anyone picking this up? GamePro gave it a pretty good review and it's coming out on the 15th. Just wondering if it'll be worth the money.
 
Hi vietgurl.Its definately worth it.If you played it for the pc then you know what to expect.I heard they adapted certain parts to use the stylus.All I gotta say is if you liked it for pc you'll probably love it for ds.
Later,
Dillon
 
I don't trust GamePro... but this game does look good.

But Strats aren't my thing and there are plenty of older DS titles I need, so this'll have to wait.
 
I already got it preordered at GameRush. I love SRPGs, so this should be fun, as it appears to be sort of a mash-up of the RTS from the PC games with a turn-based SRPG.
 
I really have never sat down and gave strategy games a chance. Maybe I should try out my Star Craft 64 thats been sitting in the closet so see if I'd like this Age of Empires game. Would SC and this game atleast be in the same genre?
 
Too bad its COMPLETELY unlike the PC version...COMPLETELY...if you're considering getting it because you've liked the AOE series on the PC, my advice is to be a little hesitant...I know I will be...
 
I can't confirm this but on another board they're reporting that EGM gave this game the "Game of the Month" rating(it tied Drill Dozer).
 
[quote name='Masterkyo']Gamer give it 3.75 out of 5 = 7.75 out of 10. Likely i'll pickup this game :)[/QUOTE]

:?: How does 3.75 + 3.75 = 7.75? It would be 7.50
 
[quote name='s3v3n777']It looks good. It is NOTHING like the PC version though.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, my understanding is that it is more like Advance Wars (in that it is turn-based) than like the PC AoE. And you know what, I actually much prefer that. I'm definitely going to pick this up at EB.

I always use the average and range of scores on metacritic as a (very) rough guide to how good a game is. There aren't many scores up yet, but it is looking good so far:

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ds/ageofempirestheageofkings

Then of course I get the game not just based on these scores, but on whether it sounds like something I might like. These good scores combined with the fact that it is a turn-based strategy game cements it for me. If I enjoy it half as much as AW Dual Strike I will be happy.

I need good airplane games and AW has been an excellent time-killer on cross-country flights. I can't play something requiring fine control or timing on an airplane, so turn-based strategy games are perfect.
 
Wow, I didn't even know this game was coming out for the DS.

Finally battery life will limit how much I play.

On the PC it's always "ONE MORE TURN! MUST QUIT BUT ONLY AFTER ONE MORE TURN!".
 
The magazine scores released so far have been pretty high. In addition to the reviews mentioned on Metacritic, EGM's reviewers gave it 9, 7.5, and 8.5, and Nintendo Power gave it an 8/10.
 
Looks like Advance Wars meets Civ. There seem to a crapload of units/ upgrades in the game. Plus IIRC 5 single player campaigns totaling 40+ hours.


I've been waiting a long time for this one.
 
If this game is anything like Advance Wars, I'll be picking it up! Speaking of it, does anyone have a copy to trade? Check my list!
 
I wasn't very interested in this game before since I didn't like AoE on the PC. Now that I know it's turn based (ie Fire Emblem) I'll tempted to pick it up. I'll wait for a price drop and see what other people think of it first.
 
I hate waiting for price drops on portable games; they disappear before they get cheap half the time. Hooray for GameRush credit!
 
Hmm, since the Age of Empires license is owned by Microsoft i wonder what there reaction will be if this game is a success?

They have a nice stable of PC franchises availible. This could get interesting.
 
[quote name='captaincold']I can't confirm this but on another board they're reporting that EGM gave this game the "Game of the Month" rating(it tied Drill Dozer).[/QUOTE]

Really, now that is really interesting. This game has looked great from teh get-go. I can't wait to buy it at Fry's, oh please oh please have this and RE: DS on sale this weekend.

Anybody can confirm it got Game of the Month?
 
[quote name='Over easy']This or RE:DS. Crap. Why must all these nice games come out all at once?[/QUOTE]

Because that's how Nintendo tries to rape our Wallets :D. Look at the end of last year....Advance Wars DS, Castlevania, Lost in BLue, Pheonix Wright, Mario Kart, and the list goes on in a fairly short amount of time. This is just a continuation of that.
 
[quote name='longdillon1']Hi vietgurl.Its definately worth it.If you played it for the pc then you know what to expect.I heard they adapted certain parts to use the stylus.All I gotta say is if you liked it for pc you'll probably love it for ds.
Later,
Dillon[/QUOTE]

Wow. thats what i always thought and i think Nintendo really delivered the best portable handheld to date.
With the stylus and the touchscreen, more of RTS games could roll out on the DS. Just imagine to play maybe C&C on the DS.
I definitly will get AoE:DS.
I just hope that more titles will come out and make good use of the stylus feature.
 
