American Conquest: Divided Nation

Get this if you're one of the elite who already love the franchise. New to RTS? Start with "Starcraft" or "Dawn of War," then move on to this.

A mediocre real-time strategy. Unfortunately, the game seems to be based on the old American Conquest engine instead of the newer and more refined Cossacks II engine. [Feb 2006]

A game that'll only really appeal to established American Conquest fans and strategy gamers looking for a more complex game with which to test their abilities. Casual gamers will find little entertainment here, unless they persevere and attempt to breach the virtually vertical learning curve.

I suppose, if you have an interest in US history, you might eke more enjoyment from the game than I did. But, I am afraid all the fears I had when I first unwrapped the game came true. Playable but, in the end, pretty dull.

American Conquest: Divided Nation doesn’t do enough to warrant a purchase outside the fan base that may be already established.

American Conquest: Divided Nation is an unattractive RTS game that could have faired better if it had been released a few years ago.

It's disappointing that practically nothing has been done to bring this game up to date.

While American Conquest: Divided Nation is sure to have civil war buffs drooling over its adherence to historical accuracy, from a strategic gameplay point of view, it's not exactly going to give the more established and, let's be honest, more technologically advanced RTS games like Rome: Total War or Cossacks II a run for their money. [PC Zone]

There isn't the tiniest nugget of novelty here. If the big engagements had been engaging then that wouldn't necessarily have been a problem. Because the battles are bothersome, the unoriginality is as lethal as a cannonball to the cranium.

It’s just an anachronistic burp from long ago, repeating itself with an apologetic grin and a flutter of its eyelashes to turn into an average RTS of today. Er, I’ve got no idea where this metaphor’s going. Just look at the score.

American Conquest: Divided Nation's steep learning curve, dated mechanics and overly demanding system requirements are likely to prevent all but the most dedicated war gamers from enjoying its take on 19th Century warfare.

Overall, it is difficult to find a reason to recommend this game over, say, "Age of Empires III." A higher learning curve, more micromanagement, dated graphics, and an interface that could use a bit of fine-tuning make this a mediocre game.

Recommended only for history buffs on a budget. [July 2006, p.67]

Steer clear of this occasionally interesting but unfortunately flawed title.