This is crazy man, this was one of my favorite games growing up and I just found out about this remake yesterday. Imagine how excited I got when i found the release date.
Back in the olden days I would drive across town checking out pawn shops and computer stores looking for second hand pc games. One day I scored gold, two games that I had never heard of, for only a few dollars. "Homeworld" and "Pharaoh" nice to see that they have both now been remastered.
In original had "issues" with crocodiles coming out of river so put in a unit a fort of archers. They'd march out quickly and turn it into spiky monster.
I'm just happy it's only about 9.65eu on my steam store. This is a steal for me. Loved the original, spent hours upon hours on it, and I'm looking forward to playing this remake.
i think combat being auto its just laziness of modern gaming at its core, OG combat was complex and rewarding but had the challenge the game generally lacked and now its just dumbed down
Hi Tom ! Very good review ! I was not sure if I woul buy or not the game. i have the whole set (Pharaoh + Cleopatra, Caesar, Zeus and Poseidon) on GOG and even the old Caesar II on CD and I wasn't sure it would be worth a purchase for A new Era. From your video/review, it's obvious than I should. A very good point that you underlined (among others) is the battles. They were fun the first time in old games. But not thereafter. They could even become a pain in the a.. ! But the new system seems to be clever. Thanks to your review, i'll buy it in the future ! 😀
The only SUBSTANTIAL change I wanted to see was an imrpoved trade system. I only played the demo which didn't let me try it. Is it improved in any way?
I wonder can you build giant cities now? I remember those series had pretty strict load limit, it was a bummer... Besides I wonder if there is any improvement in managing building's range of influence - simply those workers on the roads, putting recruitment option aside. For me those were two issues that were much holding back huge potential of those series.
Yes, the unique walking range option increase many buildings a bunch with the walkers range. And I have built quite big cities and no slowdowns observed so far. - Tom
Way back on my old Win 98 PC on the OG game, I once built a city that held over 25,000 during a mission campaign. I've never attempted higher but in that city, I literally had no more room to add more ppl! I know a YT vid of someone managing to get 30k but that was a custom mission not the campaign.
This make me think of Lords Of magic so much! I got the Demo with this original Disc!! I bought it just to have a nice offline game! TY. PS remaster LOM!!
Thanks for the review! One question though: do servicepeople still have to *physically* walk by your buildings to supply them with water, pottery, beer etc or is there an aura? Having to build your housing blocks in *very* specific ways to flourish was a big turn-off for me after a while.
Yeah good question. I go over it in the options part, they added a way to switch between the recruiters and a global labour pool which changes the dynamic a lot I feel. - Tom
@@LTGamingUA-cam I did see that part, but it's not quite what I mean. In the original game, if you put up a well but the delivery person doesn't *physically* walk by a house to give it water, the building starts its degradation chain reaction; you have to be very careful about setting up road blocks or creating closed loops to ensure the servicepeople consistently pass the things you wanted them to. Is that also covered by the Recruiter option? Or is there another setting?
@@IMatchoNation the walkers are still a think. Because that's the gameplay the impression games build on. Recruiter/Globalworker force only change the need of housing near Industrie or not.
@@IMatchoNation For me it could be perfectly ok, I think, but if it would be perfectly clear and under our control where workers are going. I was also wondering about it, cause in large projects it really could be messy and problematic.
Ah my bad. You also have an option called unique walker range which gives walkers more range as well. Hand in hand with the global recruitment pool (no more houses next to far off mines) I have been able to build much more functional and prettier cities :) - Tom
I agree, it has a few bugs, but it's a great game. I played some last night and hope to play more today. I would have hoped they could update it a bit more though, but perhaps they will do so later.
Thanks for the review! I found my CD still works on my PC, and I've been enjoying replaying. I was so surprised to hear about a remake. Even though its in HD now, the mobile game character design is just not for me. The previous animations seemed more natural even though they weren't as interesting. I like the buildings as well, but also the environment sees a little odd with how the grass looks. I'm a stickler for appearances, and even though the original is pixelated a bit, they still look like they're human rather than cartoon humans.
I loved the original but I'm not a fan of the new art style, it reminds me of a mobile game. I'd always favour gameplay over graphics but it is a tad distracting for me. May pick this up on sale.
