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Sure, the History Collection does have very good reasons to exist. To have improved versions of some classic games is a great feeling, but are we losing anything by hastening to replace older titles instead of merely making them playable again?
ANNO 1404 HISTORY EDITION REVIEW SERIES
The Anno series itself looked to the future for theming, then back to the past. The dominant sub-genre of strategy, the RTS, was on its last legs and eventually crumbled before the almighty MOBA. A lot has changed since then, especially in the strategy genre. Yes, believe it or not, 2009 was 11 years ago. They each play the same way you remember them – some retained design will cause a cringing effect – but just that little bit better, unchained from the shackles of their age. Some tracks for some games were unfortunately removed due to licensing issues, but by and large they’re still the ditties that you remember. New 64-bit support makes the games run much better, allowing for much more ambitious city planning. Visual changes aren’t perfect, but a damn sight better than the original. Playing them was a smooth experience as well. Finding matches was no trouble, especially with the old game finder being intact. Each of the four games receives matchmaking and netcode upgrades – 1503 not having it at all in the first place – which work just about as well as you’d expect them to. You’re getting modern online features with a fresh coat of paint and a roundup of the original’s content. The collection, containing 1998’s Anno 1602, 2002’s Anno 1503, 2006’s Anno 17’s Anno 1404, is as simple as remasters come. So, is the video game remaster a clack of a keyboard against the words of the past? It’s not denying the original title, but it’s providing a version of said title that conforms to modern standards.Įspecially one as excellent as the Anno: History Collection. Sure, you could be erasing voices and cultures from pseudo-existence with a mere swish of a pen, but isn’t deciding what is and isn’t important all history is? It’s not a real, physical thing but a (hi)story about the past shaped by personal research priorities. So, although Anno: Venice doesn't quite fix all that was broken, luckily there wasn't a lot wrong in the first place.Rewriting history isn’t as bad as it sounds. For such a notable naval power there's only a disappointing two new trading ships, and keeping track of quests is still as cumbersome as ever, with the all-important Quest log still buried on a sub-menu. Not only is there no single-player Venice campaign (just 15 new scenarios) but you can't even replay the old 1404 campaign using your new units and abilities.
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At the time of writing only a handful of people online owned the add-on, making this impossible to test, but it will be interesting to see how the more tranquil pace of Anno survives on competitive online servers. There's also a decent multiplayer mode which can be played by up to eight people over the internet or local area network in versus or co-op mode. Naturally, others can do the same to you but this, and the option to buy Council membership in rival cities offers interesting new ways of expanding control without resorting to naval combat. In Oriental bases you can also send out a belly dancer as a distraction or create false prophets to cause more widespread confusion.
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Depending on the level of the building you occupy you can launch arson attacks, sabotage the water supply, spread disease or sow dissent in the marketplace to (eventually) start a revolt. Spies are available once you've built an Operations Base, but once done they can take care of policing your own city or creating mayhem in an opponent's. Perhaps the biggest change with Venice is the addition of Spies to your diplomatic toolkit. There's also a new sounds and music, making the city building side of things curiously hypnotic when you've got bigger issues to take care of. Visually not a lot has changed – it's still great to look at, with your hoard of animated townspeople going about their business. There's also a new island type (Volcano) adding to the trading and tactical possibilities of your old European and Oriental cultures. Venice is an add-on pack featuring 300 new quests, 60 new items and a series of new scenarios based around Venetian culture. It neatly combined the city-building tranquillity of The Settlers with the gunboat diplomacy of Age of Empires to make a deep and absorbing game. O f all the RTS/Sim hybrids, Anno 1404 was one of the most enjoyable.