WorthPlaying writes: "Not-so-hot on the heels of its European release in late 2007, German-developed 1701 A.D. Gold Edition has finally arrived stateside, offering new content and challenges to fans of the original title, as well as new AI opposition and a powerful world creation suite. Colonizing the Caribbean (and now Asiatic territories) has rarely been so attractive and engaging ... or time-consuming.
Let's face it: You really can't get much done in this game without sinking about four or five hours per sitting. More time is lost trying to make sense of some of the objectives or unclarities, like why your citizenry won't progress despite having all of their needs met ages ago. An extensive reference tool has been built into the game, the ANNOpedia, which will answer many of your questions, but it really is a lot to get your head around."
If you're not a hard-core strategy fan, you may not be familiar with this weekend's Steam discount. Until Sunday, 1701 A.D. will cost $14.99 instead of $29.99.
Gamersgate is offering Koch Media's strategy title 1701 A.D. Gold Edition for $14.99, a savings of 50%.
The Gold Edition packs both the original 1701 A.D. game along with The Sunken Dragon expansion.
1701 A.D. Gold Edition is a compilation of the original 1701 A.D. and the new expansion game, Sunken Dragon. Sunken Dragon adds 11 new missions and a new world editor, which by themselves are an exciting game expansion. Throw in the original game alongside for a total price of $30, and you have a winner.
The original game garnered great reviews and rightly so. A solid economic simulation, the original game had some great things going for it. The game's economics, diplomacy and trade features meshed almost perfectly. And, it was just a charming game. While not the most complex strategy title around, it was a lot of fun.
Gameplay 8
Graphics 8
Sound 7
Difficulty Med/Hard
Concept 7
Multiplayer 8
Overall 8.0
