Wii

Dawn of Discovery

Ich muss ganz ehrlich sagen, ich bin von beiden Spielen sehr angetan. Es schmerzt zwar sehr, dass kein Multiplayer-Modus vorhanden ist, dennoch kann man durch diese perfekt Vereinfachte Umsetzung des „Anno“-Gameplays darüber hinweg sehen. „Anno“ war schon immer eines dieser Spiele von denen man meinte, man spiele sie jetzt noch aller höchstens eine halbe Stunde, bis man dann aber realisieren muss, dass das man bis in die frühen Morgenstunden durch gespielt hat. Einer der vielen Gründe wieso diese Titel würdige „Anno“ Titel sind, ist eben, dass dieser Effekt vorhanden ist.

There aren’t enough words to describe what an incredibly fun experience Dawn of Discovery is. Whenever I thought I had it all figured out, the game threw another challenge at me, keeping the gameplay fresh and forcing me to keep thinking. This game is sadistically addicting and can make five hours of gameplay feel like just one. This is by far one of the best titles on Wii and is a must-own for all players.

In terms of presentation quality, Dawn of Discovery is pleasant. There are a variety of great colors that all pop very nicely with vibrance. All animations are smooth and I didn't notice any major technical problems. Zooming in all the way down to street level on your town reveals some casual graphics, but also some detailed ones like dogs running about. Most of the time you'll play from a traditional RTS height and everything looks fine. Furthermore, instead of cutscenes, you'll witness a basic slide show of animated stills that convey the picture of the words being spoken by the characters. On that note, the voiceovers are all very good and fitting, but I would have liked more lines of dialogue for Mr. Devenport and Evelyn. The sound effects, like plopping a new building on the ground, were all good with no complaints while the smooth, instrumental soundtrack reminded me of the many hours of playing Pirates! and Age of Mythology.

Anno: Erschaffe eine Neue Welt setzt demzufolge auf einen bunten, sympathischen und detaillierten Comic-Look mit einer Farbcodierung, bei der auf den ersten Blick klar ist, ob ein Gebäude nun ein Wohnhaus oder ein Rohstoff-Betrieb ist. Technisch ist Anno dabei absolut sauber, kein Grafikfehler trübt den Gesamteindruck, egal wie wuselig das Geschehen auf dem Bildschirm sich entwickelt.

Given the distinct lack of RTS games on the system, even a perfunctory port of Anno would be welcome on Wii. Quite unexpectedly though, Ubisoft has delivered a game that’s been thoughtfully designed around the strengths of Nintendo’s system, delivering an experience that retains the essence and depth of the long-running series while streamlining it to offer a pacier, more accessible twist on the familiar formula, replacing unnecessary complexity with gameplay breadth. By shunning the micro-management elements of the series, Create a New World mightn’t be enough to satiate genre fans raised on PC offerings. However, anyone looking for an engaging, involving alternative to typically lightweight Wii fare should be delighted by Anno’s bright, breezy and beautifully presented Wii debut.

Aside from those minor quibbles, I really enjoyed Dawn of Discovery, but keep in mind that if you're not already a fan of real-time strategy games, this game might not be the one to suck you in, especially not on a console. It's certainly well-adapted, but the difficulty curve is pretty high, and I'm not sure that people will have the patience to go through the tutorial that's masked as a story mode. However, if you're willing to stick it out, there's a ton of depth here that can keep you busy for hours on end, and it's a great value at $30.

Anno: Crea un Nuovo Mondo è pur sempre uno strategico, e quindi non ci si può aspettare che scuota gli animi dell'utenza Wii, abituata a tutt'altro tipo di genere videoludico: tuttavia, Ubisoft merita davvero un plauso per la sua produzione, capace di coniugare immediatezza e semplicità con la dovuta profondità. Un risultato non da poco, impreziosito inoltre da una realizzazione tecnica di assoluto rispetto. Magari non sarà un gioco su cui passare le notti, ma Anno: Crea un Nuovo Mondo rimane comunque la scelta migliore se si ha fame di un po' di sana strategia sulla console Nintendo.

Een RTS-game op de Wii hebben we nog niet vaak gezien. Maar met een goed besturingssysteem, diepgaand gameplay en een goed verzorgde presentatie bewijst Anno: Create a New World dat het zeker mogelijk is om de genre op een geslaagde manier naar de Nintendo console te brengen.

A much tougher continuous play mode nicely balances out the training wheels saddled onto the story mode. Additionally, a second player can direct a pointer around the map, place decorative bushes, and make fireworks shoot out from rooftops, but calling this limited interaction a two-player mode is a joke. Dawn of Discovery’s flaws are generally minor ones that won’t cause much of an issue for players attracted to the civilization simulation genre for the first time by the game’s all-ages friendly presentation. Looking past the concessions made to streamline the series for the Wii, the particular flavor of economy management this game provides is one you’ll want to keep going back for.

What this reminded us most of was the first SimCity, before the series became bogged down in uninteresting details and was still fast paced enough that any console owner could enjoy it. Certainly the interface is as intuitive as could be hoped for, with very good use made of the Wii remote. The only real downside is that it's proof again that the Wii's potential is nowhere near being fully exploited.