No mini-map. Advisors are hidden behind generic Word symbols. etc. I find this edition lacking in atmosphere. Also: The objectives screen gives you the mission summary and notifcations screen gives you the current objectives. :\ I am sure all the bugs will be fixed eventually. But as a 45 year old gamer i refunded this edition because of the lack of being Egypt. I miss so much Egyptian artwork, they are just simple menus now. I call it Pharaoh, the new spreadsheet.
After hours into the map (last Pharaoh mission) I had to rise just culture to win, as I have to save a lot because sometimes things get bug and only reloading the save file that it got working again, my last save got corrupted for no reasons, the game programming mechanics are hard i think they had to launch a beta test version first, I fear they will ruin the remake with these bugs (and sales) and I am sure a lot of them are really hard to reproduce... I had 10k people in the city (6 Palatial Estate and the rest were Spacious Apartment) and the people was upset towards me because the city had a lot of slums... immigration stucked for no reasons... the range between them is 9 levels but it is not how the original algorithm works. The list of bugs I faced are tremendous some of them are just visual gliches but right now I would say it is unplayable unless you are playing to help the developers or creating content. * SAVE A NEW ENTRY EVERYTIME sometimes the save got corrupted cause Bast is mad at you... or just play the original or Augustus :p
Umm I used to like actually fighting the combat in the old games. Not a plus they removed it sorry. Also I heard you can't rotate the screen is that true?
Listen i loved the original. I am enjoying this one. But the music and combat just are terrible. I hope the combat gets updated at some point. Bring back the original combat or at least expand upon it.
I dislike remakes honestly. The old games can be made to run on 4k. I'd hope that after 20+ years they could have gotten more creative with diplomacy, smarter more dynamic AIs... more complex politics...
@@timberolenhador3967 The long development time was an indication, they had been hyping it up since 2019. Why would a simple game like this with modern game engines take 4 years to develop? Especially since the developer already had a city building under their belt and had the know hows allegedly...
The people doing the remake should have looked at nebuchadnezzar and taken notes of all the things that worked and then combined that with the awesome elements from Pharoh. Instead we have this... cartoonish UI overlaid atop a creaking late 90's game system that is just as frustratingly opaque as it was back then.
The new UI is shit. You didn't have to guess the symbols; Once you clicked on a symbol there was an english written list of things to buy/build. Much more confusing now that everything *IS* a symbol. I Don't think you ever played the original, New combat is also shit!
No, you should not. Game is just a cash grab, you can get the GOG version and apply a patch and have the same game with OG graphics. Custom maps if you have already done the campaign a million times.
This is crazy man, this was one of my favorite games growing up and I just found out about this remake yesterday. Imagine how excited I got when i found the release date.
Me also. so many hours spend building Egypt empire. found out today about it.
I wish they add that UI back as an option. I miss the old overlay and combat.
-To the marsh I march, for the reeds we need!
-This bossy lady makes me carry baskets all day long!
Had slipped my mind completely that this was being remake. Great review 👍
What a joy to see this game again!
My supply sold out like hotcakes, im going back to the baazar for more!
Thanks for the video. The Egypt one was my fav game from all the series.
This is SO awesome! I didn't even know there was a remake until today :) I still have the original Pharaoh disc on my bookshelf..
It caught many by surprise :D Have fun mate! :) - Tom
I have the original strategy book, map, and disk case.
Same with warcraft 2, starcraft, and brood war.
On sale on Steam for $22 until Feb 28
Thanks, some helpful info for a newbie such as me!
Back in the olden days I would drive across town checking out pawn shops and computer stores looking for second hand pc games. One day I scored gold, two games that I had never heard of, for only a few dollars. "Homeworld" and "Pharaoh" nice to see that they have both now been remastered.
That is quite the duo to secure! Nicely done!
In original had "issues" with crocodiles coming out of river so put in a unit a fort of archers. They'd march out quickly and turn it into spiky monster.
i remember that one 😂😂
I'm just happy it's only about 9.65eu on my steam store. This is a steal for me. Loved the original, spent hours upon hours on it, and I'm looking forward to playing this remake.
I don't recall the classic Pharaoh back in 1999. Good thing they remastered it for retro gamers to enjoy once more.
Great vid, I picked it up at the price which was really reasonable.
