Rise of Nations

 PC
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 396 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 335 out of 396
  2. Mixed: 53 out of 396
  3. Negative: 8 out of 396
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  1. Harthik69
    Jul 9, 2023
    8
    Very Good game. Can spend some time to play and exeprience it again. Download and give it a try again in future
  2. elefsar
    Apr 22, 2021
    9
    Wonderful game play, challanging with friends and good view for history. Good mechanics.
  3. experiman
    Dec 26, 2020
    10
    one of the best strategy game ever. Rise of nations > Age of empire ......
  4. Mazma
    Dec 25, 2020
    8
    Molto molto vicino ad Empire Earth 2, rinfrescano cio' che AOE ha portato nel mondo videoludico.
  5. ElleryHQ
    Dec 20, 2020
    9
    Одна из самых любимый стратегий. Кому нужен варкрафт, когда есть этот шедевр?
  6. ErayTellezi
    Nov 18, 2020
    8
    Zamanının age of'larından teknolojinin epey gelişmesiyle ayrılan, buna karşın ırklar arası farklılığın neredeyse hiç bulunmadığı oyun.
  7. Wiebe
    Feb 26, 2020
    8
    The mix of the strategic map and RTS was excellent. RTS elements where good. But the games gets a bit repetitive after a while.
  8. Genek13
    Nov 21, 2019
    8
    Remember played this game back in 2003. So many hours, days and nights :)
    Comparing to Empire Earth this game was awesome.
    Not a masterpiece of course, but very good game.
  9. Mehdii
    Nov 8, 2019
    10
    The best in strategic games, and i love it so much, I recommended for all of you.
  10. SakuraFox_
    Aug 29, 2019
    9
    As a kid growing up in the golden age of RTS-games, I spent all my free hours from the moment I laid my hands on this gem of a game. Years later, I see that it aged well and still like to revive those memories from time to time. Here's why:

    Now that I'm 20, I have branched in all game-types and getting more experience(d) with a bigger count of hours and games. But I'd like to make an    As a kid growing up in the golden age of RTS-games, I spent all my free hours from the moment I laid my hands on this gem of a game. Years later, I see that it aged well and still like to revive those memories from time to time. Here's why:

    Now that I'm 20, I have branched in all game-types and getting more experience(d) with a bigger count of hours and games. But I'd like to make an quick look-back at the game:

    1) Everyone powerful
    Civilization 5 is viewed as one of the - maybe even the °1 - best age-processing game of all time. But even though civ6 build on all the most-liked features of civ4 and 5, it got big waves of critique for mainly 2 reasons: The more cartoonish approach to the artstyle and pretty much everything got a big nerf. No more overly powerful nations and "features" that could break the whole gameplay (except a few that were swiftly fixed with some patches.)
    Rise of the nations of course launched way before 5 and 6; but when playing those, I realized a big feature of rise of the nations: Instead of all nations only having a small nation-specific advantage, every nation had a original advantage that they could use/exploit to the range they want. But if every single player has an equally big advantage, it isn't an advantage anymore. It just makes the game more interesting with way more paths to follow.

    2) up-to-date fanbase
    Even though you can't find that much on the ubisoft site about Rise of Nations, it still has a strong player base. Not as much as AoE does, but for a less popular, 16 year old game, still being relevant a hard task. S/o to the facebookgroup "Rise of Nations / T%P and EE"

    3) Options
    Even though most generic games roughly follow the same pathway, every game has an new touch and opportunity to learn. There isn't a perfect strategy, only a few who come close all with their own flaws. But the options give you enough points to path your way to victory.

    4) Artstyle
    I like the artstyle. Realistic approach but without taking it to far away from pixel-art. But this is just personal :s

    I personally love this game, but I would give it a 10 if it had these things:
    1) bigger mod-community: Difficult for a game like this, but the "big" mods of back in the days are also a bit underwhelming.

    2) more ubisoft support.

    3) more micro-upgrades. There are a lot, but I just really love them :p    … Expand
  11. Ydun79
    Feb 11, 2019
    9
    Not only an excellent singleplayer game but also well worth it in coop multiplayer. Great fun!
  12. iddqd4
    Feb 11, 2018
    8
    Попытка совместить стратегию в реальном времени с элементами пошаговой стратегии типа Цивилизации, вполне удачная попытка.
  13. Pamuditha007
    Aug 3, 2016
    10
    It's a masterpiece of a game. Amazing graphics for a strategy game, at the time and no doubt everyone who played it enjoyed it a lot. I really wish there would be a re-build for this amazing game !
  14. theirrelephants
    May 15, 2016
    10
    Probably THE best Age of Empires descendant I've ever played in my life.

