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How Metascores Are Calculated
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Age of Pirates 2: City of Abandoned Ships
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games. |
Heritage of Kings: The Settlers is a world-building strategy game with fully rendered 3D visuals and unavoidably addictive gameplay. Players can dive into a detailed medieval world offering a unique mix of RTS and simulation gameplay. A fully functioning community can be created, new advancements can be discovered, and enemy forces will be repelled! [Ubisoft]
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more... 84
GamingTrend
It is almost a management sim, like "Majesty" was...and it is almost a military sim, like "Starcraft" or "Age of Mythology." But it is unique in its design and only suffers from a few design flaws.
 80
Times Online
Although some of the voice acting creaks, the peasants who sound like Goon Show rejects are surprisingly entertaining.
75
IC-Games
Heritage of Kings isn’t a bad game, although it doesn’t offer a whole lot more then other resource driven real time strategies that are available.
75
Game Chronicles
A great game for an RTS newcomer, if there are any left out there. Also good for the city-builder game fan who wants to move into RTS type games at a leisurely pace.
72
Gamer's Hell
If you felt "Warcraft III" had lost some appeal due to the shift from city building to more direct fighting, then The Settlers - Heritage of Kings is the game for you. It is a tad more oriented to the management side and has a couple more upgrading and research options than the Blizzard title, so you might enjoy the base building and upgrading.
65
Computer and Video Games
Settlers is far from awful, it's just mind-numbingly dull. Which is far, far worse.
65
IGN
The gameplay, which I had believed would be changing fairly significantly, hasn't really changed a bit. Armies are organized a tad bit differently, but combat is still elementary school strategy for dummies.
65
3DAvenue
It's a bold move forward for the series, but it's ultimately a move into blandness that robs the series of much of its earlier charm.
65
GameZone
Addictive and compelling are not words that would be used to describe the gameplay.
65
Worth Playing
Passable, though there is not enough new to it to really recommend it, and its flaws stand out like a sore thumb.
65
Armchair Empire
It is quite satisfying to power your way through the technology developments but having to do this over and over again, loses its entertainment value.
65
1UP
Once you've been through the process a few times, however, it gradually becomes a snooze fest.
64
GameSpot
This is a huge game, but not in a good way. There simply just isn't enough action or variety to keep your attention, and the complex economic structure feels just a tad bit too complex for its own good.
63
Computer Games Online RO
The maps are very detailed, which will become evident when you will use the zoom function of the camera - too bad the ambient life is pretty scarce.
63
Jolt Online Gaming UK
The graphics are good, but every other feature is just scooped up from a number of other strategy games, and spread thinly.
61
WHAM! Gaming
The game is downright boring, and although it looks pretty, even gamers new to the series probably won’t find many redeeming qualities in it.
60
PC Format
It's not awful. Just empty. [March 2005, p.106]
60
Gamer.tv
If you want your strategy to lean toward "SimCity"-style social engineering, then look no further than Heritage of Kings.
60
Sydney Morning Herald
Unfortunately, because there are fewer resources than in previous versions, this becomes repetitive all too quickly.
52
PC Gamer
Heritage of Kings unceremoniously abandons the heritage of Settlers. [May 2005, p.62]
50
Edge Magazine
While Heritage Of Kings has taken the series in a new direction without completely uprooting itself from the settlement-crafting past, it’s not been a successful evolution. Even the most lethargic and undemanding of gamers will quickly become bored of the gambolling wildlife and labouring peasants. [March 2005, p.87]
50
EuroGamer
By losing virtually everything that made the Settlers unique, Blue Byte has ended up with something that - somewhat predictably - that's the same as everything else, but not as good. From an original to the photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy.
50
Yahoo! Games
Kings' city-building isn't deep enough for a well-functioning settlement to be its own reward, and the combat is confused and equally shallow.
50
Detroit Free Press
Worst of all, we found that picking a particularly potent crew of heroes virtually ensures victories, stealing even the element of suspense.
40
Computer Games Magazine
Only hardcore, completist fans of the franchise and those who play new games to relive old ones should appy here. [July 2005, p.59]
40
GameSpy
Think about building up the biggest, most elaborate base you can imagine in an Age of Empires game. Now imagine it takes four times as long as any other RTS game on the market. Then imagine that all this elaborate building leads up to a strategy portion that would have seemed primitive and simple back in 1997 when "Age of Empires" first came out.
40
Pelaaja (Finland)
The new Settlers has abandoned everything that used to make a good Settlers-game. The new direction has made the game into mediocre and dated RTS with an unappealing storyline. [May 2005, p.88]
40
G4 TV
A solid disappointment. Fans of the series will find nothing to like here and real-time strategy gamers have plenty of better games to play.
30
Computer Gaming World
Like David Hasselhoff's singing career, Settlers is popular in Germany and just sort of barely tolerated elsewhere. [June 2005, p.96]
Mirko P. gave it a2: Zeke G. gave it a1: Tom S. gave it an8: Th-W B gave it an8: Chris H. gave it a0: Jeff L. gave it a3: Philip W. gave it a0: |
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