Hegemony: Philip of Macedon

 PC
Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. GameShark
    75
    Hegemony otherwise does a good job of capturing the nature of war in this time period.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 29
  3. Negative: 2 out of 29
  1. cfnickle
    Jan 8, 2011
    10
    Hegemony is hands down one of the best games I have ever played. You start with a single city and a ruined empire and attempt to merelyHegemony is hands down one of the best games I have ever played. You start with a single city and a ruined empire and attempt to merely reclaim your kingdom. From there the sky is the limit. You can follow the historical path of Philip of Macedon or strike out on your own. You can fight the barbarians to the north and west or head south and conquer the various hellenic nations. No matter what you decide you will have a ball. I have about 60 hours of playing and i have ony gotten as far east as Amphipholis and as far south as Pharae. It has unlimited replay value, even though there is only one available faction. Units are simple to use but the perfection of tactics will take time, practice, and loss before it can be achieved. It is essentially a larger, real-time Total War game. The difference is that as the King of Macedon you have far more control over your empire than you do in the Total War games. In Hegemony never consider a city yours, it may revolt and return to the enemy or it may be taken by another faction. No garrison is too large and no siege force can actually take a well defended city. If a city is well garrisoned starve them out. Burn or capture the surrounding farms and cut off trade so the defenders inside will die before the siege begins. This is as close to perfect as a game can get, and i personally find it intellectually stimulating. For as cheap as it is it is a steal, and whatever minor problems exist are being remedied in the gold version.… Full Review »
  2. VaeVictis45
    Jan 1, 2011
    8
    Overall this is a great game that suffers from a few flaws. For the gameplay, think Total War series but entirely in real time. At any givenOverall this is a great game that suffers from a few flaws. For the gameplay, think Total War series but entirely in real time. At any given moment , the player can zoom out to see the tactical map of the Aegean world and then immediately zoom to ground level anywhere on the map. Enemies will invade constantly, depending on how much their faction opposes you and the season, and you will often need to defend on multiple fronts at the same time, which can be quite a challenge. As for the negatives, unit grouping can be frustrating, though once you figure it out (which you will need to do on your own or go on their forums to ask) it makes sense. When moving through narrow passes, large groups will try to column up, causing many of them to retreat way back the other direction. It is minor annoyances like this that can cause the game to become frustrating. Diplomacy is lacking in this version of the game, though it does play a role in the impending Gold version. There are no game-breaking bugs that I have come across. With the Gold version, many of the issues of the original will be fixed, and the developers are extremely willing to hear out and address individual complaints on the LongBow forums. This game is definitely worth the money.… Full Review »
  3. Kami
    Dec 23, 2010
    9
    Hegemony: Philip of Macedon is an addictive, exciting challenge of epic proportions. After around 150 hours played i'm estimating i'm aroundHegemony: Philip of Macedon is an addictive, exciting challenge of epic proportions. After around 150 hours played i'm estimating i'm around 50% of the way through the content and its still not getting stale. Thats unbelievable value for money considering some major titles can have as little as 20 hours content.
    Theres nothing else quite like it on the market that ive come across. Expanding you empire with every border being a frontline requiring an army, and every coastline you own being a potential site of an amphibious attack, coupled with the very real need to manage your supply lines and food stocks, makes for total immersion in the game world with the need to make constant strategic and tactical decisions.
    The warfare is as epic as the scale of the game world. You need all your wits about you conduct combined forces battles using infantry, ranged, cavalry and catapults to siege a city, vanquish a defending army thats rushed to meet you in the open, or vanquish an invading army somewhere along your border, often in as many as 4 locations at once in real-time. The ebb and flow of battles is something thats often missing from many games. Once beaten the AI doesnt roll over an die, they come back in force, over and over. A city may well change hands several times before its finaly secured.
    Brute force isnt the only way, strategically cutting the AIs supply lines is often the only way to bring down a particularly powerful city, but then once you take it that means no food reserves to feed your army, and you know a counter-attack wont be far off... Ok Hegemony isnt the most beautiful game to look at. If the graphics were state-of-the-art it would be a 10. But many major titles are brilliant examples of style over substance. For those whom, like me, style over substance just doesnt cut it Hegemony is probably pound for pound, the best game you can imagine. As another player posted on Longbows forum: "The way logistics, terrain and resources shape strategies in hegemony is beautiful and a pleasure to play with."    … Full Review »
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