Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

Games

Sony

PS3 | PSP | PS2 | PS One

Microsoft

Xbox 360 | Xbox

Nintendo

Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64

Other Platforms

PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

Upcoming &
Recent Releases

sort by namesort by score

xx 5 in 1 Solitaire
xx Aha! I Found It! Hidden Object Game
xx Alice in Wonderland
xx Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
xx Amazing Brain Train!, The
xx Art of Balance
80 Bit.Trip Void
xx bittos+
59 Blaster Master Overdrive
xx Bloons
59 Calling
78 Castlevania The Adventure ReBirth
xx Chaotic: Shadow Warriors
xx Christmas Clix
xx Chronos Twins DX
31 Copter Crisis
xx Dart Rage
56 Data East Arcade Classics
xx Diatomic
xx Dracula: Undead Awakening
80 EA Sports Active More Workouts
60 Eat! Fat! FIGHT!
58 Eco Shooter: Plant 530
76 Endless Ocean: Blue World
69 F1 2009
xx Family Gameshow
xx Family Go-Kart Racing
xx Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun
43 Fast Draw Showdown
59 Fast Food Panic
66 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
xx Flowerworks
xx Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of The Moon
xx Free Running
xx GhostSlayer
50 Guitar Hero: Van Halen
52 Happy Hammerin'
xx Happy Holidays: Christmas
xx Harvest Moon: My Little Shop
xx Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5
xx How to Train Your Dragon
xx Hubert the Teddy Bear: Winter Games
56 Jambo! Safari: Animal Rescue
59 James Cameron's Avatar: The Game
68 JumpStart Escape From Adventure Island
48 Just Dance
xx Kamen Rider Dragon Knight
63 Karaoke Revolution
72 LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues
77 Magic Obelisk, The
71 Magnetis
xx Mahjong
xx Major League Baseball 2K10
75 Max & the Magic Marker
83 Mega Man 10
xx Moki Moki
xx Monster Hunter Tri
xx Mouse House
56 Muscle March
xx My Body Coach
xx My Dolphin
xx My Fitness Coach 2: Exercise and Nutrition
xx My Zoo
49 Mystery of Whiterock Castle, The
74 Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3
87 New Super Mario Bros. Wii
87 No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
60 Pallurikio
66 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
xx Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice For All
xx Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection
53 Planet 51
xx Playmobil Circus
59 Pokemon Rumble
xx Princess and the Frog, The
xx Pub Darts
xx Rabbids Lab
xx Red Steel 2
62 Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil Zero
75 Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
xx Rooms: The Main Building
78 Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH
xx Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love
54 Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen!
xx Scene It? Twilight
72 ShadowPlay
73 Shiren the Wanderer
78 Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
87 Sin and Punishment 2
75 Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces
xx Sled Shred
xx Solitaire
79 Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
45 Stop Stress: A Day of Fury
xx Stunt Cars
60 Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll
xx Survivor
84 Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 4: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood
82 Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 5: Rise of the Pirate God
85 Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars
76 Tomena Sanner
47 Tony Hawk: RIDE
xx Tumblebugs 2
73 TV Show King 2
xx Walk It Out!
xx WarMen Tactics
56 We Sing
xx Winter Sports 2010: The Great Tournament
xx Yoga
62 Your Shape

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.

Dawn of Discovery

EMAILPRINTwii

Dawn of Discovery
81
9.3 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 24 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 9 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game >

Game Info

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Keen Games - Blue Byte

Genre(s): Real-Time Strategy, Simulation

Players: 2

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)

Release Date: June 23, 2009

Summary

(Also known as "Anno 1404: Dawn of Discovery" and "Anno: Create a New World") Dawn of Discovery takes place in the year 1404, when King George's land is suffering from severe droughts and brutal famine. Aware of his people's distress, the king calls on his two sons, William and Edward, to acquire new territories in order to produce enough goods to satisfy the needs of his empire’s inhabitants. Whereas Edward suggests aggressive means to collect the precious resources, his brother William offers a peaceful solution, proposing to explore new and unsettled lands in the south of the kingdom. With his Father’s blessing, William heads south to the mysterious Orient and returns with valuable new technologies such as the water pump that allows dry lands to be cultivated in order to produce enough food for the people. But there are still many unmet needs within the king's empire, and players are tasked with the mission of fulfilling those needs while both expanding and sustaining the vast society. Build and sustain your own expansive empire. Explore the beautifully detailed world and discover new places to create your civilization. Set up trade posts in the spice mines of the Orient and explore new trade routes to keep your nation growing. Learn from other nearby cultures to expand your horizons and master the challenges of establishing a prosperous society. [Ubisoft]

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...

90

GamingXP

The only negative thing to say about this game is that there’s no multiplayer mode. Apart from that I’m sure that you will spend a lot of hours playing this title.

Read Full Review >
90

NintendoWorldReport

There aren’t enough words to describe what an incredibly fun experience Dawn of Discovery is.

Read Full Review >
87

IGN UK

Ubisoft has delivered a game that’s been thoughtfully designed around the strengths of Nintendo’s system, delivering an experience that retains the essence and depth of the long-running series while streamlining it to offer a pacier, more accessible twist on the familiar formula, replacing unnecessary complexity with gameplay breadth.

