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Age of Empires III

The Age of Empires (AoE) series feels like it’s been around for years, almost a constitution to be associated with PC gaming. Yet the series has only graced our computer screens for 8 years; with the original specimen being released in 1997. The original is still utterly playable even after nearly a decade, but how does its latest predecessor do?

I have always been a fan of RTS (Real Time Strategy) games, ranging from the AoE series to the equally successful Command and Conquer group of games. This particular series has always held a special place in my heart though, and I can’t quite figure out why. Despite this, it is very possible for a good game to turn to utter rubbish when sequels are released. This is the worry I had in the back of my mind when I heard AoE III was being released.

AoE III contains the usual features: Learn to Play (Tutorial Mode), Single Player and Multiplayer, along with a scenario editor should you get tired of the pre-existing maps. The tutorial mode is very useful, and can act as a gentle introduction to the game for newcomers, or a brief refresher course for fans of the previous games.

The scenarios included in AoE III are based on the history of North and South America, referred to as the ‘New World’. You control three generations of the Black family over 24 different scenarios, each with varying goals and targets. Three difficulty levels are present to cater for all levels of gamer too. The campaign mode and its scenarios actually follow a story, which is based on historical data. These are usually preceded by pre-rendered cinematics, which include voice-overs to accompany the action. This makes the gamer feel more involved in the action, and it also connects the different scenarios seamlessly.

This is a very nice game to look at, even though it hasn’t made the complete transition to 3D like Command and Conquer: Generals made a year or so ago. The environment fits in with the character models nicely, which are also very well done. The game even includes ragdoll physics, which means that if a villager is hit by a rather heavy object, their body goes flying across the ground with speed. Obviously, the complexity of graphics in a RTS has to strike a balance with playability, which this game does perfectly. It retains the simplistic layout from the previous games, while improving upon the graphical quality.

The AI present in the game is very challenging to say the least, and provides a very nice opponent should you not fancy online competition. It doesn’t just send one type of unit in a disorganised rabble like before, oh no. Instead, it forms a balanced army which can deal with any possible unit you have, and if you aren’t properly prepared, you will soon find your base in ruins.

There are lots of small improvements to all areas of the game, which is nice to see. The music actually fits in with the action. Start an attack on your enemy’s town centre and the music suddenly becomes tense and with a fast tempo. Also, the selection of buildings, units and improvements has increased; which greatly increases the replayability, and it also stops the game from getting boring…which is always a good thing.

A new addition to the AoE series is the use of your ‘home city’. Rather usefully, you can use your home city to send you reinforcements, or abilities which will help your cause. You gain the ability to do this after getting a reasonable amount of another new feature: XP. XP (Otherwise known as experience) is gained by doing almost anything; be that destroying enemy buildings, killing their units, building things yourself or learning improvements. You can then use this XP to upgrade the level of your home city, which increases the range of items you can use to help you. New abilities in your home city come in the form of cards, which you unlock as your city increases in level. Your home city is also completely customisable, with different colours and townsfolk unlockable; although utterly superficial.

There are plenty more new features in AoE III, all of which improve the game. There are ‘treasures’ scattered over the map, which can provide valuable resources; although they are protected by ‘treasure guardians’ whom you have to dispose of should you want the sweet bounty. Native Americans also make an appearance, although their towns are permanent. Nevertheless, you can use another new feature of trade posts to forge an alliance with them, which will then allow you to build new units in the form of Native American warriors. Trade routes are also a new feature, and are also very useful. If you build a trading post along one of these, you will gain valuable resources or experience points.

Now onto the most important factor when it comes to the RTS genre: Gameplay. Age of Empires III has gameplay by the barrel load. It is still as utterly playable and addictive as the previous incarnations, but add the better graphics and new features into the list and you’ve got a hell of a game. The scenarios are very immersive, and they are very fun to play. But even if you get tired of the scenarios, you have the customisable skirmish mode; include into that the option of playing people from around the world, and even creating your own maps to suit your own need. This is a game that will never get tired, and you will always want to play.

Age of Empires III is a monster of an RTS, and I mean that in a good way. It is always very hard for a sequel for a good game to actually improve upon its predecessor, but it has been achieved here. I would go so far to say that this is one of; if not THE best RTS games I’ve ever played.

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Tags: Age of Empires III

Posted by Darren on Nov 1st, 2005 and is filed under PC Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.

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