Enjoy it! - Tom
Great review, thank you!
Glad it was helpful! - Tom
Great review Tom 👍
i think combat being auto its just laziness of modern gaming at its core, OG combat was complex and rewarding but had the challenge the game generally lacked and now its just dumbed down
this game was a instant buy. good to have some holidays right now
Happy holidays! and enjoy! - Tom
Hi Tom ! Very good review ! I was not sure if I woul buy or not the game. i have the whole set (Pharaoh + Cleopatra, Caesar, Zeus and Poseidon) on GOG and even the old Caesar II on CD and I wasn't sure it would be worth a purchase for A new Era. From your video/review, it's obvious than I should. A very good point that you underlined (among others) is the battles. They were fun the first time in old games. But not thereafter. They could even become a pain in the a.. ! But the new system seems to be clever. Thanks to your review, i'll buy it in the future ! 😀
Are the Cleopatra missions included? Or is it gonna be in expansions like last time
They are included!
The only SUBSTANTIAL change I wanted to see was an imrpoved trade system. I only played the demo which didn't let me try it. Is it improved in any way?
I wonder can you build giant cities now? I remember those series had pretty strict load limit, it was a bummer... Besides I wonder if there is any improvement in managing building's range of influence - simply those workers on the roads, putting recruitment option aside. For me those were two issues that were much holding back huge potential of those series.
Yes, the unique walking range option increase many buildings a bunch with the walkers range. And I have built quite big cities and no slowdowns observed so far. - Tom
Way back on my old Win 98 PC on the OG game, I once built a city that held over 25,000 during a mission campaign. I've never attempted higher but in that city, I literally had no more room to add more ppl! I know a YT vid of someone managing to get 30k but that was a custom mission not the campaign.
Hopefully they'll do the same to Caesar III
This make me think of Lords Of magic so much! I got the Demo with this original Disc!!
I bought it just to have a nice offline game!
TY.
PS remaster LOM!!
About options: Whats the point of "offroad tower" setting, when this game doesn't even have military? (hopefully yet)
Thanks for the review! One question though: do servicepeople still have to *physically* walk by your buildings to supply them with water, pottery, beer etc or is there an aura? Having to build your housing blocks in *very* specific ways to flourish was a big turn-off for me after a while.
Yeah good question. I go over it in the options part, they added a way to switch between the recruiters and a global labour pool which changes the dynamic a lot I feel. - Tom
@@LTGamingUA-cam I did see that part, but it's not quite what I mean. In the original game, if you put up a well but the delivery person doesn't *physically* walk by a house to give it water, the building starts its degradation chain reaction; you have to be very careful about setting up road blocks or creating closed loops to ensure the servicepeople consistently pass the things you wanted them to. Is that also covered by the Recruiter option? Or is there another setting?
@@IMatchoNation the walkers are still a think. Because that's the gameplay the impression games build on. Recruiter/Globalworker force only change the need of housing near Industrie or not.
@@IMatchoNation For me it could be perfectly ok, I think, but if it would be perfectly clear and under our control where workers are going. I was also wondering about it, cause in large projects it really could be messy and problematic.
Ah my bad. You also have an option called unique walker range which gives walkers more range as well. Hand in hand with the global recruitment pool (no more houses next to far off mines) I have been able to build much more functional and prettier cities :) - Tom
Are there new custom maps? Or are they all the same? I feel like that would have been something really great to add.
good review! Have they said anything about modding?
Nothing I'm aware of yet, but I will ask them and let you know. I see it as a big opportunity so I hope so. - Tom
Nope, no nodding tools. I was hoping that we could import the original music score, which was amazing.
@@megmucklebones7538 Can you not rename the old songs and put them in this version?
I agree, it has a few bugs, but it's a great game. I played some last night and hope to play more today. I would have hoped they could update it a bit more though, but perhaps they will do so later.
Yes, I was informed that a patch is on the way soon so that is good news :) - Tom
Thanks for the review! I found my CD still works on my PC, and I've been enjoying replaying. I was so surprised to hear about a remake. Even though its in HD now, the mobile game character design is just not for me. The previous animations seemed more natural even though they weren't as interesting. I like the buildings as well, but also the environment sees a little odd with how the grass looks. I'm a stickler for appearances, and even though the original is pixelated a bit, they still look like they're human rather than cartoon humans.
