The key word to keep in mind when thinking about Empire Earth II is ambition. The sequel to the highly ambitious yet flawed game of 2001 is not being programmed by the original developers, but by Mad Doc Studios, the company that handled the expansion to Empire Earth. Now charged with the responsibility of building the real game from the ground up, they have a chance to make the title everything they wanted the original to be. Judging from the way things are shaping up, Mad Doc is throwing everything into this real-time strategy except the kitchen sink!

Similar to the original title, players have an opportunity to play through 10,000 years of human history. The game brings one of 14 different civilizations across the span of time from the Stone Age into the future, where sci-fi based units are used in play. The single player campaign will span three stories, starting with the Koreans who will span the early Epochs, moving next to the Middle Ages with the German campaign, and ending with the American campaign encompassing the modern age and the future. Included with the three campaigns will be events called "Turning Point Missions." These are significant battles that shape the face of world history, and the player will have an opportunity to choose which side they want to play as for this conflict.

The look of the game is getting is significant overhaul. A great deal of art is being used in Empire Earth II so that not all the factions will look the same as they develop. As the civilizations progress through the epochs, they maintain a distinct regional look depending on what area of the planet they originate from. Additionally, weather effects influence gameplay. Things like rain will hinder the movements of troops and vehicles while limiting their vision. Not to mention, aircraft like helicopters may have to remain grounded.

As an empire grows, it generally becomes too complex for any single person to effectively look after. This has been a problem that virtually every empire-building game has faced. EE2 approaches this issue by including an interface similar to those found in turn-based games like Civilization. The citizen manager lets you view a list, where you can easily see how many citizens are dedicated to collecting the various types of resources. Reallocation of resource gathering is just a few clicks away, keeping players more focused on the action. Also to help manage your empire is a picture-in-picture window, where you can cycle through six different locations in a small window without having to move from the main battle screen. Not only that, all units within the PiP window can be selected and commanded, adding an unprecedented amount of ease and control. Artificial intelligence is being enhanced so that it doesn't have any unfair advantages, and will play in the same way a human player would.

Yet art and gameplay may be just two parts of a game that may potentially become a milestone of real-time strategy gaming. The multiplayer options that are going to be included may define how future RTS interfaces may be handled. If nothing else, the multiplayer features will make EE2 a game to remember. All the streamlined resource management will be carried from the single player experience to multiplayer, so that the fast-paced gameplay will not be interrupted. For those who want to jump into the action right away, a quick-start feature will be available, skipping over the first part of the game that usually goes the same way every time, and providing the player with money and units right off the bat. Yet, perhaps one of the most impressive features is the battle planning system, where players will have a chance to draw battle plans on a world map and send it to other players to follow. This feature will allow for players to coordinate at a level that has never been realized before.

An all-new Crown System will also be included in multiplayer. While most games treat statistics as something to look over and brag about at the end of a game, EE2 will track whoever is ahead in areas like military or economics, and reward that player with a corresponding hero who will enhance the player's other units. If that's not enough, other things to look forward to in multiplayer will be a mode called "Last Man Standing." As its name entails, it's a type of game mode where there can be only one winner. That means, as a game comes down to the last two factions, all bets are off. Alliances are broken and the final players are forced to play against each other. This creates a brand-new feel to the way people will approach multiplayer. On the one hand, strategic allegiances may be required to survive, but every player has to keep in mind that every friend will eventually become a foe, and may work as much to keep their allies in check as they do conquering their enemies.

Mad Doc has taken on a huge project with Empire Earth, but it's great to see that they haven't lost any of the ambition that fueled the development of the original title. If this sequel follows through on everything it promises, it may be the game that will influence the way RTS games will look and play in the future.