like many games before it in the same genre, "empire earth ii" has civilizations for players to lead to greatness. each civilization has a unique power, giving it an advantage in a particular field. each civilization also has a unique unit, which is a more powerful version of a given unit type. the greek hoplite, for instance, is a more effective heavy infantry than the other tribes' counterparts. the western civilizations are the americans, british, germans, greeks, and the romans. the middle eastern civilizations are the babylonians, egyptians, and the turks. the far eastern civilizations are china, japan, and korea. finally, the meso-american civilizations are the aztecs, incas, and the mayans.