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Anno 1701 DS released early in NA?

itschris

Member
I looked around, and Anno 1701 seemed to be scheduled for March 4th, but it was at my local Wal-Mart (Ontario) today, so I bought it:

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It was $29.99. Has anyone else seen it?
 

ethelred

Member
Huh, it's out already then? I guess I'll need to snag it. I've been looking forward to playing this, but I blanched at the horrid prices I would've been charged to import from Europe.

Mejilan said:
Any good?

Everything I've heard on it has been extremely positive.
 

itschris

Member
Mejilan said:
Any good?

I'm still on the tutorial, but people who played the European release seem to like it:

FlyinJ said:
Anno1701, on the other hand, is one of the finest pieces of DS programming to date.. and a damn good game. It's also unfortunately only available in Europe, with no US publisher or release date.

Peru said:
Doing the ol' bump with no good new points to add - except for one: It's still great! Simply one of the most impressive pieces of handheld programming I've ever encountered. The ease of use and overall lean design makes it appealing to pick up and do a mission many, many months after I first got it. The sandbox mode gives you the choices needed to tailor whatever strategy quick-fix you yearn. If you non-europeans are importing only one DS game, make it this one.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=158557&page=2
 

Mejilan

Running off of Custom Firmware
Probably going to have to send this one my brother's way. He eats goodies like this, Age of Empires, Front Mission, and Panzer Tactics DS up for lunch.
 

Peru

Member
Woo! I had lost all hope that it'd see an American release, now you'll all be able to enjoy it, and you damn well better buy it. I can't see anyone with any interest in RTS ending up dissapointed. The game is addictive strategy heaven. Note, though; It's really not about the combat, which is very simple (when attacked by pirates) but building and maintaining a civilization. Best game on the DS.
 

spwolf

Member
really? I might steal wife's DS for few hours to check it out then... interesting.

p.s. PC version sucked if you are experienced RTS player... once you got the basics going, incredibliy boring game.
 

Stitch

Gold Member
I've tried Sim City, Theme Park and Anno 1702 and this is the best RTS/City-Building game on the DS! Best controlls, best, graphics, best performance, best scrolling, best everything.
 

Peru

Member
spwolf said:
really? I might steal wife's DS for few hours to check it out then... interesting.

p.s. PC version sucked if you are experienced RTS player... once you got the basics going, incredibliy boring game.
I wouldn't call the PC version "incredibly boring", but anyhow this is not a port of that game; instead it's an all-new game made from the ground up. What is undeniable is the amazing interface and game mechanics: from the scrolling of the landscape, buildings, the information that pops up (and is scaleable), the help function (ANNOpedia) which is indexed and so much more helpful than you could ever imagine - basically it works flawlessly from a technical standpoint.

In many ways the Anno-series finds its perfect fit on a handheld. The game balances between complexity and pick-up-and-play-ness so that you can enjoy it in small bursts or for prolonged sessions. It does not go terribly deep in micro-management and such, but it has a real depth in planning how to best build a city, and a variation with the different islands and factors. Sandbox mode added for the ultimate package.
 
It might be good at what it sets out to do but do I really want an Civ. builder on DS? My guess is no. I read the 9/10 review Edge gave it and I still don't get it.
 

Manmedaz

Member
Simply one of the best games on DS. Very challenging, fun, beautiful, fluide, complex, and so on. A very good addaptation of the PC RTS. I liked every second of it (even if now it lies in the dust because I have no one to play with).
 

ksamedi

Member
The touch interface on this game is really well implemented. Definitly one of the best aspects of the game. I remember playing this on a vacation in Spain, I was so hooked to the point that I wished I never brought it with me.
 

Kabouter

Member
bee said:
haha thats what i was thinking, whens the english version of the expansion out?
21/03/2008 as far as I know.
I'm just glad Ubisoft did decide to bring it to non-German countries. Happens way to often that add-ons never make it to English :(.
 

spwolf

Member
Peru said:
I wouldn't call the PC version "incredibly boring", but anyhow this is not a port of that game; instead it's an all-new game made from the ground up. What is undeniable is the amazing interface and game mechanics: from the scrolling of the landscape, buildings, the information that pops up (and is scaleable), the help function (ANNOpedia) which is indexed and so much more helpful than you could ever imagine - basically it works flawlessly from a technical standpoint.

In many ways the Anno-series finds its perfect fit on a handheld. The game balances between complexity and pick-up-and-play-ness so that you can enjoy it in small bursts or for prolonged sessions. It does not go terribly deep in micro-management and such, but it has a real depth in planning how to best build a city, and a variation with the different islands and factors. Sandbox mode added for the ultimate package.

it wasnt boring at the start, just when you figured how to play it, it became too easy. Unlike, lets say, CivIV which is always hard. Just like Europa Universalis for instance - awesome at start, figure it out and then after half of the game is done, you are incredibly bored.

