Majesty Gold
Added 5/20/07
Ah, the clash of swords as the Legions of Rome and the Phalanx of Greece collide... It has been redone many times, in so many different ways. (Star Wars and Lord of the Rings have their own versions of Age of Empires, for instance.)
But, how many games can say that they have a unique approach to the familiar AoE formula? Cyberlore's Majesty can. And Majesty Gold just combines the original and its expansion into one, like AoE Gold. Of course, if you, like me, have Maj Gold, forget about the expansion quests that're available for download. It doesn't work. Such a disappointment...
Majesty is basically like a "choose-your-own-adventure movie," for lack of a better term. You are the King/Queen of Ardania. The game uses the term "Soverign," which had me confused until I figured out that it's a synonym for "monarch." Learn something new every day.
All you really do is build up an economy and an army. Then, you let your men do all the work. After a while, it becomes like a movie, one you had a hand in making. Every choice has a concequence, some good, some bad. For instance, do you allow Gnomes into your kingdom and rapidly improve your building abilities, or do you put up with your slow peasants and wait for the more battle-oriented Dwarves, with their useful Ballista Towers? Or, do you forgo them altogether and go with the economically friendly Elves, with double the marketplace income and their "Elven Lounges" and Gambling Halls? ...Don't ask for the backstory on "Elven Lounges."
Now you're wondering, "But, what about that army?" Here's the deal; you put prices on the heads of all the enemies you face. Some heroes (Some are female, after all, so I can't use the term "Men.") will go looking for trouble, while others just wait until trouble rears its ugly head. To entice those who wait, you can slap a good 100 gold bounty on the head of that Ratman that's been stealing from your Marketplace and Inns. Or, perhaps a 300 gold bounty on that Troll that's busy killing your peasants, tax collectors, and trying to ruin your Marketplace. Now, how about exploring? Set a 100 gold bounty on an area, and the first hero(es) who reach it get paid. Handy!
Of course, there's more to life in Ardania than economy and military, there's also spirituality. Seven gods and goddesses rule Ardania. You can only appease three at a time, and those temples for those gods grant you up to three spells. Now, before anyone jumps up and says "How do you get mana?" here's the answer: they cast spells on a donation basis. You "donate" to the temple, and they then cast the spell for you.
The fun comes in deciding which temples to build. You have the Goddess of Life (Agrela), Goddess of Death (Krypta), God of Chaos (Fervus), God of Law (Dauros), Goddess of the Sun (Helia), God of the Moon (Lunord), and the Father God (Krolm). Each has a group of heroes dedicated to them. And, naturally, those of rival factions don't like to stand next to each other. Agrela and Krypta don't get along, for instance. Interestingly, nor do Agrela and Fervus, or Dauros and Krypta. So, it's either Agrela/Dauros, or Krypta/Fervus. ...Confused yet? Also, Krolm doesn't like the fact that people don't seem to realize he's there anymore, so he's a bit egotistical and doesn't like his temples to stand beside anyone else's. Lunord and Helia don't like each other one bit, either.
Each of these gods have their own strengths and weaknesses. Dauros, for instance, will provide you with skilled Paladins and magic-wielding Monks, while Fervus will provide you with animal-charming Cultists and REALLY strong Warriors of Discord, who also happen to not have a bit of brain power.
Now, you aren't alone in Ardania. Sometimes, you run across a rival kingdom. There's a reason why they get all their buildings right away, while you have to build all of yours. They have no building plan. The programmers were pressed for time, and so, no CPU kingdoms. The rival in "The Seige" happens to be a crude AI, only focused on gold and rival buildings. It explains why the thing bountys my Marketplaces and Dwarven Settlements, anyway. As far as the kingdom in "Quest for the Magic Ring," the Soverign there is, well, out on vacation. His advisor is doing all the hiring, and doesn't really care about you. And no, the ring isn't the one from Tom and Jerry.
What about beasts? Well, other than the standard Dragons, Goblins, and Trolls, you have Medusae, Harpies, Rock Golems... Daemonwood. You've also got relatively original (Not sure where they got the ideas from...) Evil Oculii and Ratmen. Hmm... Now, what about undead? Yes, you've got undead to deal with. Zombies, Skeletons, and Vampires. You'll also find Werewolves and Flowering Strangleweed, a rather annoying plant that fires poisoned spores at your heroes. Plenty of variety for things that kill, eh?
What about those heroes? Well, like any MMORPG, there are many different classes (16, actually, but who's counting?) and they also have their strengths and weaknesses. You have the lowly Rogue, who steals from everyone and goes after pretty much any reward, to the powerful Wizard, who, while being not too long-lasting, can deliver a powerful punch, and everyone in between.
Now, it SOUNDS frustrating, not controlling pretty much anything. There's a BIG plus. Your heroes handle themselves. If they're getting pounded, they retreat by themselves, which saves you the hassle of having to order them to fall back. You don't have to order your peasants to repair something, and you don't have to worry about guards not protecting anything. They work on their own. Of course, those Rogues, Elves, and Cultists also go after your enemy's rewards, like, say, your Palace? You don't get them loyal with the proper buildings, you could find yourself worrying about losing the game to your own men, let alone the enemy!
Still, there are drawbacks. Those Warriors will sometimes go to the Lounge (Why not the bar?) instead of going to the smithy for a better sword, and those Paladins sometimes get themselves into a heap of trouble. Soloing a Dragon is NOT a good idea, y'know...
Still, I like this game, and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who enjoys RTS games. You might not like it at first, but this is one of those games that's like the Sour Skittles; sour at first, but sweet after you get past the powder. Oh, and don't pull your hair out on "Day of Reckoning." It's the final level for a reason. Matter of fact, it took me 35 game days to kill all the baddies... And I had a, what, 75%+ attrition rate?
Since I'll try to have a grading scale, here we go with the hard numbers...
GRAPHICS: 8.6/10
GAMEPLAY: 9/10
SOUND AND MUSIC: 9.4/10
ORIGINALITY: 9.8/10
REPLAYABILITY: 7.6/10
OVERALL: 44.4/50, 88%
FINAL VERDICT: B+