MIke_Levin

With this game, you now know what it is like to fly in a spacecraft. Before you're about to become a pilot, if you want to know what it feels like to ride in a flight craft or a spacecraft and that you prefer it in a Star Wars style, this game and Rogue Squadrons will definitely provide you those feelings well. In this game, you would most likely have to be in a PC game w/ a joystick (required). Yeah! Getting these things are a pain, esp. when there aren't many of them or that few people have/used them nowadays. But if you think about it, how would you think the cockpit of a flight craft (whether in fighter or large-passenger ones) would realistically look like. They're most likely what this game would look like, a joystick w/ many buttons to press on (though probably more than what you have on a keyboard). Not only is this game realistic (1997 and nowadays), but the simulation feels real and engulfing, just as much as any other good, flight-simulation games. The only con I can think of is that while the graphics look great as of the 1997 standards, it still feels weird as of nowadays. Also, the space (while technically limitless) feels limited. You'll deal w/ spacecrafts, frigates/starships, and space stations, and impacting/crashing them will feel real. (and that's it!). The background is just black w/ a bunch of stars. There's no planets in it. This can get problematic to some people who're trying to turn their spacecrafts around to their targets w/o losing direction. They do have those targeting screens at the bottom of your screen, though they'll be "damaged" if your health is low. But, that's the only thing you can rely on to reach your targets, that there's no alternatives like looking out the window. Also, there's limited-to-not much asteroids or debris you'll need to avoid encountering. So while it's missing some things on making it more realistic, it's still realistic as it is and it'll feel like a real flight simulation. You can arguably say that X-Wing vs. Tie Fighters is one of the many groundbreaking, flight simulation games in the 90s.

Had this when I was a child, around 1998-1999. I'll never forget that moment of how much fun and enjoyment it was. In the 1998 standards, the graphics are great, and the dog fighting simulations are very enjoyable and really engulfing. Even though they're limited to planets & 1 space station (Death Star), meaning there's no battles in space like Rogue Squadron 2 or X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter games, you really feel like you're inside the cockpit, piloting these spacecrafts and going through these missions; these engulfing feelings can get into you whether in PC (keyboard or joystick) or video games. As of now, the graphics aren't as beautiful as the nowadays kinds. But, they're not ugly at all. The spacecrafts and vehicles look just like those in the Star Wars movies, and the impact (a.k.a. crashing and thus losing a life) felt real. Even now, it still feels like a simulation that one can get **** into. If there's one con that I had to nitpick about, it's the background music. They're not awful. But, the Star Wars music doesn't sound like those in the movies. They sound really weird. But still, it's not bad and that it's only a nitpick, nothing seriously needed to take into account. This game is great and I'll personally recommend it to anyone (child-to-adult, fan or no-fan of Star Wars).

This game is just like Age of Empires 2: Age of Kings, but with more civilizations, limited difficulty modes, and additional tools/tactics that's never been seen before in the Age of Empires franchise. From looking at the critics, they don't like it as much as Age of Empires 2: Age of Kings; it's probably because there's not much new things going on, that a few additional tools/tactics didn't affect them as much as the additional tools/tactics difference between Age of Empires 2 and Age of Empires 1. But still, if you like Age of Empires 1 & 2 or just 2, you'll like this one too, for they're no different from each other.

It's based on the Age of Empire Games from the 1997 & 1998. While they contain many materials, content, and strategies that is just like those in the past, this one has addition buttons/tools to use that was absent before and that it would make your work a lot easier to do. They're smart and helpful. But, the biggest bonus about this game is the effects: it looks more beautiful than Age of Empires or Age of Empires: Rise of Rome. I love the way they look. The dialogue or character talks was also a bonus that the previous games didn't include much. The content, strategy mode, and A.I. intelligence level is in the same style as the previous games. But, the game is more easier and more interesting than before.

Just made my review for Ages of Empires (1997) game. This is no different, except that they have Rome in addition to Egypt, Greece, Babylon, and Yamamoto. The Rome stages are just like other ones, and that's great!

I first played this game when I was 6-7 years old; it was in 1997-98. Boy, was this game addicting, and fun, and awesome. I was both scared and excited at each level I come across. Scared because each stage, in each civilization, was difficult and that I often lose. Yet for some reason, I always come back and try them again, and no one was influencing me on this. I always come back, feeling that maybe I I try it again and learn my mistakes, I'll be able to win it. That was my approach at each stage when I was a kid. As an adult, I was able to solve more battle problems easily. Yet, the game was still fun as hell. Sure, the graphics of this game isn't as beautiful as the nowadays. (what can you expect from a game in 1997 be compared to 2016). But in their time, their effects were considered great; it's still beautiful even now (just looks old, that's all). While the effects/CGI is debatable, the key is the game's content and strategy. Playing through this game teaches you and helps you develop a strategic mind, esp. to young children like I was when I first played them. Another good thing is their mode of difficulty: changing levels would change the A.I.'s intelligence level you're combating against, and that's vital for a real-time strategy game. You'd need that in order to develop your mind well, and the earlier you start it the better. Another good thing about this game is the history education. At every battle, there's a mission objective, hints, and history about them. I've fact-checked their histories, and (unless I'm wrong) none of them are BS. What ever history you read, you're safe to absorb them and be convinced that they're true. Ages of Empires is not only educational in developing a smart, strategic mind for young children, but also good (and maybe interesting) history lessons.

