Empire Earth II is a premium strategy game from Mad Doc Software and Vivendi Universal Games, through its subsidiary Sierra Entertainment. This 2005 real-time strategy retains the extended gameplay that spans all of mankind’s history and beyond. Play any of its 14 civilizations and guide them from the prehistoric Stone Age to the advanced Synthetic Age. 

With three single-player campaigns and hundreds of character models available, Empire Earth II is a great transition between the first Empire Earth and Empire Earth III. It adds new features that drastically improve upon its predecessor and sets the tone for the third and last entry.

Make an empire out of Earth

Like other games in the EE franchise, Empire Earth II also puts the player in control of a particular civilization. Depending on the game mode played, you can go through all 15 epochs, starting from the Stone, Copper, Bronze, and Iron ages to the conceptual Genetic and Synthetic Ages. This has been the selling point of the game, letting you witness all of these transformations in a single session.

For its campaign mode, you get to choose between three main storylines. Choose from the Koreans, the Germans, or the Americans as they travel and progress across time. Aside from this, there are also a couple of custom scenarios that feature other civilizations. An added feature in this sequel includes the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) display that lets you micromanage a different task as you play.

As a deep and immersive RTS on a grand scale, expect a very steep learning curve. While most gaming sessions can be completed in a matter of hours, it can feel dragging to casual strategy enjoyers. Its complex gameplay mechanics include weather conditions and a balance between Economy, Imperialism, and Military aspects. Other than that, the game has a limited player base, mainly due to its age.

A cult classic strategy

While RTS games come and go, Empire Earth II stands the test of time. Its scale alone makes it easily mistaken as a grand strategy, although it keeps its pacing and complexity at a much more manageable level. Still, don’t be fooled, this is a larger RTS game compared to most of its contemporaries. Timeless as a single-player strategy, although the multiplayer base has been dwindling.