Games

Best of 2009 | 08 |07 | 06 | 05
Advanced Search

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.

Settlers: Rise of an Empire, The

EMAIL PRINT pc

7.0 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 19 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 13 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game >

Game Info

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Blue Byte

Genre(s): Real-Time Strategy

Players: 4

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)

Release Date: September 25, 2007

Summary

In The Settlers: Rise of an Empire, the player builds lively, bustling towns in a medieval world. Each settler has his or her own daily routine, with a range of different actions and behaviors that can be observed by the player at all times. This enables the player to get the best out of the settlers, build up a flourishing economy, tend to the settlers’ needs and protect the empire against danger from the outside. By expanding the empire, the player can aspire to becoming a legendary king or queen. The game features an immersive, yet transparent economic system based on the resources, wares and goods produced by the settlers in their various trades and occupations. Create big, bustling medieval cities: Plot your expansion, manage your resources wisely and provide for your people. The Settlers Rise of an Empire offers gameplay that is easy to pick up and allows everybody from newbies to strategy experts to enjoy the game. Protect your citizens and your empire: Build up armies, vehicles and walls to protect your empire. Everything depends on your economy: Is your empire wealthy enough to supply a powerful defense force? Work together with one friend and play against another team: Will your division of labor be efficient enough to beat your opponent? A full living, detailed atmosphere: The RenderWare engine creates an extremely detailed universe with numerous plants, animals and other details that will attract the player. Four climatic zones: The four climatic zones and four seasons have full impact on recourse management and gameplay. Natural interaction of Settlers: All Settlers have their own daily lives and they interact naturally with each other. [Ubisoft]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: The Settlers IV

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

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...

AceGamez

As far as city-building and resource management games go, The Settlers: Rise of an Empire is one of the best around.

Read Full Review >

GameStar

The paradoxical bottom line: The Settlers: Rise of an Empire is a diversified and motivating game, not because of it's innovations, but in spite of them.

Read Full Review >

YouGamers

Ultimately not a bad game, just "too casual". Definitely enjoyable for many, especially younger players, gamers with lives or those who actually prefer the simplicity. For a hardcore reviewer like me, the gameplay is unfortunately just too simple, repetitive and unchallenging.

Read Full Review >

PC Gamer UK

In terms of fulfilling what "Settlers" has always promised - building a city - it's true to its word. It just needs a bit more vim and vigour to it. [Dec 2007, p.68]

PC Zone UK

It's not really doing anything groundbreaking. [Dec 2007, p.76]

Read Full Review >

Games Master UK

Gorgeous to look at and charming to play. But we don't all want cute. [Dec 2007, p.85]

GameSpot

The Settlers: Rise of an Empire is the most fulfilling game in the series, adding easy-to-play charisma to the usual Middle Ages economics and trimming much of the micromanagement that made playing past releases in the series as much fun as doing your homework.

Read Full Review >

Game Informer

Still, the different aspects of gameplay flow together smoothly and the campaign at least throws enough varied challenges to make it moderately entertaining. [Dec 2007, p.156]

GamingTrend

The game has some interface issues, unsatisfying military options, and an overall lack of variety in the cities you build. As impressive as the cities look, they all start to feel the same after a while.

Read Full Review >

PALGN

A lightweight, yet fun, title which should appeal to those who are new to the Strategy genre, or those that want a more relaxing experience. Its only major drawback is that its more of a sidestep than a revolution of the series.

Read Full Review >

IGN

Despite being the best game in the series because of some lovely visuals and good gameplay enhancements, The Settlers: Rise of an Empire still manages to screw enough things up to be aggravating.

Read Full Review >

PC Format

It's the same old game with prettier graphics and a half-decent story. Settlers-heads will love it, but best wait for it to appear on budget. [Nov 2007, p.52]

Cheat Code Central

It's lighthearted, haunting, soothing, and frenetic. It's too bad that this game is plagued by poor mechanics. The production values are there, but they just can't seem to rise above the glitches.

Read Full Review >

G4 TV

It does demand a fairly hefty system to run smoothly, especially if you want to pull the camera back and take in a broader view. Once you get a chance to take in that view, it’s undeniably satisfying.

Read Full Review >

games(TM)

An enjoyable, quality release that will absorb hours of your time, but there’s no escaping the feeling that Blue Byte appears to be running short of ideas. [Dec 2007, p.125]

PC Gamer

There's simply too little to do. As a result, there's not much of a challenge to be had--at least any intentional challenge that is. [Holiday 2007, p.72]

Eurogamer

It's a small improvement over the last Settlers, and therefore a game that many devotees will be rooting for, but there's no getting away from the fact that judged against its peers, or even its own ancestors, this is an average offering in terms of depth, challenge and longevity, and blighted by fussy technical snags to boot.

Read Full Review >

GameSpy

Unfortunately, the creators of Rise of an Empire have managed to make a Settlers game so narrow in scope and so lacking in player control that it's only slightly more interactive than dropping fish flakes in with the Neon Tetras.

Read Full Review >

1UP

Blue Byte needs to ask itself some hard questions about just where it strayed from the path of success. Until it's willing to confront those questions, its flagship series will continue foundering on the shoals of obscurity.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Josh F. gave it a6:
Not very good at all. It gets repetative after 2 skirmish games. I say buy it used or forget about it. I am cutting my lossed after buyig this dreck and the bug-ridden mess that is The Settlers 2 the 10 Anniversary.

Excalibur gave it a9:
A nice, entertaining, easy to play, game for the non hardcore fan of the city builder genre!

J M gave it an8:
I would have liked to seen more resources and manufactured goods, other than that a very good game.

Games

Sony

Microsoft

Nintendo

Other Platforms

Upcoming &Recent Releases

Settlers: Rise of an Empire, The

Game Info

Summary

Also On Metacritic

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

Upcoming &
Recent Releases