Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Worth the wait"

First off, I'm a huge fan of Anno series and after 30 minutes of play I realized I had no reason to doubt the game. So, for fans of Anno series and especially Dawn of Discovery, you don't need to worry about this review, just go straight ahead and buy it. I really hate people come here and say this game is very complex or unplayable and compare this game with starcraft 2 or world in conflict!!! these guys don't have any idea about this kind of games.
Anno is a city building game. The idea is to build as big and bold as you can to outdo your opponents or achieve your victory conditions. While many games can claim this genre classification, such as SimCity, Civcity, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Civilization and the like, Anno is different again. To give a baseline comparison, if you are familiar with The Settlers, you will have a very good idea as to what you are looking at in Anno and I think Anno series is even better than Settlers series.
Lush environments, colorful worlds, an almost insane attention to details pushed all of the Anno games on the top spots. This game also is not exception. Great visuals and soundtrack give the game a cool sci-fi style.
The fact is that the same setting made Anno almost monotonous, new stories and new visuals on the same background could not be enough to satisfy players who played every Anno since 1602. Therefore it was unavoidable for the game to set on a voyage in time.
Gameplay is great and runs smoothly. All of the fun things about previous Anno games are ready here and building menu became more user friendly. furthermore, some new ideas like pollution control and underwater islands add more fun to gameplay. The story is good, it could be improved a lot but it is satisfying. The huge number of side-quests keep you active during the whole assignment. If I want to say one bad thing about this game it's some repeatable voices which are very annoying. Every time you select certain buildings you'll hear the same message over and over.
Apart from all the other games Anno now permits you to choose sides. You can either be an Environmentalist or a Tycoon, depending on how you feel about the Planet. Eco friendly solutions often cost more and offer reduced benefits, but clean air and fertile land has its own benefits, your people feel good and agriculture thrives. Alongside these options you have a 3rd type of social-economic structure... the Researchers, they inhabit different buildings, have different needs, and help you develop technologies and... even settle the sea floor. The underwater world looks even better than the surface.
Overall, It is a must play for previous Anno fan, however, new comers may have problems.