Available Platforms: PC and Mac
The real time strategy genre has been beaten to death and what was once a revolutionary genre has now become redundant. Games like Warcraft, Starcraft, Dawn of War, and Age of Empires have excelled in a genre crowded with mediocre titles. Even though they are the best of their respective breed, sequels to these titles do not exactly get my hard drive humming any more. So when I sat down to play Age of Empires , I was expecting a decent game but nothing to get excited about. After several hours of play, I was pleasantly surprised at how a few new wrinkles made Age of Empires 3 stand out among the masses.
The newest version of the Age of Empires series places you in control of one of eight mighty European civilizations, each one wanting to claim their stake in the new world. Previous versions of the game featured ancient and medieval themes. The concept of advancing throughout history with each new version of the game really works well for Age of Empires. Participating in real battles and other historical events adds a sense of accuracy and realism to the game.
The campaign mode puts the player in the role of three generations of one fictional family. Each member of this family has his or her own separate act which seems disjointed and awkward at first but wraps up in a nice little package by the end. Many campaign modes in similar but lesser games just have you run around kill enemy X in 20 different missions in which you are doing to same thing over and over. The missions in Age of Empires 3 are wide in variety and will force you to change your tactics with every new mission. There are plenty of straight defend or attack scenarios but several combine both and add other unexpected elements, but I don’t want to spoil any surprises.
One of the aforementioned new wrinkles is the addition of a home city. During gameplay, you will receive shipments from your home city when you earn enough experience. Experience is earned through combat, exploring the map, finding hidden treasures, and progressing economically. These shipments range from additional resources to bolster your economy, equipment upgrades, and even a few extra troops. Most shipments can only be sent once during the game so choosing them carefully adds yet another strategic element to the game. Between skirmishes, you can buy additions to your home city which will unlock new shipments and just make it look better.
Another new strategic element is forging alliances with natives. Scattered throughout the maps are Native American settlements. Your civilization’s explorer ( another new feature) can build a trading post within these settlements and you will have access to new troop types and upgrades, depending on the tribe you ally with. Making friends with the Native Americans will often be the difference between winning and losing a battle. Not all tribes are available in every map. For example, you will not find the Mayans in Colorado and the Sioux won’t pop up in the Carribean.
Age of Empires 3 features many different map types, each based on one geographic region. These geographic regions differ not only by terrain types but also by what resources are available. In New England, there is plenty of wood to be cut down but that may not be the case in Texas. In the previous two versions of Age of Empires, the map terrain did not really influence how you went about toppling your neighbors town. The geographic differences between each region truly affects your gameplay strategy.
The visuals of Age of Empires 3 are great but will obviously vary in quality depending on how much processing power your PC packs. One thing that will not vary between different computers is the physics engine. The units move very fluidly and make tiny little actions that add to the realism of the game. Your artillery will actually reload the canon before another shot and musketeers will wield their bayonets when charged by calvary. The buildings crumble and huge chunks of rock fly when hit with a cannon ball. Trees will also be ripped from the ground when a stray canon shot flies through the forest. You wont notice all these small details when you are immersed in combat, but its nice to know that they are there.
Age of Empires 3 is an excellent game in a genre that is crowded with sub-par simulations. The addition of just a few new features makes Age of Empires 3 a completely different game than the previous two versions. The game is worth the monetary investment but only if you have a good chunk of spare time to invest in the game as well. The final word is that Ag of Empires in one of the better real time strategy games to come along in a while, so go ahead and satisfy your urge to pillage and burn.
Overall Grade: B
