1602 A.D. (Jewel Case)

Discount Price: $29.97

Accessories:
PC Gamer (1-year)	Games for Windows: The Official Magazine

Customer Reviews:

Very nice! [Posted on 2003-06-15]
1602 is a game where you rule your own world in the year 1602. It is definitely an excellent strategy game! Sure, it may take a little getting used to, but once you have, it's excellent.

I like the variety in the game. The islands can have two different climates and may have gold and ore deposits. You may even have gold or ore deposits in volcanoes, but I would suggest steering clear of those; the volcanoes may be active, and if they are, they are deadly! I also like the variety in buildings and in gameplay.

I love the options. Just about everything is entirely up to you. YOU decide what you want to trade. YOU decide whom to trade it to. YOU decide what resources to get. Everything in this game is entirely up to YOU.

The detail taken to this game is extraordinary, and I'm not talking about just the graphics. Sure, the graphics are nice, but they aren't the main deal here. You can see your people wander around and go places. You can see people mug each other and take each other's goods. You can see jugglers in the market places and you can watch the hunters kill the deer and take it. Even though this may sound violent and bloody, it's not.

Custom scenarios are fun to build. You can decide the shape and size of islands (to a point). You can also decide what resources they have, whether they have mountains or rivers on them, whether they have gold or ore deposits (or none), and what the island can grow and how well the crops will grow. You can also choose to have no opponents, which is nice. Overall, custom scenarios give you a lot of options.

A few problems, however, are pirates. They are much too powerful. The game may be hard to understand at first as well. Also, you must be careful with the custom scenarios; you must be sure to have resources on your ship or you won't be able to build!

1602 A.D. Oooooooooh yeah!!! [Posted on 2003-07-22]
I think that 1602 A.D. is possibly the best PC game I have ever played in my entire life. Don't get me wrong. The game is somewhat difficult, but it is also extremely fun and I think that's what matters and that's why you should be playing it. Some people find it hard to have fun when a game is hard, but I think that even those types of people can have fun with this game. Go head and try it. It's 99.9% garauteed that you'll have a blast with this game and that's why I'm giving it 5 stars.

I cant get it off my mind! [Posted on 2003-10-15]
I first found this game on a pc mag cd demo and it was an instant delight so i raced to K-mart and got a copi. It is just my type of game, Bulding cities and watching them grow into empires, that depends on how well you manage and plan out your first city. The single and most hardest thing about this game that i have found is planning out the layout of your city to the terrain. once you have mastered this you will be fine. This game has trapped my mind. its all i think about where ever i am and its like this with my friends. The 1 thing i like most about this game is the History stepping back in time i love it. I could go on for ever you just have to experience this game for yourself. Its a golden oldie 5 stars

please any1 out there wiht the same thoughts on this game i would love to share some secrets of help you out. my email address is raspberryfish@hotmail.com and i have got MSN messenger!

Addictive whatever your age [Posted on 2003-10-29]
Most women my age don't play computer games, but 1602 AD can keep me glued to the monitor for hours. This edition comes without a printed manual and the tutorial leaves a lot to be desired. However, there is a downloadable manual and the company's website is helpful. The world building is fascinating and,unlike some programs,replaying even simple scenarios keeps you interested. As other reviewers have said, keep away from the volcanoes if you can, buy tools early, and watch out for pirates.

SimCity with Supply Lines! [Posted on 2004-02-06]
Has anyone else ever noticed that Germans seem obsessed with supply lines? This series, "Settlers", "Stronghold", etc. (I think "Stronghold" is British, but there seems to be a strong influence from German games.) You plant the wheat to take to the mill to grind into flour to send to the baker to bake the bread.... So it goes. One link in the chain goes out and, suddenly, you're breadless. (Well, it's not really sudden, but it seems that way.)

So, is it fun? Well, as they say, if this is the sort of game you like, you'll find you like this sort of game. It's not really a combat-heavy game. In fact, there is a points in one of the tutorials where you have to run from pirates--you have no way to defend. That results in some annoying micromanagement.

I tend to find these games sort of hypnotic. Once you get your supply-lines set up, there's not that much to do but watch your ships go back and forth and your workers tend the fields or what-have-you. That, and figure out where your supply-lines are failing. This game requires a bit more management than "Settlers", which you can read a book whilst playing, but I was never truly inspired to venture much into more combat-based scenarios. It's more "model train" than "combat simulation" in my experience.

There are a lot of good things to say about this game. Heck, look around and you'll see a lot of enthusiastic reviews. Whether or not you personally should buy it depends on a number of things: If you've played similar games (like "Settlers") and liked them, you'll probably like this, too. It has a less intimate and cute scale compared to "Settlers". If you're a die-hard combat fiend, you probably will want to give this a miss.

But uf you haven't played similar games and you don't require a lot of battles, there's really no way to tell whether or not you're going to like this one without trying it. (Unless you try "Settlers" or the sequel, "1503 AD", of course.) And this is as good a game as any to start with. You might find you really love it. You might, also, find yourself playing and waiting, waiting, waiting for the game to begin.

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