Read Full Review >
85

Worth Playing

Aside from those minor quibbles, I really enjoyed Dawn of Discovery, but keep in mind that if you're not already a fan of real-time strategy games, this game might not be the one to suck you in, especially not on a console. It's certainly well-adapted, but the difficulty curve is pretty high, and I'm not sure that people will have the patience to go through the tutorial that's masked as a story mode. However, if you're willing to stick it out, there's a ton of depth here that can keep you busy for hours on end, and it's a great value at $30.

Read Full Review >
84

Games Master UK

A universally enjoyable game. [Aug 2009, p.84]

84

Official Nintendo Magazine UK

With great controls and an involving plot, this is one title that's well worth conquering. [July 2009, p.90]

84

Multiplayer.it

Dawn of Discovery is how every Wii strategy game should be: simple yet with a good amount of depth, this is definitely the best entry in the genre for Nintendo's console.

Read Full Review >
83

XGN

By means of a good control system, a profound gameplay, and a good looking presentation, the game proves to be a perfect example of how well the RTS-genre can work on the Wii.

Read Full Review >
82

Cheat Code Central

Hand-holding aside, the story mode is really enjoyable and prepares you for the rigors of continuous play.

Read Full Review >
81

NGamer UK

A very pleasant diversion and a great start for genre newbies. [Aug 2009, p.75]

80

Teletext GameCentral

Perfectly judged adaptation of the PC series, with just the right level of complexity and challenge.

Read Full Review >
80

Level7.nu

Although this is a scaled down version of the Anno experience we've come to know on the PC it still has enough depth to captivate us through for hours with it's appealing blend of intuitive controls and charming graphics. The controls are well adapted to the unique control scheme of the Wii and the presentation does a god job of conveying all that's going on at any given time. If you're in the mood for a fun and well made strategic experience of a less hardcore nature, this is the game for you.

Read Full Review >
80

VideoGamer

It’s well executed and breezy, but not without its flaws.

Read Full Review >
80

3DJuegos

Ubisoft brings to us Dawn of Discovery, a great adaption on Wii of the PC series. The great controls take advantage offering a good and deep gameplay. A enjoyable game in a RTS genre what works perfectly on the Wii.

Read Full Review >
80

Everyeye.it

Finally, a deep and complex strategical experience on our consoles. Control scheme is perfect, and Dawn of Discovery shows a great variety and a nice look.

Read Full Review >
80

Video Game Talk

Yet again, a game on the Wii that looks to be well below my level of interest surprises by focusing on the gameplay and implementing solid, intuitive controls. That it's extremely accessible thanks to the tutorial-on-steroids story mode is just another feather in the Wii's something for everyone cap.

Read Full Review >
80

SpazioGames

If you don't hate the genre and want to escape pirates, win handsome princesses, raise taxes, take gardening experts, build cities and much, much more, make yourself a gift and buy Anno: you will not regret it.

Read Full Review >
80

Vandal Online

Directed to a public less used to strategy and management games, Anno: Create a New World is a good game which has succeeded in adapting a very computer-esque gameplay to Wii.

Read Full Review >
80

GameZone

Dawn of Discovery will probably be the best game to come out of nowhere in a long time. If you don’t give up on it due to its story mode, you will get many hours of fun out of this title.

Read Full Review >
80

GameSpot

This game of exploration and city building hits the occasional rough patch, but it's a captivating adventure nonetheless.

Read Full Review >
80

IGN

Dawn of Discovery from Ubisoft has managed to accomplish what very few other games can claim to, specifically bringing a deep, rewarding strategy simulator to home consoles.

Read Full Review >
80

Nintendo Life

Anno: Create a New World is a pretty rare beast: a sim game with a story mode that's accessible to newcomers yet has sufficient depth to appeal to veterans. Whether you're a longtime simulation game player or just curious, you should definitely go pick this one up!

Read Full Review >
76

GamesNation

Anno: Crea un Nuovo Mondo is a good strategy game for your favourite console. It may be not too innovative or deep, but its intuitive controls, a fresh look and a solid gameplay make it enjoyable for hours and hours.

Read Full Review >
70

Eurogamer

Mostly, this is a relaxing Sunday-afternoon game, and good at either accompanying the digestion of a roast dinner or the slow exorcism of a hangover.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 9.3 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes

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

Tim A gave it a9:
First strategy game I've played on a console - that is excellent. Controls are great on the Wii.

S S gave it a9:
This game is a lot of fun. The tutorial mode is very long and thorough. But once you get past that, it's a lot of fun.

Paul A gave it a10:
This game is a profound and fun challenge. With over 50 hours of game time over the past 3 weeks, I see no end in sight. And believe it or not . .I am still in story mode!! Yes, I liek to take my time. Every time you think you have the game under control, there is a surprise right around the corner that will keep you active and thinking for horus and hours. I would be surprised to learn of anyone who can play this game for only 2 hours. The time simply warps as 5 hours can seem like 45 minutes. The complexities and timing of this game are simply incredible!

RavenX301 gave it a9:
This is a great hidden gem. It is certainly not as grand as its wonderful PC counterpart, but it still offers a great challenge and great fun. At first it may seem a bit too small, especially if you have played any of the PC versions, but as the game wears on it becomes extremely addictive and fun. I have actually found myself leaving Prototype and Infamous in favor of this game. Plus the price point is fantastic for probably the best surprise on any system in a long, long time. However I would not recommend it for kids or anyone or does not enjoy Settlers or the Civ series.

Popular on CBS sites: College Signing Day | March Madness | TV | iPhone | Cell Phones | Video Game Reviews | Free Music

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy (UPDATED) | Terms of Use