Anno 2070 - Initial Thoughts

About the Game (From the Steam Store Page)

2070. Our world has changed. The rising level of the ocean has harmed the coastal cities and climate change has made large stretches of land inhospitable. 
 
The latest in the award-winning strategy series, Anno 2070™ offers a new world full of challenges, where you will need to master resources, diplomacy, and trade in the most comprehensive economic management system in the Anno series. 
 
Build your society of the future, colonize islands, and create sprawling megacities with multitudes of buildings, vehicles, and resources to manage. Engineer production chains such as Robot Factories, Oil Refineries, and Diamond Mines, and trade with a variety of goods and commodities. 

Previous Play Time

2 hours

What Was I Thinking When I Bought This

I thought it looked like a sci-fi Sim City, so it was kind of a no-brainer to go on my wishlist. Then, when it went on deep discount during the Steam Summer Sale, I had to go for it. Truth be told, though, I wasn't doing all that much "thinking" when I bought it. The sale was right before my birthday, so I was like, "well, it's not too bad to get myself a little present." And it wouldn't have been, if I hadn't reused that excuse to the point of absurdity. 

Prior Experience

I'd done a couple of the campaign missions, in order to gradually learn the game's mechanics. I found it pretty fun, but ultimately I stopped because I also bought like a dozen other games during the 2014 Steam Summer Sale, and I was overwhelmed with choice (historical note - this is the last game I played before starting this blog).

Expectations

City building games are usually an exception to my general dislike of RTS games, because building up my base is my favorite part of the genre. However, Anno 2070 allows you to build military units in addition to the normal city-sim type stuff, so I'll admit to being a little worried that I may be in for a bumpy ride here (a big reason I tend to dislike RTS's is because I get attached to my buildings and units, and hate seeing the enemy blow them up - I'd probably be a much happier gamer overall if I didn't always bring so much emotion into the games I play). On the other hand, the campaign missions I've already played seemed pretty casual, so I'm guessing that the RTS stuff is going to be more like a spice, and that if I can master the game's base building aspects, I  should be all right. Plus, there are custom maps, so if I get to a point where advancing in the campaign requires too much combat for my tastes, I can always just start up a more peaceful map.

My hopes here are high. I like building things and seeing my creations grow. So, basically, all Anno 2070 has to do is avoid screwing that up.