Of course, RTS is what I have been playing since original Civ came out. So my experiences might be different from others.

I am glad DS version is built from grounds up, cant wait to try it.
 

Hootie

Member
I imported the European version to the US back in August...one of my favorite DS games ever.

You bitches better pick this game up.
 

Ranger X

Member
The game is indeed very good. The interface is not all that good and the balance is wierd sometimes but it's definetely worth it. Especially in this DS library that is missing this kind of games so much.
 

havok666

Member
Just saw it in Toronto today at Best Buy on Dundas. Walked by it, then I was like wait a minute, was that Anno 1701 or am I just seeing things? Picked it up, loving every minute of it so far.
 
If you like this kind of game you should definitely pick it up - it's great. But beware: This is a time-consumer.

Donkey Thong said:
Ok, if you had to choose 1, would you pick up this or Advance Wars: DoR?
Both are not comparable. AW is all about (turn-based) battles, whereas Anno is more about the (realtime) building aspect and fullfilling the needs of your settlers. Choose whichever aspect you prefer. Both games are well worth your money.
 
I bought it. Some brief impressions:

As I said before, something about Anno 1701 struck me as intriguing for some reason. I wasn't exactly sure if this was my type of genre, and I'm really still not sure, but I do know that I love this particular game.

There are two modes: mission and free play. I assume free play just throws you into things and lets you do what you want (I haven't tried it yet), whereas mission gives you some objectives, obstacles, etc.

The first mission eases you into how the game works. It's a tutorial of sorts, but unlike most tutorials, this one was welcomed by me because I don't have much experience with the genre.

There are a lot of elements that go into building your village - houses, schools, chapels, production facilities, etc. Luckily, you don't have to juggle everything in your memory. You can click on various buildings and find out exactly what they are and do. Plus, there's also an "Annopedia" built into the game for further information.

Everything is stylus-based. I'd have preferred some regular controller functionality too, but I can't really complain too much. It works very well for the most part. The only tricky aspect is mapping out the pathway of a road, but even that isn't game-breaking by any means.

I am still a bit lost with the tax part of the game. I totally screwed up the finances of my village somehow and my houses started getting demolished. :lol I think I'm going to start over and give it another shot. There's a beginner's guide on GameFAQs that gives a lot of good advice for starting players like me.

So far I'm completely addicted. Anno 1701 was definitely a good buy for me.

[Note to Canadians: DO NOT buy this from Futureshop. They are charging a ridiculous $50. I found it at Wal-Mart for $30.]
 

Tailzo

Member
I fully recommend this title. I've had it for quite a while, since I live in Europe (How rare is this situation?) And I really like it- It is easy to play, the stylus works very well, and while it is not as complicated as civilization, it's still very cool.
 
I heard/read somewhere that this game is a Gamestop exclusive. Is this true? I just called some local Gamestops to see if they have it in stock. What a laugh that was asking if they got it in. One guy says there's no such game. Another puts the phone down and asks a coworker if they had m-1701. She came back and said it's not in their system. I spelled A-N-N-O for her and she looked in the computer and said it's not in there and she's never heard of it (no surprise). Yet another said it was a PC game, NOT a DS game. So uh, where exactly can I purchase this game? :)
 

Phthisis

Member
thebigkahuna said:
I heard/read somewhere that this game is a Gamestop exclusive. Is this true? I just called some local Gamestops to see if they have it in stock. What a laugh that was asking if they got it in. One guy says there's no such game. Another puts the phone down and asks a coworker if they had m-1701. She came back and said it's not in their system. I spelled A-N-N-O for her and she looked in the computer and said it's not in there and she's never heard of it (no surprise). Yet another said it was a PC game, NOT a DS game. So uh, where exactly can I purchase this game? :)

Yeah, Gamestop exclusive according to the pre-order phone call from Aeris.
 

Mejilan

Running off of Custom Firmware
Until tomorrow, my only goal in life is to walk into a Gamestop with cash in my fists, and walk out with Anno 1701 and Shiren the Wanderer in each hand, instead.

DS DUAL WIELDING FTMFW!!!
 

itschris

Member
Phthisis said:
Yeah, Gamestop exclusive according to the pre-order phone call from Aeris.

Interesting, that happened with Chibi Robo DS too - it was exclusive to Wal-Mart in the US but available everywhere in Canada.

I've been playing Anno 1701 for a while now, and it's a great little game. I end up losing track of time while playing it and then before I know it, hours have passed. I find the touch screen controls and menus are really well implemented too - one of the best control setups on the system.
 
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