I've already wrote a review on how awesome the previous game, Star Wars: Empire at War, was. This game is very much like the previous game w/ few exceptions; that's the Zann Consortium: new faction, characters, units, buildings & stations, some unique abilities that the Empire or Rebellion don't have, new planets, and few more. Just like my previous review, it has one con and many pros in it. Con: like before, predictable later in time, and that unpredictability (esp. when increasing A.I.'s intelligence) is important on making a "best strategy game." Pros: like before w/ some additions. The Zann Consortium's technologies was awesome. It makes me want to support fictional space pirates. Tyber Zann is one bad mother-f. His military genius makes him so special. His partner, Urai Fen, and a-little-antagonistic-partner, Silri, are also cool. The Zann Consortium faction is awesome, in addition to the Empire's and Rebel Alliance's.

This game is amazing! For me, there's only one con and many pros on this. Con: later on in the game, you'll be able to predict its patterns and thus be able to defeat them easily in easy, middle, and hard levels. The difficulty of this game is more on stronger/harder-hit units or more amount of units deployed in combat, than on actually increasing the A.I.'s intelligence that you're competing against. Increasing A.I.'s intelligence would make one feel like they're playing chess against them; that's very vital on making a best strategy game. Pros: awesome CGI, the strategic/tactical challenges you'll initially encounter, some characters, units, storytelling, and pretty much everything else. This game was very addicting to me. When I've bought it, I've played it for hours until I get bored w/ it and then left for some time; one week later, I'm still playing it again. For someone who's 1) a Star Wars fan, 2) likes strategy games like Ages of Empire, and 3) really into CGI 3D effects, this game is it.

There are some "goods" and "bads" in this game. The goods: Consistent w/ the Law & Order franchise, very educational, and great plot line for the most part. I like that they preserved the well-known Law & Order characters into this game, though I don't know why it has to be a repetitive pattern (same characters on the odd episode only: 1, 3, 5, and 7, and on even episodes only: 2, 4, and 6). Its style of material and content is also very Law & Order. In terms of its education, you can use the skills you've learned in this game to your real life. One of them is during the beginning of Episode 1: in their instructions, one quote was "You must remember evidence and testimony to help you judge truth from lies." That's a very important and useful tip that you may want to remember and use in real life, such as for maintaining a stable and healthy relationship with others. Another is the court tactics that's being used, such as Leading, Badgering, Hearsay, No Expertise, Speculation, Ask & Answered, etc., in addition to the fact that sometimes "a well-aimed jab at the defendant can score points with the jury, even though you have to withdraw it," and that you need to know how to manipulate information being used such as asking or bringing the right questions/information that will help your case and and avoid those that will harm your case. These court tactics is potentially very helpful for pre-law or law students (though mostly helpful for future criminal lawyers than for other lawyer kinds, civil or corporate for instance) and for anyone that could potentially face court lawsuits in the future. In terms of strong plot, it's Law & Order (what can you say about it!) and that that's one of Telltale Game's strongest elements in their **** of these things fascinated me at the beginning of the episodes. But then at latter episodes, it's becoming more repetitive that 1) I'm already accustomed to this game and their skills, and that 2) repetition did bother me a little (but not much!). The bads: voice acting/recording and CGI isn't good. The actors and actress's voices weren't flowing consistently with their characters. It can distract me on thinking "it's just a game," and not letting me feel engulfed into this game; the feeling of being engulfed, of being awed, into something is a critical element on making a movie, game, book, or anything to be considered "Great." The CGI also prevents me from feeling engulfed into it. They more look like cartoon characters. Their edges aren't as smooth as what a really good 3D effect look. Yet knowing that it's a Telltale Games, looking back into Jurassic Park: The Game and Back to the Future: The Game, this didn't surprise me much. That's all of the "goods" and the "bads" that sticks out the most. If you're the kind that's too sensitive to CGI and voice acting/recording effects, take my word on this: the sloppy voice acting was weird, but their CGI is very common to Telltale; if bad CGI really bothers you, then don't look into Telltale Games. Yet, you'll be missing out the good parts such as it's education and the plot (also common Telltale). If education really is important to you, try to mentally block-out the terrible CGI and voice acting and focus on its content material, and then you'll be getting the education you want. If that's not really important to you, you don't have to play or buy it. That's OK too.