    I still play it to this day, and it came out 13 years ago. Do I really need to say more?
  15. explodr
    Dec 22, 2014
    9
    Great graphics for the time period, engaging gameplay, and great fun to play with family and friends. If you're a fan of the Age of Empires series, Rise of Nations is definitely worth checking out.
  16. Divyanshu
    Oct 27, 2014
    10
    Guys if you love this game , then please sign this petition

    https://www.change.org/p/microsoft-studios-big-huge-games-brian-reynolds-rebuild-rise-of-nations-for-next-gen-pc
  17. dreadnought
    Sep 9, 2014
    10
    An excellent mix of Ao2 and Civ ideas.
    Very fresh and strong mechanics
    AI is smart and difficult (however does cheat on higher levels)
    Balance is excellent
    Not the best sound-design
    Empire borders are very interesting and dynamic
  18. Castas
    Jun 19, 2014
    10
    There are no words to express the utter joy felt when I saw this on Steam. This RTS is said to be the love child of Age of Empires and Civilization. Truly, it's a masterpiece of it's own. It has go to be the best RTS out there. Go out and buy it already, damn it!
  19. zigzak
    Jun 7, 2014
    10
    Best RTS game ever made! Thanks Steam for bringing it back! Great variety of nations, game style.. One of my favourite games of all time. Multiplayer games are superb!
  20. Nathyron
    Jun 3, 2014
    9
    I've been playing RTS games since 1999 and i can assure this game is one of the best ever created. Of course it is not as massive or competitive as the Star-craft games but that's because people didn't give him the chance. The game is a mix between Age of Empires and Civilization sagas. Play is complex and provides lots of options while playing (diplomatic management, build orders,I've been playing RTS games since 1999 and i can assure this game is one of the best ever created. Of course it is not as massive or competitive as the Star-craft games but that's because people didn't give him the chance. The game is a mix between Age of Empires and Civilization sagas. Play is complex and provides lots of options while playing (diplomatic management, build orders, openings, and a good amount of units). As long as you like RTS games, this one is well worth to buy giving you massive hours of fun… Expand
  21. deviantstudio
    Mar 12, 2014
    10
    Amazingly fantastic game. I'm not one of those people who give things they hate a 0 and things they like a 10 just to raise the score, i give honest reviews. beautiful RTS graphics, real strategy, excellent multiplayer, and an interesting world map mode......it has key elements from civ that make it fun with classic RTS factors too...definitely the RTS of the year. MY only complaints areAmazingly fantastic game. I'm not one of those people who give things they hate a 0 and things they like a 10 just to raise the score, i give honest reviews. beautiful RTS graphics, real strategy, excellent multiplayer, and an interesting world map mode......it has key elements from civ that make it fun with classic RTS factors too...definitely the RTS of the year. MY only complaints are even though the civilizations have distinct bonuses and special units and look different with i think 4 different unit and building sets.....they all still play al little bit too much the same, with maybe the exception of the chinese who get instant citizens. but mostly its just trade bonuses, faster tanks, etc......you will notice these and they are game factors, but i tend to like warcraft3 style a bit more with totally different civs. I think each civ could have a real radical ability(some already do). but check out the upcoming expansion, adding 6 races and some campaigns too. this is a excellent game with great graphics, sound, and gameplay. i hope RTS's will continue to innovate like this.… Expand
  22. jld89
    Feb 5, 2014
    10
    I personally think this game is one of the RTS genre masterpieces of all time. It is the game where most features of past RTS's (pre 2003) where assembled and refined to the finest detail. This game is great, combat, resource gathering and diplomacy are all complex yet intuitive, achieving a balance that is unheard of.

    Starcraft 1 is good, but I prefer this game by far, Starcraft is    I personally think this game is one of the RTS genre masterpieces of all time. It is the game where most features of past RTS's (pre 2003) where assembled and refined to the finest detail. This game is great, combat, resource gathering and diplomacy are all complex yet intuitive, achieving a balance that is unheard of.

