Merchant Prince II

Last updated
Merchant Prince II
Merchant Prince II poster.jpg
Developer(s) Holistic Design
Publisher(s) TalonSoft
Director(s) Andrew Greenberg
Producer(s) Ashton Fletcher
Programmer(s) Ken Lightner
Edward Glamkowski
Artist(s) Mike Snyder
Series Merchant Prince
Platform(s) Windows
Release
  • NA: April 30, 2001
  • EU: May 25, 2001
Genre(s) Turn-based strategy
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer

Merchant Prince II is a 2001 turn-based strategy game of economic, political, and military conquest. The game is developed by Holistic Design and published by Take-Two Interactive under TalonSoft label. [1] It is the sequel to the 1994 video game Merchant Prince . [lower-alpha 1]

Contents

Reception

Merchant Prince II received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [3] So little was added to gameplay that it was properly a rerelease rather than a sequel, and the changes to the graphics were considered uglier, with a zoomed-in and less user-friendly interface. ("End turn", for instance, was represented by an unlabeled wine glass.) [13] It was largely panned by critics [8] [5] and even the positive review by IGN called it a "cheap reissue" and pardoned it only because of the difficulty of finding the original DOS games. [10] Computer Gaming World opened its review, "Merchant Prince 2 is the kind of title that gives strategy gaming a bad name," and concluded with, "Mainstream consumers pulled in by the fascinating topic are—once again—going to feel ripped off, confused, dumb, and jaded toward turn-based strategy games." [5] Kent Conrad found the implementation of the research tree "half-baked" and ended his review with "There is a good game hiding inside of Merchant Prince II, and that game is Machiavelli: The Prince. Get that instead." [14] Kevin Rice of NextGen , however, said of the game, "It's virtually the same game it was eight years ago, designed to run under Windows instead of DOS, but in the end it's still an entertaining, unique turn-based strategy." [11]

Notes

  1. Computer Games Magazine mistakenly claimed that the original Merchant Prince was released in "1995". [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Soldier of Fortune</i> (video game) 2000 video game

Soldier of Fortune is a first-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision in 2000 for Microsoft Windows. It was later released for the PlayStation 2, as well as the Dreamcast, while Loki Software also made a port for Linux. It was digitally re-released on GOG.com on October 2, 2018, along with its two successors. The player takes on the role of a U.S. mercenary as he trots around the globe hoping to halt a terrorist nuclear weapons plot.

<i>Starlancer</i> 2000 video game

Starlancer is a space-based science fiction flight simulator computer game, created by Erin and Chris Roberts, and developed by Warthog Games under the auspices of Digital Anvil.

<i>4x4 Evo</i> 2000 video game

4x4 Evo is a video game developed by Terminal Reality for the Windows, Macintosh, Sega Dreamcast, and PlayStation 2 platforms. It is one of the first console games to have cross-platform online play where Dreamcast, Macintosh, and Windows versions of the game appear online at the same time. The game can use maps created by users to download onto a hard drive as well as a Dreamcast VMU. All versions of the game are similar in quality and gameplay although the online systems feature a mode to customize the players' own truck and use it online. The game is still online-capable on all systems except for PlayStation 2. This was Terminal Reality's only video game to be released for the Dreamcast.

<i>Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed</i> 2000 racing video game

Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed, released as Need for Speed: Porsche 2000 in Europe and Need for Speed: Porsche in Latin America and Germany, is a racing video game released in 2000. It is the fifth installment in the Need for Speed series. Unlike other NFS titles, Porsche Unleashed centers on racing Porsche sports cars, with models ranging from years 1950 to 2000.

<i>Zeus: Master of Olympus</i> 2000 video game

Zeus: Master of Olympus is a single-player strategy game developed by Impressions Games and published by Sierra Studios. It is considered to be an additional installment in the City Building series of games. Like previous titles in the series, Zeus focuses on the building and development of a city in ancient times. The game features a number of changes from previous titles in the series, including being set in Ancient Greece as well as changes to certain gameplay mechanics; however, it is considered to be in most aspects very similar to its predecessor, Caesar III.

<i>Age of Sail II</i> 2001 video game

Age of Sail II is a 2001 computer wargame developed by Akella. It is the sequel to Age of Sail. It has similar historically accurate game play, and is enhanced with 3D graphics and a free-floating camera. Unlike the original Age of Sail, the sequel's maps are embellished with strategic landmasses. Age of Sail II portrays the fighting ships used from 1775 to 1820, and has a realistic combat engine. The game features a campaign which includes a full career ladder, or play one of the 100+ historical scenarios. The game also includes a map editor allowing players to create custom scenarios.

<i>MechWarrior 4: Vengeance</i> 2000 video game

MechWarrior 4: Vengeance is a vehicle simulation game, developed by FASA Interactive and published by Microsoft. It was released on November 22, 2000. It is the fourth game in MechWarrior series. It takes place in BattleTech universe where the pinnacle of all war machines are huge, heavily armed robots called BattleMechs. The player pilots one of these "'Mechs" and uses variety of available weapons to battle enemy 'Mechs, tanks and other vehicles. An expansion pack, MechWarrior 4: Black Knight, was released in 2001, and a subsequent stand-alone expansion, MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries, was released on November 7, 2002. Two smaller expansions, Inner Sphere Mech Pak and Clan Mech Pak, were also released in 2002.

<i>NHL 2001</i> 2000 video game

NHL 2001 is a video game released by Electronic Arts in 2000. It is the successor to NHL 2000. An add-on featuring Elitserien and SM-Liiga was released on the PC version on March 8, 2001, that added Swedish and Finnish hockey leagues and teams to the game. It is the tenth installment of the NHL series, the final to be released on PlayStation, and the first to be released on PlayStation 2.

