I need a modern Caesar

[Schadenfroh]

I have an itching for Caesar II
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_2

The problem is, I know not where my old copy is and I doubt it would work properly in Windows 7 x64 anyway. Plus, I have put countless hours into it long ago, so I need something new.

Looks like the people that made it are out of business. Are there any modern Caesar games that come close to the original(s)? I never played Caesar IV, but it has aged quite a bit as well, not to mention, the reviews are not that spectacular.

Would like for it to be set in the Roman empire, but any game that has similar game-play will do the trick.

 

[CPA]

I liked Caesar III, didn't care much for Caesar IV. But haven' seen much that matches it since then. Grand Ages Rome tries, but just doesn't hit the mark.

 

[Cheesetogo]

Look into Rome: Total War. It's not quite in the same vein, but based on the Wikipedia description of Caesar II, it's fairly similar. It's also incredibly fun (and very well reviewed).

 

[Ross Ridge]

Caeser III is the only game in the series I've played, but if you like II, I'm sure you'd like III. Graphics are about the same though. It plays just fine on Windows 7 64-bit.

I recently got Civ City: Rome, and while I haven't played past the first tutorial, it's a lot like Caeser series of games. They've added a bit of research, but it's fundamentally the same game. I dunno if its any good though, I don't recall it getting great reviews.

There's also the other games in Sierra City Building series with different settings, like Pharoh. As great a game Rome: Total War is, other than it's Roman theme it's nothing like Caeser II.

Nothing all that recent though. The ancient city building genre seems pretty dead these days.

 

[Schadenfreude]

http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/caesar_3

 

[heat901]

http://store.steampowered.com/app/23450/

I think its better than C3...

 

[The Green Bean]

Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom is the best in the series.

 

[TehMac]

Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom is the best in the series.

I think Pharaoh is definitely the most hardcore. Rise of the Middle Kingdom definitely was more hardcore than Zeus was. As a kid, I liked Zeus the most. The humor was awesome, but as I matured, I really respect the game design of Pharaoh and Middle Kingdom. Plus, MK's art pallette is awesome.

 

[The Green Bean]

I think Pharaoh is definitely the most hardcore. Rise of the Middle Kingdom definitely was more hardcore than Zeus was. As a kid, I liked Zeus the most. The humor was awesome, but as I matured, I really respect the game design of Pharaoh and Middle Kingdom. Plus, MK's art pallette is awesome.

I have been playing Pharaoh recently but it's quite buggy especially when those Pyramids stop building at 99%. Zeus was fun too. I really liked the varied missions.

 

[acheron]

Caesar 2 works fine in Dosbox, btw, if you find your copy. I still like it.

Caesar 4 was very good, I liked it better than 3. It's a few years old now but if you never played it there's no reason to not give it a try now.

Grand Ages Rome is a couple years old too; I still never tried it out though I grabbed it for $2.50 or something during the last Steam sale, so I may give it a try sometime soon.

 

[Via]

I guess Civcity: Rome is similar.

I think it was made by the guys who made Children of the Nile.

 

[Zorander]

Anno 1404 (Dawn of Discovery) is worth exploring.

 

[simonizor]

If the game doesn't have to be based in Rome or something similar, Pharaoh was made by the same developers and has very similar gameplay, but is based in ancient Egypt. I used to play it a lot, but my CD got ruined. You can still get it on Amazon for ~$10. If you like it, there's an expansion pack that you can get, Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile.

Both of these games are newer than all of the Caesar games, so they should include most of the features that you're used to.

:EDIT: Also, here's a link to the list of games made by Impressions Games on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressions_Games