Normally these gold editions are just prettier boxes with a few minor gameplay changes but that's not the case with 1701 A.D. Gamers who pick up the new version of the game will be rewarded with an entirely new campaign, a full editor, and a handful of minor changes. IGN managed to obtain an early copy of the game to give it all a try for themselves.
If you're not a hard-core strategy fan, you may not be familiar with this weekend's Steam discount. Until Sunday, 1701 A.D. will cost $14.99 instead of $29.99.
Gamersgate is offering Koch Media's strategy title 1701 A.D. Gold Edition for $14.99, a savings of 50%.
The Gold Edition packs both the original 1701 A.D. game along with The Sunken Dragon expansion.
WorthPlaying writes: "Not-so-hot on the heels of its European release in late 2007, German-developed 1701 A.D. Gold Edition has finally arrived stateside, offering new content and challenges to fans of the original title, as well as new AI opposition and a powerful world creation suite. Colonizing the Caribbean (and now Asiatic territories) has rarely been so attractive and engaging ... or time-consuming.
Let's face it: You really can't get much done in this game without sinking about four or five hours per sitting. More time is lost trying to make sense of some of the objectives or unclarities, like why your citizenry won't progress despite having all of their needs met ages ago. An extensive reference tool has been built into the game, the ANNOpedia, which will answer many of your questions, but it really is a lot to get your head around."
