Best Strategy Game of the Year by ELiTeD
"One game this past year took us from the Ancient Age to the Information age, was easy to learn, included multiplayer, won our Editor's Choice Award, and is now taking Best Strategy Game of 2003. Rise of Nations from Microsoft and Big Huge Games allowed you to win through several means; control the majority of the map, build a great military power, or by building the Wonders of the World. RoN is a real time strategy game that has 18 unique nationalities, along with your traditional resouce gathering, researching, and building. As your knowledge grows and time moves on, your builds will reflect this. This title is easy to learn and delivers endless replayability."

GameSpot Best PC Strategy Game of 2003
"Anyone who says there's no room to innovate in real-time strategy games clearly hasn't played Rise of Nations....Rise of Nations marks an important melding of genre conventions, and those who have preferred turn-based games over the years finally have an RTS they can hunker down with, while RTS fans can appreciate how the epic scale never slows down the action."

GameSpy Top 10 RTS Games of All Time - Rise of Nations #8
"Busting onto the scene in 2003, Rise of Nations is the most recent game on our list, and it stands out on its own. Its experimental gameplay ideas may not have all worked perfectly, but in a genre that has been relatively stagnant it was a breath of fresh air...The cycle of Attack! Defend! Consolidate! and the constant balance of cultural development vs. outright warfare make this a unique stand-alone title that more than earns the 8th spot on our countdown."

GameSpy 2003 Game of the Year - PC RTS
"RoN is instantly accessible and easy to use, yet full of deep strategy and endless replayability. If you only buy one RTS this year, let it be Rise of Nations...Rise of Nations is a brilliant evolution for the genre. It takes everything that's fun about the genre and gives players a ton of it; it also figures out what RTS gamers hate and minimizes it."

PC Gamer Editor's Choice Award (93%)
"Besides Conquer the World, Rise of Nations also offers robust skirkish and multiplayer modes, which simply make an already staggering game that much more compelling...tired of the standard RTS multiplayer options? Well, wake up, because Rise of Nations features 13 multiplayer modes...make no mistake, Rise of Nations is a stunning achievement in RTS design."

Maximum PC Kick-Ass Award (10/10)
"Best real-time strategy game ever...the first real-time strategy game to absolutely enthrall us in quite a while."

Gamers' Temple Award of Excellence (95%)
"In place of a story-based campaign, RoN gives you a strategic campaign game that you'll actually want to come back and play again and again...Rise of Nations is a well-designed, well-executed paragon of strategy gaming, although mouse-click maniacs may be disappointed that the game requires more thought than the typical RTS."

3DAvenue 5 Star Quality Award (92/100)
"...a title that features all the strong elements of great RTS titles from the past, and new unique features yet to be seen. Combined, this makes for one hell of a good game, easily placing Rise Of Nations as the best RTS of 2003 so far, and certainly one of the best of all time. Simply put, you would be nuts to miss it, no PC gamer could call their game collection complete without RoN."

Worth Playing Editor's Choice Award (9.3/10)
"The game is simply chock full of simple little innovations that really give it a feel all of its own, and has that special something about it that comes from being built with care."

Gaming Illustrated Editor's Choice Award (96%: Superior)
"Rise of Nations is a substantial achievement in RTS games! It adds extra dimension to playability, and offers excellent value. If you like RTS - this is a MUST HAVE.A fantastic game that offers a new step in the evolutionary process of RTS games."

LoadedInc Hot Property Award (9/10)
"Rise of Nations offers a lot on the table in terms of gameplay. Whether you are a strategy buff or a casual gamer this title is a must have for your collection. The single player will give you near limitless replay ability and challenge your skills while the multiplayer offers an excellent chance to play on the world stage. Big Huge Games hit the RTS bull's-eye on this one."

GameSpot Editor's Choice Award (9.3/10 Superb)
"In many ways, Rise of Nations is better than the strategy games that have come before it. It's smarter. It's more challenging. It gives you more to do. It also has a highly customizable multiplayer component.But what really sets Rise of Nations apart are all the new concepts it introduces--cities, attrition damage, commerce caps, caravans, rare resources, a broader and more distinct technology element, national borders, and more make the game deeper and in many ways more enjoyable than any other real-time strategy game to date. For years, real-time and turn-based strategy games sat at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their gameplay and audience; very few games have even tried to bridge the gap between them. But now, these two distinct styles of strategy have come together in the form of a truly excellent game."

GameOver Gamer's Choice Award (92%)
"[There is an] insurmountable number of positives found in Rise of Nations.it is, as I stated before, the rise of another real-time strategy franchise for Microsoft. No current strategy title can give you the clash between horseback cavalry and industrial age tanks and howitzers as compelling as what Rise of Nations brings to the table."

Gamer's Depot Review (9.5/10 Outstanding)
"Big Huge Games have created a masterpiece that many games will have to contend with now...This game innovates in many areas, and gives this genre the needed boost to revitalize gamers interests again...Rise of Nations is awesome! There are no other words to describe it. The developers have created a fresh twist to this stale genre and players will enjoy it immensely. Go out to your nearest retail store and pick it up. This is one purchase you will not regret!"

Adrenaline Vault Seal of Excellence
"Rise of Nations is a towering aggregation of everything that's good about strategy gaming. Framed upon an excellent tactical engine, a swathe of factions, technologies and historical ages, it all congeals into a solid block of fun. Moreover, the Civilization-esque complexities and novel turn-based strategy map add a depth that elevates Rise of Nations from the crowd. It's certainly as addictive as they come.Rise of Nations is one of the best things since Westwood sliced the loaf with Dune II, and you'd be nuts to miss it."

Tom's Hardware Guide Editor's Choice Award
"It's been a long time since I was this impressed with an RTS game, and it's a nice change. I will warn you that it can be quite addictive if you're a fan of RTS games, but I'm still not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. If you've got some extra money, and are tired of playing the same games over and over, go out and pick this one up; you won't be disappointed. Rise Of Nations is a 'best in class' RTS title with exceptional graphics, sound, and game play. I highly recommend this title and award it a 'THG Editors Choice' award. My hat is off to Brian Reynolds and the developers at Big Huge Games for delivering an excellent title. It will be very interesting to see what the team at Big Huge Games has up their sleeve for the future."

Action Trip Editor's Choice Award (9.3/10 Superb)
"The game has all the characteristics of a commercially successful title of the genre: unit versatility, a good combat system, and adaptability will be a reward to anyone who takes his time to get into this game's ropes."

Games Domain's Top Game Award
"Rise of Nations is the maturation of a genre. More Civilization in scope, feel, and satisfaction than even the popular Age of Empires series, Rise of Nations is the world's first 4X RTS."

Gamer's Depot Review (5/5 Drool Award)
"Multiplayer is where Rise of Nations really shines. With up to 8 players in one game and an unprecedented amount of customization, it's virtually guaranteed that no two multiplayer experiences will ever be the same...If it's been featured in an RTS, odds are it's included and probably improved upon in Rise of Nations...We definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a good RTS and even those who are thinking of giving the genre a try. 5 drips- DROOL AWARD: Cup of Drool! - This product has achieved Epic Proportions of Greatness."