Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom

 PC
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 41 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 41
  3. Negative: 6 out of 41

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  1. T.homasB.
    Dec 26, 2007
    10
    One of the, if not the, best city builder games i have ever tried. beautiful, has a good feel and can make you addicted. this must a must to every city builder.
  2. NerV-0-sol
    May 5, 2012
    9
    I think it's the best city builder published by Sierra Entertainment Inc. It's very similar to Pharaoh and Caesar games (produced by Impressions Games). Unfortunately there is no tutorial, but unlike Pharaoh and Caesar citizens are able to work at every place (their houses don't need to be built so close to it) and you can also build a special wall around houses which allows them to growI think it's the best city builder published by Sierra Entertainment Inc. It's very similar to Pharaoh and Caesar games (produced by Impressions Games). Unfortunately there is no tutorial, but unlike Pharaoh and Caesar citizens are able to work at every place (their houses don't need to be built so close to it) and you can also build a special wall around houses which allows them to grow (it prevents the bad influence of work places).… Expand
  3. Ekaton
    Jul 28, 2012
    10
    Definitely one of the best city-builders of all time and a must-have for every fan of the genre. It's a shame that these days we don't have such games made anymore.
  4. CaseyG.
    Jan 10, 2003
    5
    It's kinda hard at first but it gets better.
  5. papirnehezek
    Feb 26, 2015
    6
    Emperor is a decade old game, a part of a well established franchise. It has a nice interface and graphics on today standards. If you want to read about how great this game is, or what positives it has, then find another review. I want to save my time and just write down my concerns.
    I already played zeus, cleopatra and other city builders years ago, so I started the game on medium which    Emperor is a decade old game, a part of a well established franchise. It has a nice interface and graphics on today standards. If you want to read about how great this game is, or what positives it has, then find another review. I want to save my time and just write down my concerns.
    I already played zeus, cleopatra and other city builders years ago, so I started the game on medium which is just good for some pleasure time. I did not encounter anything disturbing during the first half an hour, but then my buildings started to collapse. I built 2x3 houses per block surrounded by road, each 3 blocks have an inspector's tower. My problem is that the inspectors randomly change path at every crossroad, which I have a lot. So, there are situations when some of the buildings just being ignored for a time, and catch on fire or collapse. Just watched as my inspector took a wrong turn and leaving my house at the end of the road to collapse. He simply gone to the road where the immigrants come from. Overall, pathfinding is so much randomized that it brakes the game. I need to watch my buildings constantly and demolish those which are being ignored by the inspectors. This should be much more controlled and less random.    … Expand
  6. gmorales
    Jul 14, 2014
    9
    A fine jewel that any city builder fan will enjoy. With a fairly complex yet enjoyable management system, it has a lot of resource types (forget about the classic gold, food, stone, wood) and citizen needs that allow different strategic approaches depending on the landscape characteristics. It even has multiplayer and a militar system, though these feel very outdated.
  7. phelvion
    Feb 18, 2014
    9
    Still one of the best and most complex city building game. I like the game alot though its age.

    Positiv: + beautiful 2D-Buildings and monuments + nice sounds and music + china-setting with background-information + very complex logistics, economy, manufacturing + trading with other citys & diplomacy + nice animated details in buildings and people + city is very lively Negativ:    Still one of the best and most complex city building game. I like the game alot though its age.

    Positiv:
    + beautiful 2D-Buildings and monuments
    + nice sounds and music
    + china-setting with background-information
    + very complex logistics, economy, manufacturing
    + trading with other citys & diplomacy
    + nice animated details in buildings and people
    + city is very lively

    Negativ:
    - ugly landscape    … Expand
  8. endz15
    Aug 29, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. this game make me feel as a king from a kingdom and make me have a power to rule a kingdom a huge kingdom in the world. i start play this game since 12 year ago but view time i lose the source program so i download it again and again until this day i download it again cuz my cd program get bad… Expand
  9. ZD
    Jan 2, 2003
    9
    I had nice while playing.
  10. KoRW.
    Jul 23, 2005
    7
    Jep, a good fun game but gets boring after a week or two.
  11. boredboredbored
    May 20, 2017
    9
    The best city-building sim I've ever played, hands down, and i'm a huge fan of the genre. It's not without it's issues: there are a number of bugs, combat is poorly implemented, and there's often an issue of getting data about your city in a clear and timely manner to prevent disaster. Nonetheless this game is crazy fun; it's one of the few games where after clocking it on normalThe best city-building sim I've ever played, hands down, and i'm a huge fan of the genre. It's not without it's issues: there are a number of bugs, combat is poorly implemented, and there's often an issue of getting data about your city in a clear and timely manner to prevent disaster. Nonetheless this game is crazy fun; it's one of the few games where after clocking it on normal difficulty I play through again on hard, and then yet again on very hard. It isn't as lengthy as Pharaoh, but the game mechanics have been subtly tweaked and re-balanced for a more engaging and challenging game.… Expand
  12. SilverOrlov
    Aug 26, 2023
    9
    This game is the pinnacle of this type of city-building genre of its time. They took all the best from their predecessors (Greece and Egypt) and removed all the worst (for example, an extremely unsuccessful decision in terms of recruiting workers in Egypt). It's not that this game doesn't have its flaws, but in my opinion they were so minor that by themselves they would still give me aThis game is the pinnacle of this type of city-building genre of its time. They took all the best from their predecessors (Greece and Egypt) and removed all the worst (for example, an extremely unsuccessful decision in terms of recruiting workers in Egypt). It's not that this game doesn't have its flaws, but in my opinion they were so minor that by themselves they would still give me a reason to give this game 10/10. It is a pity that they did not give some interesting plot. The barbarian tribe is a "gag" so that it would not be completely boring after an hours of game-play and to justify a diverse army. It's not a plot.
    All in all, even if you haven't played it in the past , it's still performs well even now. In any case, at least just to get acquainted with this genre.    … Expand
  13. dr-kenobi
    Sep 7, 2022
    10
    Особистий топ містобудівних стратегій. Досі спокійно грається навіть в 2022. Механіка збалансована відмінно (окрім війни хіба що).

Awards & Rankings

64
#64 Best PC Game of 2002
41
#41 Most Discussed PC Game of 2002
46
#46 Most Shared PC Game of 2002

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Armchair Empire
    75
    Impressions did a good job of refining the gameplay with this installment.
    Read full review
  2. Media and Games Online Network
    80
    An impressive game that reeks of addictive potential. If the despot in you wants some exercising, then this is definitely the way to go.
    Read full review
  3. GameSpot
    77
    A fun and satisfying management game, ... [but] if "Zeus" was two steps forward for the series, Emperor is its one step back.
    Read full review
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