Conquest of the New World vs Empire: Total War
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
Conquest of the New World is a classic 1996 turn‑based strategy game that lets players command nations across a richly detailed map of the Americas. Developed by Quicksilver Software and published by Interplay, it combines historical events with fantasy elements for a unique gameplay experience. The game offers both single‑player campaigns and multiplayer battles, supporting Mac users with an ESRB E rating and a solid critic score of 85/100.
Empire: Total War transports players to the 18th century, letting them manage nations, conduct diplomacy, and expand colonies in a deep turn‑based campaign. When armies clash, the game shifts to massive real‑time battles where tactics and unit composition decide victory.
- Deep strategic depth with resource and diplomacy systems
- Rich blend of historical and fantasy elements
- Supports both single‑player and multiplayer modes
- Optimized for Mac with stable performance
- Deep strategic depth
- Stunning real‑time battle visuals
- Extensive modding community
- Rich historical detail
- Outdated graphics by modern standards
- Steep learning curve for new strategy players
- Limited UI customization options
- Steep learning curve for newcomers
- Long campaign sessions can be time‑intensive
- Occasional AI pathfinding issues
More alternatives & similar tools
Alternatives to Conquest of the New World
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Alternatives to Empire: Total War
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Conquer Europe as a fierce Viking warlord in epic medieval strategy
The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataEmpire: Total War is the higher-rated, more modern default with real-time battles, while Conquest of the New World offers a cheaper, Mac-optimized historical-fantasy blend. The core trade-off is between modern 2009 production values and real-time tactical battles versus a 1996 turn-based approach with mythical creatures.
Key differences
- •Combat system: Empire: Total War features real-time land and naval battles supporting up to 1,000 units, whereas Conquest of the New World handles combat with various unit types including explorers and mythical creatures on a turn-based system.
- •Theme and setting: Conquest of the New World blends history with fantasy (including mythical creatures and alternate fantasy outcomes), while Empire: Total War focuses on rich historical detail.
- •Price and critic scores: Empire: Total War is $59.99 with a 90/100 critic score, whereas Conquest of the New World is $49.99 with an 85/100 critic score.
- •Platform and optimization: Conquest of the New World is optimized for Mac with stable performance, while Empire: Total War is published by Sega and Feral Interactive and carries PEGI 16 / ESRB T age ratings.
Gameplay & fun factor
Empire: Total War integrates turn-based empire building with real-time tactical land and naval battles, scoring a higher 90/100 critic score.
Platform availability
Conquest of the New World explicitly notes optimization for Mac with stable performance; Mac status is not specified for Empire: Total War.
Price & value
Conquest of the New World is cheaper at $49.99, compared to Empire: Total War's $59.99 MSRP.
Multiplayer / co-op
Empire: Total War supports competitive, co-operative, and hot-seat play for up to eight players, including co-op tags.
Content & replayability
Empire: Total War features thousands of units, modding tools, and dynamic weather, while Conquest of the New World features random events.
Difficulty & accessibility
Both games note a steep learning curve for newcomers/new strategy players and long campaign sessions that can be time-intensive.
Graphics & performance
Empire: Total War features stunning real-time battle visuals, whereas Conquest of the New World suffers from outdated graphics by modern standards.
Choose Conquest of the New World if…
Mac users wanting a cheaper, historical-fantasy turn-based strategy game with mythical creatures.
Choose Empire: Total War if…
Strategy enthusiasts wanting higher-rated real-time tactical battles, naval combat, and modding tools.
Common questions
Which game has a higher critic score?
Empire: Total War has a critic score of 90/100, while Conquest of the New World has a critic score of 85/100.
Which game is cheaper?
Conquest of the New World is priced at $49.99, whereas Empire: Total War is priced at $59.99.
Do both games feature multiplayer?
Yes, both games support multiplayer. Empire: Total War supports competitive, co-operative, and hot-seat play for up to eight players, while Conquest of the New World supports hot-seat and network play.