Anyone here have it and can give us impressions? I'm interested in getting this but I don't want to be burned by a bad game.
 
Just picked it up tonight, I might see about opening it. This is one of those rare purchases where I KNOW I'm going to keep before I buy it ;)
 
Okay, very brief first impressions:

This is a GREAT port of a PC RTS to the DS as a turn-based strategy game. The prerendered backgrounds are very similar to the PC games, we're just dealing with much smaller maps (at least initially).

You can use either the D-pad or stylus to select and move around, just as in Advance Wars. However, the stylus is much easier in this, as the grid is diagonal in AOE, so left is actually kinda up and left, etc.

The sound is very reminiscent of the PC versions. The battle sounds that (I believe) GameSpot wasn't too happy with (too repetitive and jarring, etc) are actually about what I recall. The battles are quick (essentially your party rushes the enemy party on the top screen and vice versa), and involve the grunts and roars that we're all used to when our units clashed on the PC.

The usual status is displayed after each mission (charts/graphs of all parties military strength, resources, etc), easily navigable (navigatable?).

My only complaint is that scrolling the screen can be difficult. Let's say you're in the middle of the screen and your movement range extends beyond your view. You will have to click to the side of the screen to scroll the screen to expose that area, then click back on your unit (which will move the screen somewhat to make sure they are on the screen completely), and then you click back to where you want to move. There may be a better way to do this, but I haven't messed around with anything else yet.

Final words: If you love AOE on the PC for what the game is, a beautiful strategy game, you will like this game. If you love Advance Wars and other turn-based strategy games, you will like this game. If you only love AOE because it's an RTS, then don't have high hopes; I think you would still like it, but you may just be upset that your favorite RTS isn't an RTS anymore.
 
Thanks, Botticus. I think I'm going to go for it as my next game purchase. I kind of doubt the price will drop on this one, since portable strategy games seem to hold their value pretty well.
 
Well, I decided to crack this open last night as well. I played through about half of the Joan of Arc tutorial campaign. Botticus pretty much covered the issues. Just want to reiterate his point about the scrolling of the screen - it can be a bit annoying when trying to move a cavalry unit in particular. You need to resort to the D-pad since clicking away with the stylus to scroll will often unselect the unit. Also, the "diagonal" or isometric view makes it hard to see and select units sometimes when they are all bunched together (unlike AW where everything is clear).

Other than those two minor quibbles, though, the game is very enjoyable. It is VERY much like Advance Wars in the combat stage. You move each unit and then attack, if possible, at the end of the unit's turn. So this makes it very different from the PC version as you can attack in the best order for your units (for example, archers can weaken an enemy first, then cavalry can come in and finish them off). The big difference from AW though is in the resource collection (simplified to just wheat and gold), town building, research, and hero powers aspects. I'm just starting to get into these in the Tuturial but they are what adds depth and strategy to the game.

By the way the Tutorial in an excellent overview of the game - no need for the instructions at all, and it is fairly quick and easy to get through (at least so far, I'm about half way). The game doesn't appear to have all the ranking and bonus collection aspects that Advance Wars has (with it's 300 medals and tons of purchasable characters, maps, etc). Also I don't think there's an upgrade system for the heros like there is for the commanders in AW. So there might be a little bit less long-term replay with this game vs with AW. There are bonus goals to achieve during the campaign and these earn you points that can be used to purchase a handful of extra units and maps. But other than achieving the bonus goals there doesn't seem to be a ranking system like in AW that rewards quick and decisive victories (except when one of the goals is something like finishing in less than 10 turns). So once you achieve all the goals there isn't much reason to replay (in AW I was trying to get 'S' rankings everywhere and this can take quite a while).

But, overall, it is definitely worth $30 - especially if you like games like Advance Wars Dual Strike.
 
