There's an Empire Earth Updated Preview on GameSpot based on their play in the updated version of the game that's currently undergoing closed beta testing. They describe their experiences so far in fairly glowing terms, saying "it looks like Goodman and company are heading down the right path" in describing how close it is to hitting the mark of lead designer Rick Goodman's goal to "become the industry's premier developer in real-time strategy games." They speak of how the game's quality is attributable to its pedigree, not only was Goodman the co-creator and lead designer on Age of Empires before leaving Ensemble to form Stainless Steel Studios, but they have enlisted a bunch of top-notch AoE players, many winners of cash tourneys, to help playtest and balance the game. The preview also obviously focuses on gameplay, describing the many eras during which play takes place, the 21 civilizations from which to choose, the types of units encountered through the ages, and how you control them. They round out their report with descriptions of the graphics and music, and the whole shebang is illustrated by a big batch of 20 screenshots.