1602 AD

DEVELOPER : Sunflower
PUBLISHER : GT Interactive

Ratings

Graphics: 7.0 A bit outdated, but charming nonetheless.

Audio: 7.0 Nothing groundbreaking here, just your standard sound effects. But what is there is nicely done.

Interface: 6.0 Basic, and you get used to it, but it would be nice if it actually attempted to help the player succeed.

Gameplay: 8.5 OK, I know many would disagree, but this is my kind of game.

Replayability: 9.0 If you like the game, I don't see how it can get boring any time soon. Nice number of scenarios and campaigns, plus a free-form mode.

Mulitplay: 7.0 Has the standard multiplayer options, but I'd suggest solo play on this one. Time-consuming games, in my opinion, aren't ideal for online play.

Learning Curve: 6.5 It's gong to take you a while.

Manual: 5.0 How not to do a manual. Nice building charts, but the intricacies of the game could easily make for a thick guide.

Pros: Wonderfully complex economy with a challenging amount of detail to handle.

Cons: Wonderfully complex economy with a challenging amount of detail to handle.

Overall: 7.2

Let's face it, the Europeans love micromanagement. Make a game in Europe that gives players a hundred things to do at once and it's a surefire success. For proof look to the Settlers series, and now 1602 AD. A best selling game in Germany, 1602 covers my favorite period of history-the colonization of the New World. Sure, they don't call the islands you settle America, and there are no real empires involved, just generic flags, but I'd recognize that native exploiting, liquor swigging, spice desiring period anywhere. So, do we have a game bogged down in its own detail, or a hit on our hands now that it has made its own journey to the US. Read on my fellow Imperialists.

"Aargh, yea maties, swab the decks and get your #$@^% to the cannons. We have some prissy colonists to destroy," said the pirate. With a thunderous clap the cannons began firing, some missing and sending fountains of sea water into the air, others crashing through the enemy's hull.

"What do we do?" yelled a sailor on the unfortunate target. "Look, over there! An Island!" (Insert chorus music here).

The ship sailed at full speed, outrunning the pirates. A scouting party jubilantly hopped on shore and found that the island was perfect for growing tobacco and sugar, but nothing else. "Oh well. We'll worry about the other resources later," exclaimed the captain.

"Yes, but what about those other Europeans that have already built up their colonies while we have been looking for a suitable island?" asked the sailor.

"Ha. We'll build up an army and annihilate them. I love the smell of bullet ridden musketeers in the morning."

"But captain", said the sailor timidly. "Our island doesn't have any iron reserves, and we have to import spices from another island. Plus, our fleet isn't that strong, our settlers need a tavern and a church, and three city blocks have been taken over by the plague. We don't have enough gold to purchase a hospital, and our resources are not being bought by visiting traders. Oh yeah, and the natives are taking up all of our good farmland." "Ah screw it!" exhales the captain. "Pack up my stuff, I'm going back to Europe."

This is an example of how some might feel playing 1602 AD. There is a lot to manage if you are going to have a successful game. But before I go into game mechanics, let me give you a brief intro. As stated, you have to build a thriving colony in any of the game's modes. You can choose from a variety of individual scenarios, each with specific goals. Or you can opt to play one of the numerous campaigns, each a string of increasingly difficult scenarios. Perhaps the most enjoyable, and challenging, part of the game is playing in free-form mode. Its just you and some rival empires building among a series of randomly generated islands to see who will come out the victor.

Each game starts you out with a colony ship. To find a suitable island just sail up to it and scout for resources. Each island cannot grow all the resources you need, but if they can, it is either at 100% or 50% (hence, 50% of the farmland will be dead land). It is imperative to find an island with ore to mine, so that you can build more advanced buildings as well as an army. Combat takes place in real time, but this ain't no RTS. There are only three units-infantry, cavalry, and artillery. You can also build larger warships and construct towers for defense or walls to protect your shores-but what adds to the enjoyment, for me anyway, is that it is difficult to commission a large army. You can't simply pump out units from a barracks like Command and Conquer. You have to have a sound population and economy first. Settlers come upon building housing, and depending on the goods available at your warehouse (spices, clothing etc.), as well as life-improving structures built within their range (church, tavern, hospital, gallows?) they will gradually become a higher class, thus paying more taxes. You can also sell surplus goods at your warehouse to wandering privateers or to nearby colonies.

The economy of 1602 AD is pretty realistic, and thus pretty complicated. It is not alleviated by the fact that the manual is quite vague. I've seen other reviews in which the writer has complained that they didn't know what or how to build many structures. I didn't have as many problems, as there is a good building chart in the manual, as well as tables that inform you on how to raise the class of your settlers. But it is lacking the narrative descriptions that make the charts a supplement. Instead, you must rely on them entirely, and forget the tutorials. They teach you only the basics. Geez, thanks for informing me how to sail my ship around, but you could you teach me how to build an army? A big no-no for an empire building game. Things start out simple enough. Chop down trees for lumber and create a brick factory for, well, bricks. But as the game advances, it can get hard to know what your colony is lacking. For instance, a fishing hut won't supply enough food later in the game, so you'll need to build cattle farm for meat, as well as a grain farm. But you need a nearby mill for flour in order to send it to the baker to make bread, and the cattle need to be taken to a butcher. As I said, you will have to start multiple colonies in order to get all resources and foster full growth, only adding to the potential headaches.

But I like this game. Complications and all, I like it. It has a certain charm. Perhaps it's the soft, lulling music that plays in the background, or the gentle sound effects of birds chirping and water rolling. Plus, once you get the hang of it, you'll have the desire to play more in order to use your newly acquired skills. Graphics wise the game is a bit outdated. They are serviceable, and the people strolling around your colony are well animated, but some of the static images are a bit dull. For instance, when clicking on houses you'll see the image of what is supposed to be your typical "colonist". Looks more like a VGA image of Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda. Still, the graphics do grow on you like a fine wine. Well, I wouldn't go that far, but you'll get used to them.

The interface is decent. Building things is a quick and easy affair, and any RTS player will know the ropes. You can set up trade or delivery routes with your cargo ships (which is a bit more complicated because it simply not streamlined enough) so you do not have to worry about them. But you still have to watch over them lest a pirate or enemy ship starts taking pot shots at their broadside. This brings up the main problem with the interface. There are not enough cues, textual or auditory. If our lumber, spice, or tool supply is low we should get a message right away instead of having to wonder why our colony is stagnant and discovering it for yourself.

1602 AD, I do admit, caters to a limited audience. If you're like me and enjoy fiddling with every little aspect of your empire, even if is a bit tedious, you'll enjoy it. If, on the other hand, you lose patience quickly or want a game that emphasizes combat over economy, steer clear. This game won't make a splash here like it did in Germany. No, most Americans don't prefer micromanagement. But if you're ready to get into a complex game that is deserving of you energies, pick it up. Now, swab the decks and raise the sails, we've got some colonizing to do.

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Reviewed by Anthony Micari