Heritage of Kings: The Settlers

List Price: $19.99 Discount Price: $3.86

Features:

• World-building strategy game with cutting-edge visual technology
• Unique mix of RTS and addictive simulation gameplay
• 20 medieval missions; conquer 7 fantastic kingdoms
• Manage 70+ types of intelligent inhabitants
• Exciting combat system with upgradeable RPG elements

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

Customer Reviews:

Another great series bites the dust  [Posted on 2006-01-07]
The settlers series began as a great idea which empasized economic development rather than building a massive army to defeat your enemies...warfare is still a factor but the stronger economy always won...with this game the makers guessed that a new engine meant a better game...wrong .. I see many people praising the weather...ok so..? The point here is that the series which reached a golden age in Settlers III and IV took a steep dive with this one ..like someone else said..if you liked the old ones please spend your 29$+ s&h on some other more worthwhile title instead and if you've never played the Settlers series I recommend IV I guarantee you'll have much fun than you would with this POS ... I cant believe someone actually said "Best game in the series to date" ..how very wrong ;) anyways I hope the game goes back to its roots with the next one .. otherwise I will be a very dissapointed fan of the series :(

Another Success in the series. [Posted on 2006-04-18]
I've seen the reviews from others who played the previous games in the series, claiming this one isn't fun. They're full of it. It has the same basic elements, in a much easier, more fun to use interface that beginning gamers and old hands both can very easily grasp the concepts of and truly enjoy a strategy game right away, without the harsh learning curves. There's no overwhelming manual to read for three days beforehand.

The tutorial is built right into the game play to naturally and gradually ease you into the things you need to do to make your city work. Gradually may make it sound unexciting, also not true. The game opens with your village under attack, and after dispatching the enemies, you must begin to repair and rebuild, so it is definitely exciting and challenging without being overwhelming.

You are introduced to how to control the hero and all other game aspects as you need them in the game. The game gets progressively harder, making you use what you've learned to come up with tactics.

I've never been the hack and slash type even though I love city builders and rpgs. The fighting in this game is smooth, easy to control, usually with plenty of time to prepare. The heros add their own special abilities and personalities to the fighting. In the previous Settlers games, it was next to impossible to figure out how to easily move cannons around to where you needed them, they got hung up on terrain. I didn't have to spend an hour figuring out how to get trade centers to move needed tools from one settlement to another, as all resources were able to be used anywhere I chose to build. The efficiency was still required as your working people need their homes and farms near their place of work. They wouldn't walk half way across the map to find a bed. Frequent saves on harder levels before moving your troops out is a very good idea though.

I loved the combination of RPG elements of heros and storylines, with little things to discover on every single map. Improvements could be made in some areas in that we should be able to sandbox every scenario, there were many I completed the scenario before I finished exploring the maps. We should be able to continue playing the same map if we want to. Another area for improvement would have been goods for our people to buy that we had made. Who can live on food and housing alone? No one, people want *things*. Add a bit of that, and you'd have a powerhouse of a game.

As it stands, I would say this game is a must have for rpg, city building, AND strategy gamers, which is a unique combination that should appeal to many types of gamers. Give it a shot before you let the harsh critics turn you away, at least try the demo. I'm already looking for the expansion pack I just read on their site has come out. ;)

settlers.. decent game but quirky [Posted on 2007-06-02]
After wanting this game for ages, I finally found it used at a good price through amazon.com and bought it after playing the demo. The game itself is a very cool RTS, with nice graphics and lots of little goodies. The strategy plays a large role, especially considering changing seasons, where rivers freeze in the winter, allowing access to previously untouchable parts of nice sized maps. The heroes are great, each with different abilities and the military system is good, this is a great game for defensive turtles. Unfortunately, the process of building up a large colony and military is monotonous, the same steps and research are required map after map and the upgrades come slowly. This alone is the reason my copy has sat untouched for a couple of weeks, but I'm sure many people would love an RTS where rushing in the beginning isnt such a big issue, and economy is.

Not a real Settler game [Posted on 2007-10-26]
I have had all other versions and they have been much more fun to play> this version does not have free maps and the preset maps are not as good as the old ones, also not enough variety.
It was disappointing and I just bought the new Settler Rise of an Empire and I hope it get's better again!

Review by Comparison. [Posted on 2008-06-08]
It's like 1503 AD meets Dungeon Siege. Possibly 1703 AD, but I haven't played it yet. & a little bit of Heroes of Might & Magic 4 & Age of Empires tossed in. It's fun to watch the trees, tall grasses, cattails, & wheat dance in the wind. The seaweed dances in the water, but there are no fish, even though there are animals all over the land, but you can't hunt them for food. The terrain would look more realistic if the land near the water banks looked wet. The campaign is quite fun & you may find youself spending more than 8 hours a day or night playing it. I love the camera in this game; you can zoom in on the buildings & watch the workers & zoom out for battle. In single player games, you can do an ammusing thing; hire tons & tons of surfs to suck the enemy's resources dry.

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