Nintendo
Empereur, L'
| Graphics: Sound: Gameplay: Overall: |
6.71 7.12 7.76 7.71 |
| Votes: | 17 |
| Reviews: | 1 |
Rate this game
Review this game
| Reviewer: Matthew Sutton | Date: Sep 12, 2009 |
| L'Empereur was Koei's only attempt at a Napoleonic simulation. Too bad. This could have been a dynamite franchise if actively continued on other, more sophisticated platforms. As it stands this is one of the best NES games ever made. Kou Shibusawa could've stopped here.
Graphics: 8 Given the fact that this is an 8bit simulation game the graphics are more than adequate. Most of the characters do look like portraits of them indicate that they did. The battlefields can be easily read terrain-wise. The overall design is very smart. The European general map is simplified but it works just fine. Only fault--for some at least--is the trademark Koei font they used in all of these sims. I like it, but I've grown accustomed to it. This is a number-crunching game so you'll be scrolling through tables of figures--troop levels, skill sets for officers, national resources, diplomatic standings, city levels, etc--99% of the time. Sound: 8 Again, its an 8bit sim so I wouldn't play it for the MIDI music's sake. Not too bad though. The use of different melodies in battle to reflect your chances of victory was a nice touch. Gameplay: 10 The strength of this game is in the gameplay. The menu layout is intuitive, the game is immersive and complex, with loads of historical characters each scored in 8 different skill areas and a surfeit of commands. The nation-states are all historical as well. The battlefield maps roughly reflect the actual geography of the strategic areas they are supposed to: mountains, rivers, swamps, and towns are all where they should be. Seasons change, taxes are collected, cholera strikes, strikes happen, embargoes and diplomatic tricks are always being pulled. The battle commands are superb as well. I don't think any other Koei game can offer such a fun combat experience. Artillery can really decimate open units, cavalry can charge and rout units in disarray, infantry can bridge rivers and pin units right where you want them. Just excellent. There are just too many great things to say about this title. Only drawbacks I can see is that you should be able to play an opposing country, control naval battles, and bigger, more detailed battlefields would be nice. Of course a sequel had it been made, might have addressed these... Overall: 10 From the humble beginnings of Nobunaga's Ambition, Koei's NES historical simulation series evolved to this, its most mature offering. They really created a beautiful playing sim that illustrates the Napoleonic era of European history extremely well. Still a very subtle game at 20 yrs old; a tremendous amount of research and thought went into this game and it shows. Please revive this title for a new platform! Keep the elegant HEX's (the new square system is clumsy) and the existing format/commands, elaborate on the basic commands, add more and bigger maps, longer duration battles, naval actions, howitzer/cannon artillery, light/heavy cav, proposals for joint invasions, and multiplayer mode. Add the 'secret' 100 Days scenario PC players could unlock. Update the graphics and sound. Let the RoTK series rest. |
|