American Conquest: Fight Back
This is the first sequel to American Conquest and covers many battles not featured in the first game as well as introducing the likes of the Russians (they want Alaska), the Germans (true to form trying to nab all the gold) and the conflicts between the Indians and the British. The actual game mechanic remains unchanged from American Conquest but this time the emphasis is firmly on large scale battles with each side being able to field thousands of units for monumental clashes.
The resource system remains unchanged from the original in that resources are pretty much infinite. The trick is in holding a particular resource and stopping the enemy from either destroying it or running off with your workforce. Of course, you can do the same to them, so nipping in and wiping out a mine or enslaving an opposition workforce is always an option if your opponent has left his buildings unguarded.
Click for larger imageGraphically, American Conquest: Fight back is exactly the same as the original and, being released only a short while after, that’s perfectly understandable. But the few niggles I had with American Conquest are still here in Fight Back, such as the stupidly aggressive local wildlife which can be dealt with by your troops but should a brown bear walk into a camp, it can wreak havoc before you know what’s going on.
Click for larger imageThe massed battles are where the real action is at and even though this isometric view is pretty dated, the overall detail levels are pleasing enough. The main thing here is that the more technically advanced factions, such as us Brits, the Russians, Spanish and Germans, all rely on weaponry for success, while the natives go for strength in numbers.
This results in some superb battles that, to be honest, are just a bit awe inspiring with the sheer scale of death and destruction on show. Open up with your cannon on an advancing wave of Indians and the cannonballs cut a swath through their ranks. Let the range close a bit more before unleashing a volley of musket fire and there’ll not be many left standing. On the flip side, once the Indians get close enough in significant numbers you’ll be in trouble as they’re awesome fighters close up.
Click for larger imageAgain, American Conquest: Fight Back suffers from the same AI niggles as its predecessor, in that the Ai will often get it into their heads to go off chasing after a lone enemy and unless you keep a close eye on your troops you’ll find your army scattered and vulnerable. The best bet is to use the ‘stand ground’ option to root them to the spot, especially if you’re dealing with a situation elsewhere on the large maps.
Click for larger imageOnce again, despite looking dated and using gameplay mechanics that have been done better in other games, American Conquest: Fight Back is an enjoyable enough game that shouldn’t tax even the most basic of modern PCs today.