• Publisher: VU Games
  • Release Date: Apr 26, 2005
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 39 Critics What's this?

User Score

Mixed or average reviews- based on 59 Ratings

  • Summary: Prepare to serve up worldwide conquest on an epic scale once again with Empire Earth 2. Become the greatest conqueror of all time by creating, building and forging the grandest of all empires as you progress through 15 epochs that span more than 10,000 years of history. Introducing new units, powers and leaders through 3 expansive campaigns, Empire Earth 2 will once again set the standard for real-time strategy games with the latest technology and features that expand both the single-player and multiplayer experience. Relive more than 10,000 years of history as you lead one of 14 different civilizations spanning 3 distinct campaigns that feature all-new units, powers and leaders under your control. Challenge an all-new reactive and dynamic artificial intelligence system that will adapt to your every move and test the limits of your strategic warfare knowledge. Adapt to ever-changing weather conditions and constantly revolving seasons that will impact your civilization's growth and necessitate new tactical initiatives. Engage your opponents over a LAN or the Internet within nine types of games featuring improved tournament support, multiplayer co-operative scenarios and all-new features including a new reward system for demonstrating superior military, economic, and empire-expanding strategies and a tactical planning map to coordinate efforts with your team. [Vivendi Universal] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 39
  2. Negative: 2 out of 39
  1. We especially liked the intense array of challenges always pressing in on our fledging world. Empire Earth II is a real-time strategy game on steroids.
  2. A game that has tremendous scope and hours of replayability. At the same time, the sheer number of things to do are also a drawback, as it can get confusing.
  3. A fun, solid RTS. But that's all. It fatally lacks a sense of creative vision other than just being a bit better than "Rise of Nations," with its step-forwards more half-steps.
  4. A few years ago, Empire Earth II might have made the cut for fresh and innovative gameplay. Sadly, today it's simply a retread--and a poorly executed, tedious one at that.

See all 39 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 34
  2. Negative: 12 out of 34
  1. MatiasK.
    10
    The Best Epich Strategy Game Ever!
  2. FredB.
    8
    Much shiner than its predecessor with a better interface and some awesome new features like territories and capturing buidlings. I must say, however, that I preferred EE1's complex array of specialized counter-units to EE2's simple rock-paper-scissors system. Also, the campaigns are bland, incorporating few cinematics and no dialogue. Still, a fun and challenging game with visible crews for unenclosed vehicles and artillery. Expand
  3. Maslab
    7
    I do especially like dropping nukes and other various bombs on fledgling civilizations, but there isn't that much strategy required. Build a bunch of units and charge. That's about it. However, it is very fun if you just want to blow up stuff on a massive scale. Expand
  4. I suppose their is no beating around the bush. Empire Earth 2 is a terrible game. Its almost amazing how terrible it is and how unbelievably dissimilar it is when compared to its rather fresh debut many years before. The good? It has a gorgeous graphics engine, a weather system, water that looks quite lovely and some little unique camera features not seen in many real time strategy games at the time. The bad? Its user interface is just plain garbage. Absolutely painful dialogue, lackluster music, nonsensical tactics system, abhorrent pacing, boring economy driven matches and frighteningly tedious gameplay. Its nothing like Empire Earth, which may be why the second game fails to connect on so many levels. It has nothing even remotely "fun" going on under any of the mechanics. Its basically meant for deliberately slow players and perhaps those masochistic enough to master the subtle nuances of obsessive compulsive resource management. The rest of the game is an odd blend of micromanagement and research "warfare." Of course none of it makes any real goddamn sense. Why do priests earn research points? Why do villagers gain a resource bonus just from barricading themselves inside a supply hut? Why did they even keep the latter mechanic from the first game if it serves no point in an entirely new economic system in this game? Why do they still have that awful unintuitive unit queuing system they had in the first game? The one where you'd click for one unit and it wouldn't start showing how many you'd started building until you clicked the unit again? Not even Age of Empires was that tedious or poorly designed. Unit dialogue is hardly creative, mostly just repeating very generic responses that are not really fitting for most of the epochs you're civilization is in. It outdoes nothing from the original and merely cripples itself in the wrong areas. It showcases everything bad about the original game and does nothing to improve itself or set itself apart as the better game between the two. The first game is still by far, immensely more forgiving whilst being immensely more entertaining. Expand

See all 34 User Reviews