Age Of Empires: The Age of Kings (Nintendo DS)

 

 

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This is by far the best game I've played on the DS (and indeed on any handheld). Though I only have 4 games for the DS, they are all critically acclaimed titles, however this one has provided me with the most depth, longevity, and most importantly fun!

For any lover of strategy games, the often flat and uninvolved nature of handheld games can be a disappointment, especially if one spends a lot of time using handhelds. Thankfully, Age of Empires: The Age of Kings successfully delivers an engaging (though not overwhelming), lasting experience. While it plays out differently from the PC version, of which I am a veteran fan, any players of previous AoE games should be able to make themselves at home with the units, buildings and scenarios. Nostalgia points are scored by the use of the same sound effects from the PC game (which were always excellent).

To the uninitiated in the world of AoE, this game still has plenty to deliver. 5 campaigns totalling over 25 scenarios, as well as the option of a standard skirmish game should provide hours of fun, as single scenarios can often take hours to complete. The 5 civilizations, special mercenary units and historical background (nothing long or heavy, don't worry) provide some variety and character, and the ability to save at any time or place is well suited to the nature of handheld gaming. While not ever frustratingly difficult, the AI provides an adequate challenge, and a good mind for strategy will be required if you want to achieve all the bonus goals laid out by the game.

The tutorial campaign eases you gently into playing, though doesn't bore, and in no time you'll be confidently ordering about your troops. The touch screen layout is user friendly, and while the DS buttons can be effectively used, I'd still recommend the stylus. Multiplayer is there for those who want it, though there is no Wi-fi. While slightly disappointing, this is no great loss as the nature of the gameplay would not always lend itself to extended Wi-fi play.

There are some drawbacks however. While none are game killing, they should be taken into account:
- The action can become repetitive after extended periods of gameplay
- Busy maps (multiple players with big civilizations) can cause the gameplay to get bogged down (i.e. turns will each take a long time).
- The game can be occasionally be prone to freezing, and some other minor glitches are also present, such as battle animation not playing, or 2 units occupying the same square.

None of these should stop you purchasing Age of Empires for the DS, as compared to many other titles, you really are getting value for your money. Overall it is an engaging, tactical, long-lasting game and I'd urge anyone who doesn't suffer from a critically short attention span to buy it.

One last thing:

***WARNING*** - There is a known fatal error in this game. There can be times where the game will freeze after selecting Save & Quit. DO NOT SHUT OFF THE DS. Doing so will result in fatal corruption of the card and failure to boot. Plug it in, leave it on, and do all you can (mash buttons, leave for hours) to get it to unfreeze. Advice from the developers is to MAKE SURE YOUR PROFILE NAME IS 4 OR MORE CHARACTERS LONG. It appears short names cause this problem. Most players also avoid the Save & Quit option entirely, just to be safe: Instead simply choose "Save", then once saved, turn the DS off.

This is what happened to me, and I feel others should be warned in advance and spared the pain of having to buy another card.

Now, go get this game!

I can't compare this with the PC version as I've never played it.

I bought this game because it looked interesting and boy has it delivered in spades. This is a mammoth game and quite challenging to say the least.

First up you get a huge tutorial split into 6 parts where you play Joan of Arc and discover how to command an army, construct buildings such as mines, farms, castles, etc, learn strategies for earning an income. The tutorial is excellent and walks you through all you need to know - but don't expect to race through it because it is fairly tough (maybe if you've played the PC version it could be easier!)

You can then chose to play through the pre-set campaigns available, each that have new maps and new missions to achieve or you can simply set up your own game against the AI (computer player) and choose who you want to be (briton, franc, japanese, mongol etc) and select from a huge choice of maps/scenarios.

You earn points as you win games and these points can unlock bonus maps, scenarios and new items.

I would say this game is for the older player maybe 12 plus up to very mature (I am in my 30s) and for someone who likes a challenge and can accept that a single campaign/mission can last for several hours - plus point is you can save at any time.

The game is mammoth, controls are very slick (you can use stylus and/or buttons) and I can't see how you could get bored with it easily due to how much variety is on offer here.

Excellent.

The title expalins it all.
AOE DS is not like the PC version we all know. No longer is there the free play, but AOE DS has a turn based play, which allows the player to give a little more thinking time to the game. It still has some of the PC traits such as ageing up the empire to a different era and conducting research on loom, iron etc to improve your armies capabilities.
Best way to describe the game is a historical advanced wars duel strike. If you like AW DS then you will like this.
The down side to the game is that each of the play icons are quite intricate. When the icons are on adjacent squares then you cant make out which unit is which and end up scrolling the icons to see which square each is on. A down side yes but for me it did not effect game play and still had a great time on the game.

Overall: if you enjoyed Advanced Wars Duel Stike and want a a refreshing outlook on this. Here you are AOE DS is for you. I will be recommending it to friends so i can get a bit of multiplayer action.

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5.0 out of 5 stars great
My son says:

"I really enjoyed this game


pros:
five sides
plenty of strategy action
master massive armys
command sieges... Read more

Published 10 months ago by J J. Mayhew

2.0 out of 5 stars Clunky interface ruins the game
Firstly, nobody tells you that this game is turn-based, i.e. one player has to move all units before the other takes his turn. Read more

Published 22 months ago by Mr. M. Mazourov

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT !
Buy this , you won't regret it , the only problem is it's not long enough !

Published on 21 Feb 2009 by The Black Knight

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the PC versions
I bought this in high hope it would be as good as the PC versions of the game. Of course it couldnt be the same because of the different format but i was disappointed that it... Read more

Published on 10 July 2008 by Snowy3

5.0 out of 5 stars Damn Good
I can't begin (bothered), so read T.Dungate review, sums it up and is spot on.

Published on 16 Jun 2008 by Mr. C. Skeggs (XBL: KEGG)

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for the money :D
I bought this game a while ago for around £15 and pound-for-pound it is one of the best portable games I have ever played! Read more

Published on 8 Jan 2008 by J. Atkinson

5.0 out of 5 stars The World Is Yours
This is the first installment on a handheld console for Age of Empires and my God it's brilliant! Why? U ask. Well it's so damn addictive! Read more

Published on 30 Oct 2007 by Sammy Dodger

3.0 out of 5 stars Good game - bad software glitches
A great strategy game which will occupy you for weeks, however if the game has gone on for a while, it tends to freeze after you try and save it with a message, "cannot write/save... Read more

Published on 17 July 2007 by J. Morris

5.0 out of 5 stars The best DS game I've played
I love Age of Empires II for the PC (III is just awful) and I got this game for the DS, whilst it's quite different to the PC version (turn based being the main difference), I... Read more

Published on 1 Jun 2007 by Gemma

4.0 out of 5 stars totally enjoyable
I played the PC versions of AoE before and I totally love them. The turn based DS version has managed to keep most of the fun parts of the game. Read more

Published on 10 April 2007 by CS Ang

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