Cheap Rise of Nations: Thrones & Patriots Expansion Pack (Software) (Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows XP) Price

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Customer Reviews of Rise of Nations: Thrones & Patriots Expansion Pack

Great game, the six campaigns need some work
Ive played this game a lot over time and have found it to be a very fun game. Good battle graphics and realistic aspects to running your nation. However, the 6 newer campaigns have limited scenarios and are too simple. The normal campaign doesn't have enough regions to conquer. Despite these downsides, the campaign is still loads of fun, especially the new world and cold war campaigns. Another downside is the limited power of war elephants, who dont dominate the battlefield like they should. However, they are still a strong asset to your armies. Another upside of this expansion is the added resources. The original didnt have campaign map resources, but the expansion has doubled the variety.

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Chock full of bugs
I absolutely loved the original "Rise of Nations". Fantastic RTS game. Also extremely stable; this will be important in a moment. I "upgraded" to this expansion after about 6 months of Rise of Nations. It immediately transformed my gaming experience from one of delight in a deep, complex, and endlessly replayable RTS game into one of unbridled frustration. The expansion causes the game to crash constantly and without warning (although I often get an amazingly helpful "Exception!" window afterwards). It crashes during loading. It crashes during saving. It crashes at the start of the game. It crashes 3 hours into a game. It crashes when 100 units are fighting. It crashes when a single peasant is walking. It will even, in something I've never seen before, crash in the middle of crashing. It is without doubt the least stable game or expansion I have ever played, and I've played Temple of Elemental Evil. I regret the day I bought this expansion because it has so colored my view of the game that I don't even like playing the original anymore because I half expect it to die with every move. The nominal benefits of the expansion (4 new nations, a few new campaigns, and tweaks to some old nations) are SLIGHTLY outweighed by the fact that you have no chance in hell of playing or finishing any of them. Avoid this expansion at all costs.

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Wonderful expansion for a great game (4.75 stars)
I have already posted a full review of Rise of Nations, so I won't go into many details here. However, in terms of what it adds to the original game, Throne and Patriots is probably the best expansion pack I have ever played. The new stuff like governments, new units, the four campaigns, and other options simply make the game feel even more user-friendly and realistic. I never played Rise of Nations without the expansion pack, and it is really hard to tell where the original game ends and the expansion begins. THey fit together that well. I have only played the Napoleonic campaign, and it is excellent. The special units, like the government unit and the generals, add a nice touch to the game without throwing things off balance. If there is anything lacking in this game, it has to do with sounds and visuals, not gameplay. To make the game even more immersive, I wish that the special units had just a tad bit of voice acting, like some verbal acknowledgment as they go into action. Also, the geography could use a bit more diversity--weather changes and day & night cycles would have probably pushed me toward giving this game an outright 5 stars. Nonetheless, Rise of Nations is definitely a top-10 favorite game of all time for me. I highly recommend it (and the expansion) to anyone who likes well-done strategy games.