    Starcraft 1 is good, but I prefer this game by far, Starcraft is somehow limited, as well as AOE or Warcraft. The campaigns in this game are complex and challenging and very rewarding as well. I play this game almost everyday on multiplayer (look for Vugi's patch). I highly highly recommend this game for all RTS fans, and get it with the expansion!    … Expand
  23. aleksassta
    Jan 20, 2014
    10
    This game is awesome! .
  24. Toffenuff
    Jun 19, 2013
    9
    Steampunk, technological. magical RTS. Nice gameplay and graphics. Campaign is enjoyable and skirmishes are fun because the units are really cool. I like how strategic it is while also being action-oriented with the battles. Great game.
  25. Doomlord52
    Jul 15, 2012
    10
    By far, this is one of the greatest RTS games of all time - and easily one of the best games of all time. In terms of gameplay, it is superb. The detail and complexity of its resource system ties in amazingly well with its technology and research aspects, which in itself is still unrivaled even in modern games. In addition, the building aspect itself ties into these extremely well. EachBy far, this is one of the greatest RTS games of all time - and easily one of the best games of all time. In terms of gameplay, it is superb. The detail and complexity of its resource system ties in amazingly well with its technology and research aspects, which in itself is still unrivaled even in modern games. In addition, the building aspect itself ties into these extremely well. Each city provides bonuses to nearby resources, as well as to nation borders, which in turn help with resource generation. Then the combat adds another layer, with certain units countering others, terrain types affecting combat, generals giving combat bonuses, and so on. On top of this, the game itself is setup exceedingly well. There are a massive number of nations to choose from, each with their own distinct economic and military bonuses, as well as unique units. The user interface is amazingly intuitive as well as fluid. The multiple campaigns allow for the connection of separate skirmishes to a larger picture. As a single player game, Rise of Nations is simply a masterpiece. The AI offers many different levels of play, ranging from basic to very challenging. However, it also offers multilayer, for those who have exhausted the extensive single player AI. While multiplayer plays exactly like single player, the ability to use diplomacy only increases. Two players can team up to defeat a stronger opponent, or to gain an even stronger dominance of the map. In addition, diplomacy can be used to solve long battles with no clear winner in sight. Over all, Rise of Nations is an absolutely astonishing game. Anyone with any interest in strategy games should pick this up (preferably along with the expansion pack). I purchased Rise of Nations only a few weeks after its release, as well as its expansion pack (also a few weeks after release). To this day I still play and enjoy the game, and is easily one of the best games of all time.… Expand
  26. Rastarorm
    Jun 22, 2012
    10
    Best Real Time Strategy game ever made.I have played so many,and this is definately the best.After playing Rise of Nations,I even admitted it was better than Age of Empires,my favorite game.This game is genius.
  27. Calciferus
    May 24, 2012
    10
    With the most immerse campaign I've ever played (borrowing the concept from Risk), the most diverse nations, and the most diverse units & buildings, this game is the type of RTS that's deserved to be called one of the most realistic RTS yet.
  28. Miheil
    Feb 1, 2012
    9
    This game is the next best thing from the classic RTS like starcraft and Age of Empires 1 and 2. Great balanced gameplay and interesting time frame, this game is better than Empire Earth. This is an addictive game. Only pity is it never put emphasise on the competitive multiplayer faction.
  29. ss3bferocks
    Jan 4, 2012
    10
    All strategy fans will love this game, it is by far the best RTS game i have ever played, Age of Empires, Warcraft, and even Empire EArth don't come close to this fantastic game.
  30. Rodymetal
    Dec 14, 2011
    10
    Few RTS game can reach almost perfection state, and RON is the best example, the game is solid, addictive, clear, deep and easy to play, the developers build this game to be a game which you have to use "strategy" in order to win and that what is what all startegy games made to be since the board games, other aspects of the game such graphics, features and modes are excellent and perefect,Few RTS game can reach almost perfection state, and RON is the best example, the game is solid, addictive, clear, deep and easy to play, the developers build this game to be a game which you have to use "strategy" in order to win and that what is what all startegy games made to be since the board games, other aspects of the game such graphics, features and modes are excellent and perefect, till date I see the graphics are clean and crisp. The replayability is very high due to many availabe nations to choose from many different historic periods to play with. If you are RTS fan you have to get this even of we are in 2011, there wont be any game similar to RON anytime soon.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best PC Game of 2003
23
#23 Most Discussed PC Game of 2003
15
#15 Most Shared PC Game of 2003

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. FiringSquad
    88
    There is a lot to be said for the city-centric game design, the intricate unit balancing, the smart AI, and the catchy, quickie action, although there isn’t anything here to make the jaded sit up and shout.
    Read full review
  2. GMR Magazine
    80
    Playing Rise of Nations won't make your jaw drop in amazement, but you'll probably still have lots of fun as long as you like RTS games. [Aug 2003, p.74]
  3. Armchair Empire
    90
    The second, more significant disappoint that RON inflicts upon the gamer is the mind numbing singularity of the conquest battles. As much as I love toasting the opposition into roasted marshmallow oblivion, doing so 22 times in a row gets a little old.
    Read full review
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