Fans of economy management and resource gathering games on PC will probably find Anno’s Wii incarnation too dumbed down for their tastes. But Wii owners won’t find anything else like it on their console, and could do a hell of a lot worse. It’s well executed and breezy, but not without its flaws. Now, perhaps we should send a few copies to the government…

ANNO: La creación de un nuevo mundo simplifica el reciente juego aparecido en PC y coloniza Wii de una manera notable en cada uno de sus aspectos. Que sea un juego simplificado no quiere decir que sea peor, sino que se ha adaptado al público mayoritario de la consola y complementado con la capacidad técnica de Wii. Un juego tan adictivo como sorprendente en varias facetas que funciona a la perfección gracias al control y a la buena compenetración llevada en todas las líneas. Uno de los pocos -y mejores- juegos de estrategia que se pueden encontrar en el catálogo de la consola.

Yet again, a game on the Wii that looks to be well below my level of interest surprises by focusing on the gameplay and implementing solid, intuitive controls. That it's extremely accessible thanks to the tutorial-on-steroids story mode is just another feather in the Wii's something for everyone cap. This experience is severely enjoyable, on the verge of addicting (a common trait of top "god games.") So much so, I'm now itching to find my old CD of Theme Hospital.

Una campagna pubblicitaria in sordina e una confezione non proprio ammiccante potrebbero far confondere il titolo con i troppi prodotti a basso profilo pubblicati sulla console Nintendo. La prova dell’avventura prodotta da Ubisoft scaccia immediatamente i dubbi. Anno appare fin dai primi momenti di gioco molto curato, avvincente, ricco di colpi di scena e di variabili intriganti. La modalità Storia, vera palestra per la più impegnativa modalità Infinita, grazie ai tre differenti livelli di difficoltà, si rivela piacevole e sempre stimolante. I continui cambi di isola e di prospettiva ci immergono in un nuovo mondo fatto di esplorazioni e scoperte più o meno piacevoli. Se non odiate fin dal profondo il genere e volete sfuggire ai pirati, conquistare affascinanti principesse, alzare le tasse, assumere esperti di giardinaggio, costruire metropoli e molto, molto altro ancora, buttatevi senza indugi nell’avventura di Anno: non ve ne pentirete.

Destinado a un público poco habituado al género de la estrategia y gestión de centros urbanos, Anno: La Creación de un Nuevo Mundo se trata de un título francamente bueno que ha sabido adaptar la fórmula jugable de un producto muy del mundo de los compatibles a Wii sin fracasar en el intento. Es cierto que se ha simplificado, en nuestra opinión en exceso, la mecánica de juego vista en PC, pero esto no significa que estemos ante un mal juego porque logra lo que todo videojuego busca, que es divertir mientras se construyen casas, manufacturas, y barcos con los que explorar el océano.

It doesn't have the era-spanning historical scope that many games of this type have, nor does it bring anything new to the table. And despite a somewhat misleading statement on the back of the box, there's no meaningful multiplayer of any kind here--the second player can't do anything more significant than point at the screen, honk horns and shoot off fireworks. But the flaws here aren't enough to overshadow the pleasure of building your cities, sailing the seas, and discovering what awaits over the horizon. The brisk pace and accessible city-building mechanics make Dawn of Discovery a game that should appeal to the adventurous spirit in just about anyone.

Dawn of Discovery from Ubisoft has managed to accomplish what very few other games can claim to, specifically bringing a deep, rewarding strategy simulator to home consoles. By streamlining core gameplay mechanics and introducing a surprisingly stylized and vibrant art style, developers Keen Entertainment and Blue Byte Software have crafted what could be the next big sleeper hit for Nintendo's home console. Sure, some of the artificial restrictions placed upon players can be frustrating and the single-player Story Mode is really more of ten-hour tutorial, but these are minor gripes in the grand scheme of things. If you've ever enjoyed a city-building simulation in the past or even considered checking one out, Dawn of Discovery is your ticket to the latest and greatest the genre has to offer.

Anno: Create a New World is a pretty rare beast: a sim game with a story mode that's accessible to newcomers yet has sufficient depth to appeal to veterans. Whether you're a longtime simulation game player or just curious, you should definitely go pick this one up!

Dawn of Discovery for the Nintendo Wii is a great simulation title that will have you entranced for hours. The problems were the storybook atmosphere of the game, which was a bad idea, and if created a different way, it would have definitely benefited the overall game. Although the story mode bogged down the game a little bit, the continuous gameplay mode will rise up and make players forget all about the game-long tutorial.

But still: I sat and played 15 hours of management. Its oversights are mainly ones where you wish the developers had pursued their line of thought longer. Only the combat system would require a complete rethink to come up to scratch rather than a tiny tweak, and combat is - as evidenced by it only appearing towards the campaign's close - a tiny, tiny part of Anno. Mostly, this is a relaxing Sunday-afternoon game, and good at either accompanying the digestion of a roast dinner or the slow exorcism of a hangover. I also liked the bit where I was complimented for delivering herb-tribute to the king, which sounds like some kind of drug-dealing slang. Although that may just be me.