Microsoft and developer Big Huge Games disclosed that they are working on Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends, the inofficial sequel to the award-winning strategy game Rise of Nations. Inofficial because Big Huge wanted to give the franchise a new impetus, making Rise of Legends not another history game but setting it in a fantasy universe where two nations wage war against each other. Each nation will have different abilities, of course, with the Vinci being a technology and the Alim a magic nation. At the game's official website, you can view several screens and wallpapers, download a sneak preview, and read what Big Huge president and industry veteran Brian Reynolds (Alpha Centauri, Civilization II) has to say on Rise of Legends:
So, you may have noticed we didn't do a history game this time! RoN: Rise of Legends is in so many ways the spiritual successor to Rise of Nations, but the long and the short of it is we got excited about doing a fantasy game. Now clearly your traditional "orcs, elves, dwarves" sort of fantasy has been-shall we say-thoroughly covered in other games, and so the story which got us excited is one where the magic of fantasy meets a world of technology. So magic and technology collide, with cataclysmic results! As you take a peek at our first two unique nations you can begin to see the contrast: the industrial Vinci with their Leonardo da Vinci inspired machines and steampunk cities; and the desert Alim with their Arabian Nights theme-sandstorms, genies, and tall glass spires. "Cataclysmic" is also a useful word to describe what we want to do visually-we've redesigned our graphics engine from the ground up because we want to make a game that gets our players as excited about our graphics as they have always been about our gameplay.
The game is scheduled for a release in early 2006.Related info:
Rise of Legends
Rise of Nations
Big Huge Games
Microsoft Games
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