[quote name='botticus']You must have missed the memo where Iwata and Reggie both told you to buy it and love it.[/QUOTE]

If you don't like it, Reggie is going to fly to your house to take your name and maybe if you're lucky, he'll send Chuck Norris to kick your ass ;)
 
Reality's Fringe said:
Turnbased? Boo!
Click to expand...

honestly, i think if this were real time it would really ruin the game. the screen is so small, it would be hard to keep track of everything.

having played it pretty much all day yesterday, i have to say that i really enjoy the game. i love hearing the old music, it still holds up. i really like the 2d art that tells the stories in campaign mode, its very clean looking and yet it looks medieval, great stuff. the units and map themselves arent the prettiest models ive ever seen. but they arent bad either, once you get used to them its not really a problem telling them apart (if all else fails look at the top screen to find out)

i like the new turn based system, like i said if it were an RTS this game might be unplayable (ill say why in a second) but the turn based system adds a new strategic element like advanced wars (though id like to say like fire emblem since there are swords involved)

i do have 2 complaints though. first, as someone said before, sometimes is a pain to move a unit long distances, this usually only happens with a mounted unit, but you hav to scroll to a part off the screen, the only way i can figure out how to do that is to switch to the dpad. that can be frustrating.

the other thing that bothers me is sometimes its hard to select a unit with the stylus, this is especially true when you have multiple units near eachother (its even worse if youre units are in the town) again, this is easily remedied by using the dpad. really, i think its only hard becaue the map is diagnol, not flat. perhaps after some adjusting it will be resolved.

now that raises the question, should you use the dpad or the stylus, personally i like using the stlylus because its easy to access the menus and for the most part the units. but there are times when the dpad can be more useful.

i would say if you were a fan of AOEII for the PC this is a no brainer, and if youre a big fan of games like advanced wars or fire emblem you should also pick this up.
 
[quote name='slidecage']i hope this game ROCKS.... I just got it off gamefly for 15.38 shipped (had a 10 buck gamefly coupon)[/QUOTE]

It does, indeed, ROCK.

After I finished up some work last night at about 2:30 AM I thought I'd put in a little AoE session before bed. Next thing I knew it was 6:30 AM :oops:. And I lost that last damn Tutorial mission (let them kill the Dauphin, just not enough units way up there in the corner when all those English kniggits showed up!).

Echoing what I said earlier (and what iheartmetal said too) you MUST use the dpad for selecting units (and buildings) at times, especially when they are all grouped together (or in your town). It is also useful in selecting who to attack, since with the stylus you can often select the wrong one.
 
[quote name='boyward']If anybody buys this and wants to get rid of it, I would let you have about $40 worth of games off of my trade list.[/QUOTE]

i should have mine Tuesday and know if im going to keep it or not by Thursday
 
[quote name='slidecage']i should have mine Tuesday and know if im going to keep it or not by Thursday[/QUOTE]

Great!

Hey, does this game have an unforgiving save system like Fire Emblem or is it more forgiving like Advance Wars, where you can save midgame and if you mess up you can just reload to where you were doing well?

EDIT: I just read this on EBGames.com customer reviews:

AOE DS IS DEFECTIVE!!!!!
Besides random game freezes there is a good chance that if you save and quit your game will not work any more. I've had two copies die after saving, and they will not work any more. This is unacceptable. Check other sites message boards, it's not just my two copies. While it played , I was having a great time, it was really good, but now they don't work. I did nothing more then save my game and quit and that was that. If you buy it ,good luck ,you'll never know when it might happen to you. If they recall it or at the very least re-release it fixed, I would buy it again no problem, I was having a great time with it.
Click to expand...

This is the first I've heard of this, but I did some checking around on the forums at IGN, Gamespot, and Majescogames.com and it seems the problem is related to the "save and quit" option. If you do a regular save and then turn the system off then the glitch doesn't happen.
 
[quote name='boyward']Great!

Hey, does this game have an unforgiving save system like Fire Emblem or is it more forgiving like Advance Wars, where you can save midgame and if you mess up you can just reload to where you were doing well?

EDIT: I just read this on EBGames.com customer reviews:



This is the first I've heard of this, but I did some checking around on the forums at IGN, Gamespot, and Majescogames.com and it seems the problem is related to the "save and quit" option. If you do a regular save and then turn the system off then the glitch doesn't happen.[/QUOTE]


Well, you can save anywhere, and if you lose the mission you can reload and then take a different approach and try again. I was able to win the second to last "Easy" campaign mission this way last night. By the way, this is a VERY long mission :D.

It is a little less forgiving than AW though in that there is only one save slot. I have not tried Save & Quit yet, but I will definitely avoid that from now on. I always played until I won or got beaten, but made use of the Save option quite frequently.

I had one case last night where I THOUGHT I had a game freeze. It went still (with the music still playing though) for about 15-20 seconds, but then finally recovered. It was right after a battle. Not sure what happened there but I was a bit nervous as I had made a lot of progress since my last save. But other than that, I'm about 20 hours into playing and have had no other problems.
 
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