Thanks for feedback! I know Tom dud enjoy this one 🚀
I loved the original but I'm not a fan of the new art style, it reminds me of a mobile game. I'd always favour gameplay over graphics but it is a tad distracting for me. May pick this up on sale.
I’m STOKED for this guys! Many thanks for this informative review…. found the knowledge and commentary most helpful… 🐸🤗🐌❤️🌈🌈🌈
Thank you kindly Guy! Much appreciated 👍👍🙏
thanks ill buy the game
make caesar 3 great again
It's great!
Agreed!
Are they remaking Caesar as well?
I definitly want to have it couse the old days. That being said... im waiting for the sale.
No mini-map. Advisors are hidden behind generic Word symbols. etc. I find this edition lacking in atmosphere. Also: The objectives screen gives you the mission summary and notifcations screen gives you the current objectives. :\ I am sure all the bugs will be fixed eventually. But as a 45 year old gamer i refunded this edition because of the lack of being Egypt. I miss so much Egyptian artwork, they are just simple menus now. I call it Pharaoh, the new spreadsheet.
Absolutely HUGE fan of the original.
Same here!
@LTGamingUA-cam Doubt it's Steam Deck compatible?
Yes
After hours into the map (last Pharaoh mission) I had to rise just culture to win, as I have to save a lot because sometimes things get bug and only reloading the save file that it got working again, my last save got corrupted for no reasons, the game programming mechanics are hard i think they had to launch a beta test version first, I fear they will ruin the remake with these bugs (and sales) and I am sure a lot of them are really hard to reproduce...
I had 10k people in the city (6 Palatial Estate and the rest were Spacious Apartment) and the people was upset towards me because the city had a lot of slums... immigration stucked for no reasons... the range between them is 9 levels but it is not how the original algorithm works.
The list of bugs I faced are tremendous some of them are just visual gliches but right now I would say it is unplayable unless you are playing to help the developers or creating content.
* SAVE A NEW ENTRY EVERYTIME sometimes the save got corrupted cause Bast is mad at you... or just play the original or Augustus :p
Umm I used to like actually fighting the combat in the old games. Not a plus they removed it sorry. Also I heard you can't rotate the screen is that true?
This game looks awesome! I'm not a fan of the toggles to make the game easier, kinda ruins the balance of the original
so u cant move and use your military units??!!!
The HD graphic and cartoonish style feel weird man. At least you don't have to rename and manually play the game music though...
08:11 Sorry the old warfare system was better, the chaos was the point lol...
20 dolla
its well worth it
thanks the game is fun it is not money waste 200 ZAR
there are so many more bugs than u talked about. better wait some weeks or months to buy. Now is is rather an early access then a finished game.
I've been kicked out of my home and through no fault of my own.
Listen i loved the original. I am enjoying this one. But the music and combat just are terrible. I hope the combat gets updated at some point. Bring back the original combat or at least expand upon it.
I dislike remakes honestly. The old games can be made to run on 4k. I'd hope that after 20+ years they could have gotten more creative with diplomacy, smarter more dynamic AIs... more complex politics...
@@timberolenhador3967 The long development time was an indication, they had been hyping it up since 2019. Why would a simple game like this with modern game engines take 4 years to develop? Especially since the developer already had a city building under their belt and had the know hows allegedly...
The people doing the remake should have looked at nebuchadnezzar and taken notes of all the things that worked and then combined that with the awesome elements from Pharoh. Instead we have this... cartoonish UI overlaid atop a creaking late 90's game system that is just as frustratingly opaque as it was back then.
A no improvements from Emperor either. I can't get into Nebu though, because it just looks terribly ugly.
So it's just a graphical upgrade of a 20 year old game? *sigh*
The new UI is shit. You didn't have to guess the symbols; Once you clicked on a symbol there was an english written list of things to buy/build. Much more confusing now that everything *IS* a symbol. I Don't think you ever played the original, New combat is also shit!
No, you should not.
Game is just a cash grab, you can get the GOG version and apply a patch and have the same game with OG graphics. Custom maps if you have already done the campaign a million times.
Watch this with 1.25 speed. Thank me later.
@@TrueMeKazik no one is gonna thank you 😉 hit the road
NO!