Heroes of Annihilated Empires

 PC
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 23
  3. Negative: 1 out of 23
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  1. AceGamez
    90
    A fine hybrid title that tells a captivating tale, complemented by a stellar cinematic presentation and gameplay that is challenging and rewarding, not to mention compulsively addictive in an old school dungeon-crawler kind of way.
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  2. PC Zone UK
    82
    A massive improvement on "Cossacks" and its kin, and it's a real pleasure to play. [Nov 2006, p.86]
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    80
    A strangely captivating mix of real time strategy and light roleplaying. [Feb 2009]
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  5. GameShark
    75
    Heroes of Annihilated Empires is a full package that does have its short comings such as not being able to skip over some of the atrociously slow voice acting but over all is a pretty interesting mixture of the elements that make RPG and RTS games fun to play.
  6. Digital Entertainment News
    75
    A decent gmae that gives strategy gamers a nice twist and smoething new. Not knowing how long until the other games arrive to finish the story kind of sucks.
  7. PC Format
    70
    Like a good pie, but with crap pastry on top. This is a game weighed down by an army of faults, but it's still periodically entertaining. [Jan 2007, p.64]
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  8. GameZone
    70
    Heroes of Annihilated Empires does the standard fantasy RTS elements just fine, but unfortunately doesn’t stand out in any particular way.
  9. 3DAvenue
    70
    Basically, if solid gameplay without much in the way of innovation is good enough for you, Heroes of Annihilated Empires is certainly worth a look.
  10. PC Gamer UK
    69
    HoAE is sweet, and absorbs time reasonably pleasingly, but at no point does it ever manage to be anything accomplished. [Dec 2006, p.96]
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  11. PC Gamer
    66
    Only terrible AI, Starforce copy protection, and a semi-rare game-crashing bug ruin Heroes' otherwise enjoyable gameplay. [Mar 2007, p.66]
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  12. Gaming Nexus
    61
    A fantasy RTS/RPG hybrid that fails to do anything new or exciting. Nothing terribly bad here, but it’s just hard to work up any enthusiasm for this title.
  13. IGN
    60
    A forgettable experience all the way through. While we really like Elhant's attitude, it's the only thing that stands out as unique in this game.
  14. Eurogamer
    60
    The starkness of the choice - RTS or RPG - is quite arresting. Sadly, it was also plainly a balancing nightmare.
  15. GameSpot
    60
    The colorful presentational coating is tasty, but unfinished features and rotten artificial intelligence keep Heroes of Annihilated Empires from reaching its potential.
  16. PALGN
    60
    It's a shame that a game that gets the mix of genres so right is hampered by such a great number of issues that all result in holding it back from realising its true potential.
  17. GamesRadar+
    60
    But with its clumsy combat, dim AI and generic plot, HoAE fails to add anything new to the already crowded fantasy based RTS genre.
  18. Game Informer
    60
    Horrible balancing in the single-player game and a decades-old multiplayer frontend further accelerate Heroes of Annihilated Empires on its quick trip to the bargain bin.
  19. GameDaily
    60
    The voice acting and comic book sequences sound and look decent, although the dialogue gets cheesy and annoying. HOAE offers just enough to keep people interested, but doesn't leave a lasting impression.
  20. Computer Games Magazine
    60
    Heroes fails to deliver on some promises, and games take too long, but for a certain audience, it's worth a serious look. [Mar 2007, p.62]
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  21. Gamers' Temple
    58
    Strategy gamers won’t feel the need to resurrect this annihilated empire.
  22. VGPub
    57
    Stupid A.I, lack of maps, botched multiplayer interface, and a half assed story mar an experience that had the potential to be much more fulfilling.
  23. Hardcore Gamer
    55
    Unfortunately, the inability to speed up the game when you have about an hour of troop-building ahead of you, or when your hero must rely on auto-regen to heal, means that you'll be watching HoAE more than you'll be playing it. [Mar 2007, p.61]
    All this publication's reviews
  24. G4 TV
    40
    Almost engaging. Despite dripping with cliché, the world is a fun one to visit. It would be much easier to stomach the numerous design flaws had they delivered on their promise in the storyline.

Awards & Rankings

53
#53 Most Discussed PC Game of 2006
66
#66 Most Shared PC Game of 2006

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 80 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 57 out of 80
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 80
  3. Negative: 11 out of 80
  1. luna
    Dec 7, 2011
    9
    I have really been enjoying this game so far and feel that it deserves a much better score than what has been given. I have had no issuesI have really been enjoying this game so far and feel that it deserves a much better score than what has been given. I have had no issues playing the game and it has a nice atmosphere that it's hard to get tired of. The singleplayer works well and focuses on the quest of an elven ranger to save his people from the undead. The story is advanced through in-game dialogue as well as comic cut scenes and tell a good story. The gameplay is very centered around the hero who can cast some very powerful spells and can dish out insane damage, probably a bit to the detriment of the game as there is not much strategy involved when the hero outranges towers and does more dps than the rest of the army together, but there is something about the game that makes it hard to stop playing, and it is a joy to advance through the campaign. Warmly recommended.… Full Review »
  2. attila
    Mar 2, 2008
    6
    The single player is not a complete game.
    You'll go weeks without seeing anyone online. Most the people (90%) i have played use some    The single player is not a complete game.
    You'll go weeks without seeing anyone online. Most the people (90%) i have played use some leveling up hack...They gain a level every 2 seconds without killing a thing.
    Over all the game has a lot of potential, but it seems like the development team gave up on it before the game was finished. Seems like a rush job...    … Full Review »
  3. [Anonymous]
    Dec 5, 2007
    8
    Verry nice game, easy to get used to. A shame there is a lot of bugs and memory managment is really bad quality.
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