Rise up my friend!
Although many have commented that The Settlers series bears a few too many similarities to the classic strategy franchise Age of Empires, that's not really a bad thing in many ways, and the games still manage to be a lot of fun. If you haven't played one of them before, then this is a good one to pick up as it's fairly typical of the franchise and offers some nice extras in the form of an expansion pack which adds in some new missions. The concept here is to build up your empire by building cities, managing resources, dealing with your neighbours by fair means or foul, and a whole heap of other things. The whole thing takes place in a medieval-style setting, and features a complex economy, heaps of choice in terms of professions, building types and resources, meaning that it has enough depth and variety to keep you playing for months. The game is played via a semi-overhead perspective, which allows you to keep a good eye on everything that's going on, and if you were brought up on the likes of Populous, then this is going to be right up your alley. For the most, this is a highly satisfying and enjoyable experience. It's undeniably enthralling to build up your cities and it's not long before you get really attached to your citizens, so you want to do a good job of looking after them. The visuals are simple but effective, while there's so many options and so much depth that you can really play however you want to. This is definitely one to pick up if you want something to sink your teeth into, so be prepared to say goodbye to your social life!
