Absolute Nintendo - L’Empereur on NES

Uh, George, after admitting h- that he wasn't a fan of war simulation games, uh, thanks for the honesty in any case, uh, I'm not really a fan either, uh, but he said, commenting on this game's more recent setting, he said, "For me, if you've seen one, you've seen them all." Uh, I don't have an informed opinion to, to really comment on this, 'cause L'Empereur, while it isn't the only Koei war s- sim that I've seen, it is the only one I've played, at least at the time I'm recording this.

If you're more familiar with these Historical Simulation series titles, do you agree or disagree that if you've seen one, you've seen them all? Uh, my gut tells me that it's a, a half-truth, for lack of a better word.

I do think the time period, uh, i- is, is a factor, you know, on where these games are set.

Uh, so feeling overwhelmed, that's a big early talking point, and I believe it's also a common thing, maybe not specifically to this game, but to whatever the first game in the Historical Simulation series that you played on NES.

Uh, you know, maybe it was Genghis Khan or, uh, Bandit Kings of Ancient China or, you know, or another one, but these aren't pick-up-and-play titles.

They're not designed that way.

In fact, let me say it again for emphasis.

These are not pick up and play titles, exclamation point.

In fact, that's probably why I haven't covered one until now, 'cause if you've been with me from the beginning when I started this podcast in late, uh, 2022, you may remember I was looking for games that were pick up and play types.

If this hadn't come to Switch, would I have covered L'Empereur on this show? Maybe not.

Uh, eventually, I like to think I would have done at least one historical sim, you know, just for the sake of it.

But my point is these games can and do overwhelm.

If you played one or, or another Koei title, is that how you felt the first time, or the second time, maybe the third time? [laughs] And that's different from the type of difficulty, say, in a game like Battletoads that I covered last episode, uh, which was memorization with no margin for error.

Uh, both 1991 releases actually.

How about that? You know, I think of overwhelming more like, say, The Bard's Tale, uh, which curiously enough I also mentioned last episode [laughs] when I was lamenting that Nintendo Power ended their, uh, NES strategy guides prematurely.

You know, a complex game with computer origins.

Does this sound familiar to L'Empereur? [laughs] Uh, you need to prepare yourself to have success.

Pretty much every time you pop it in your NES, preparing is key.

Uh, do check out that episode I did for that game.

It was a season finale.

Uh, but I think this quote from my review of L'Empereur says it best.

Uh, and I quote, "It says a title that doesn't just demand your time, it demands your patience.

There are lots of complexities, reading, strategizing, and more.

And unless you've played other Koei sims, the menus aren't very intuitive.

You need preparation, preparation, preparation." End quote.