<i>Bang! Gunship Elite</i> 2000 video game

Bang! Gunship Elite is a space combat simulator developed by French studio RayLand was released for Windows and Dreamcast. It allows the player to fly a combat spacecraft in a fully 3D environment and fight enemies piloting similar craft to their own.

<i>Industry Giant</i> 1997 business simulation video game

Industry Giant is a business simulation game for Windows. In 2002 a sequel, Industry Giant II, was released.

<i>Colin McRae Rally 2.0</i> 2000 video game

Colin McRae Rally 2.0 is a racing video game developed and published by Codemasters for PlayStation, Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Advance.

<i>NASCAR Heat 2002</i> 2001 video game

NASCAR Heat 2002, sometimes mislabeled as NASCAR Heat, is a NASCAR video game produced by Infogrames for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Game Boy Advance consoles. It is the successor to the NASCAR Heat game, and the predecessor to NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona. NASCAR Heat 2002 can have 24 racers (PS2) and 43 released on June 18, 2001 on the PS2, and has 19 official NASCAR tracks. The Xbox version was released on November 15, 2001 and the Game Boy Advance version was released on May 6, 2002.

<i>B-17 Flying Fortress: The Mighty 8th</i> 2000 video game

B-17 Flying Fortress: The Mighty 8th is a combat flight simulator developed by Wayward Design and published by Hasbro Interactive under the MicroProse brand in 2000 as a sequel to the 1992 flight simulator B-17 Flying Fortress World War II Bombers in Action. Tommo purchased the rights to this game and digitally publishes it through its Retroism brand in 2015.

<i>Adventure Pinball: Forgotten Island</i> 2001 video game

Adventure Pinball: Forgotten Island is a pinball video game released in 2001 by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows.

<i>Spec Ops II: Green Berets</i> 1999 video game

Spec Ops II: Green Berets is a tactical shooter video game developed by Zombie Studios and published by Ripcord Games exclusively for Microsoft Windows. It is the second game in the Spec Ops series. A remake was released in 2000 for the Dreamcast entitled Spec Ops II: Omega Squad.

<i>Championship Surfer</i> 2000 video game

Championship Surfer is an extreme sports video game developed by Krome Studios, published by Mattel Interactive in North American and GAME Studios in Europe, and released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation and Dreamcast in 2000.

<i>Le Mans 24 Hours</i> (video game) 1999 video game

Le Mans 24 Hours is a video game released for the PlayStation, Game Boy Color, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and Microsoft Windows. The Dreamcast version was ported and published by Sega in Japan on 15 March 2001, while the PlayStation 2 version was ported and published by the same company on 13 June. Based on the famous 24 hours of Le Mans race in France, the player is invited to race the entire 24-hour endurance course or take part in a simpler arcade mode. The game also featured tracks such as Bugatti Circuit, Brno Circuit, Road Atlanta, Suzuka Circuit, Donington Park and Circuit de Catalunya, as well as a weather and night system.

<i>Merchant Prince</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Merchant Prince is video game developed by HDI and released in 1994 by QQP; it was then released as the Machiavelli: The Prince in 1995 by MicroProse. It is the first game of the Merchant Prince video game series. A sequel, Merchant Prince II, was released in 2001.

<i>FIFA 2001</i> 2000 video game

FIFA 2001 is a football simulation video game and the sequel to FIFA 2000. It was succeeded by FIFA Football 2002. It features Paul Scholes on the UK cover and Ben Olsen on the North American cover. The game's Spanish cover features Gaizka Mendieta on it. It was released on 31 October 2000 for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation, and on 24 November 2000 for PlayStation 2 as a launch title in Europe. The PlayStation 2 version was originally slated for release in the U.S. on 7 November, before it was delayed to 28 November. A Game Boy Color version was planned but cancelled.

<i>Real Pool</i> 2000 video game

Real Pool, known in Japan as EX Billiards, and in Europe as International Cue Club, is a video game developed by Astroll for the PlayStation 2. This is a retooling of a Microsoft Windows and Mac OS game, also called Real Pool, which was published by WizardWorks in August 1998.

References

  1. Walker, Trey (February 1, 2001). "Take-Two announces Merchant Prince II". GameSpot . Fandom. Archived from the original on June 22, 2001. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Cobb, Jim (May 30, 2001). "Merchant Prince II". Computer Games Magazine . theGlobe.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2001. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Merchant Prince II". Metacritic . Fandom. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  4. Smith, Ted. "Merchant Prince II - Review". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 Jones, George (September 2001). "Merchant Prince 2" (PDF). Computer Gaming World . No. 206. Ziff Davis. p. 97. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  6. Walker, Mark H. (May 30, 2001). "Merchant Prince II". The Electric Playground . Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on March 4, 2003. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  7. Geryk, Bruce (May 10, 2001). "Merchant Prince II Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on May 23, 2001. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  8. 1 2 Abner, William (May 19, 2001). "Merchant Prince II". GameSpy . IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 17, 2005. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  9. Da bomb mom (June 6, 2001). "Merchant Prince II - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on June 17, 2009. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Butts, Steve (May 7, 2001). "Merchant Prince II". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  11. 1 2 Rice, Kevin (September 2001). "Merchant Prince II". NextGen . No. 81. Imagine Media. p. 88. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  12. "Merchant Prince II". PC Gamer . Vol. 8, no. 9. Imagine Media. September 2001.
  13. Horowitz, Josh (August 11, 2001). "Merchant Prince 2". The Adrenaline Vault. NewWorld.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2003.
  14. Conrad, Kent (June 25, 2002). "Merchant Prince II". Exploded Goat. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015.