Empire Earth II (2005)
Strategy

Publisher	Vivendi Games
Developer	Rockstar New England
Series	Empire Earth

Empire Earth 2 will build upon the success of its predecessor by adding unique units, powers, leaders, and inherent bonuses to all of the game's 14 different civilizations. Cities, territories, and borders in Empire Earth 2, often treated as "eye candy" in other real-time strategy games, will factor into game play and be treated as tradable resources much like they are in the real world. The game's artificial intelligence will be more reactive, dynamic, and variable than its predecessor's, able to adapt to human opponents in ways that are more engaging for the player. And, for the first time in the Empire Earth series, ambient weather and seasons like fog and snowfall will affect game play, forcing players to adapt their strategies to the changing environment.

• In addition, significant focus has been placed on casual gamers who often become frustrated by difficult and arcane videogame features. Empire Earth 2's citizen manager system simplifies the player's job of assigning citizens to movement and harvesting tasks. A new, more intelligent formation system will offer attack bonuses, allow for easier navigation across maps, and reduce the occurrence of "furball combat," an unfortunately common and confusing real-time strategy game element that can frustrate gamers. And the game's streamlined research system better mimics the actual development of technology and alleviates the need to micro-manage the game during heated combat.
• Empire Earth 2's multiplayer features will be no less revolutionary. The game's new Crown System will provide temporary, but potent, rewards for players who demonstrate excellent military, economic, imperialistic, or cultural ability. A war planning screen will help teammates coordinate their efforts by allowing them to use a map of the world to diagram troop movements. Multiplayer competition will feature nine different game types, including new additions to the series such as "Hot Spots," which forces gamers to capture and hold positions of strategic importance. Lastly, Empire Earth 2 will include popular player-requested features like recorded games, improved tournament support, multiplayer co-operative scenarios, and advanced statistics reporting.