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So, I got the game today, and I'm addicted(hence the reason that this is going to be so short). I've cut back on learning Russian for a bit, and am working on the first area of the first Campaign. I'm not going to describe the game; if you want to know what it is, go to Gamespy. If you're a fan of Real-Time Strategy Games, this is the best on the market right now.

So? Comments or opinions on the game? Questions about what some of the best parts are in case you want to buy it?

The races have been compared to Starcraft. The Coutl are the protoss, producing powerful units slowly. The Alin are the Zerg, producing a weaker army in a matter of seconds, and the Vinci are right in between the two, like the Terran.

Just like Civilization is the best Turn-based Strategy, Starcraft is unique, and nothing will ever be better. However, if a game has ever come close, Rise of Legends is it. The interface is perfect for new players(like my brother), or Real-time Strategy veterans(like me). Units are amazingly versatile. If you're one of the people that prefers to build up and break down your opponent's front gate, build a few Juggernauts. If you want to be more tactical, build several hundred platoons of Infantry, Clockwork Spiders, some Pirata Fliers, Two Juggernauts, three Siege Zepplins, and five Air Destroyers.

The Heroes are the best, however. Heroes are unique units, and you can have three of them in each Quick Battle, and in the Main Campaign Battles(You can actually have more in the minor Camaign Battles). Since I can't list them here, I'll list each races strongest unit, which can become the "fourth" Hero.

The Land Leviathan is the Vinci's strongest unit, and can decimate an enemy's military simply by walking over it.

The Glass Dragon is the strongest Alin Unit, and can shatter an enemy's defenses in a matter of seconds.

Of course, the best, by far, is the Coutl's City of Vengeance. If your enemy has pissed you off, this is what you want to have on your side. This is a flying City that shoots lighting. If you have this fly through an enemy's civilization, you'll leave it nothing more than a crumbling ruin.

However, what you have to understant about Rise of Legends is that Big Huge Games took a leap in a different direction, mixing magic and technology. You don't control one of sixteen different nations anymore. You control the Human Vinci, the Desert-dwelling Alin, or the Jungle-based Coutl.

My least favorite part of most RTS games is that that they have maximum population capacities. You have to raise the population capacities by building certain structures, but to this day, I have yet to max it out.

Furthermore, the game is just amazing. From the detailed textures, to the sheer number of units, the graphics look like they could pass as part of an Oblivion Mod.

Unfortunately, as much as I've wanted to, I've never actually played Age of Empires 2. I own 3, however, and can tell you that Rise of Legends is much, much better.

Lastly, the Opening Cinematic is jaw-dropping. I've watched over and over again just to see the ending.

The races are balanced, although each race requires a certain...style to play. The way that I play is this:

With the Vinci, I try to stay on the defensive for the first five minutes, and then flank my opponent with Air Destroyers and Juggernauts mixed in with Clockwork units.

With the Alin, I try to send in a platoon of infantry every few minutes to keep my enemy on the defensive. Most opponents react to a platoon every few minutes as a kind of warning. If you send in a platoon every minute-and-a-half, your opponent normally keeps their units from attacking you under the assumption that you have a massive army at your city.

After I get about two hundred soldiers, I send them into the enemies cities and destroy them one-by-one.

With the Coutl, I try to stay on the defensive, because the units cost so much. After the first fifteen minutes, I'll send my units in with a tactic that suits the situation, and wipe my enemy off the map.

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I say that the units take longer to create, and while that's true, there's only a small difference between the time it takes. The real difference is in the cost of the units. The Alin are the cheapest, followed by the Vinci, and then the Coutl.

However, it is balanced, and each race has a National Power that backs it up. For example, the Alin's power is "Summon Army," which summons platoons for a certain amount of time, depending on your level of research for that particular area. Micromanagment is enough to immerse you in the game, but not too much, since Big Huge Games cut the number of resources down from six, in the original Rise of Nations, to two.

For the Alin and the Vinci, the resources are Timonium and Wealth. For the Coutl, it's Timonium and Energy.