The Settlers® 2: Gold Edition

Damn, the first game I ever bought, played hundreds of hours, still coming back to it, even it is now 2017 and in 2 years time there will be 20th anniversary :). The game still has better gameplay than many new generation games. the plot is only the theme to the whole game, but very enjoyable. clasic 8 bit music and its new version named "CD music" is something that you will remamber for ages!

The Settlers 2 has always been my favourite in the series, having played every one since the very first on an Amiga 500. For those who may have played some of the newer titles, the differences in the earlier iterations make this more like a simulation than traditional RTS, and your enjoyment will probably vary accordingly. Blue Byte has recently returned to the military strategies of the first two games in its seventh release, where orders are issued but military units engage on their own. Micromanagament here is that of the development of your empire. The graphics are adorable, and individual citizens will not only travel to and from their work, level fields for building, cut down trees and mine for gold, but individually seed crops, grow pigs, bake bread, and hammer away at a smithy's anvil. This is still a rare feature these days, even more so when first released. You may find some elements similar with for instance Lords of the Realm, or Stronghold, but the Settlers takes the city building more seriously, and your troops are individual heroes who level up and duel each other. Those who are lovers of guerilla warefare may be dissappointed at first, but on a closer look this is another area where the game truly shines, with its own tactical and strategic nuances which play a huge part in offence and defence. If you can find a weak spot in your rivals fortifications, a small force can target that specific entrenchment, effectively destroying supply lines, bottlenecking cities, and finding your way to victory. I mention this because it is perhaps the unsung strength of The Settlers, which surpasses the unfortunate mass and rush tactics of many strategy games. Of course, the joy in developing your own city is a huge strength as well, and watching your cute denizens (and donkeys) go about their tasks amuses no ends. Think of the lemmings or smurfs and you begin to get a good idea. Now give them swords. :)

This particular version of the game was hilarious for two simple reasons. 1) They included around 10,000 fan made maps on the disc. 2) This version of the game does not let you build Harbors. Because of point #2, the majority of fan made maps are not beatable xD

It's still as good as I've remembered it. I like the gameplay, I like the story, I like the music and I LOVE the graphic. I have only a few complaints: first and foremost, the catapults are broken. You can shoot at your rival countries even without declaring them a war. Secondly, there's almost no strategy while at war. You just hope that your troops are gonna have a higher level and you'll have more of them than your enemy. Or just, you know, catapult him to death. My third and the biggest issue though, is that naval ports were completely removed from the game (outside of the few mandatory missions in the main campaign). Yes, they were broken and didn't work properly, but I'm sure this could be handled in a better way. If slytherine is allowed to sell their Blood Bowl 1 with a gamebreaking bug that limits your turn to just 20 seconds (which is WAY too quick for such a complex game), there's no reason why the very optional ships aren't here.

I played a lot in 96. It's a great game, almost like a meditation. You do simple things and then your mind relaxes with approval. People nowadays what "results", we had fun in 96 with games. We were glad we could just play and think through the economy. Nowadays it's all "kill, kill, kill", "faster, faster, faster". Where are they all running? I miss myself from 96. I feel I was more myself than now.