An amazing, yet under-appreciated, game!
In the third installment of Age of Empires, Ensemble Studios is taking us back to colonial times when explorers were first settling the Americas. If you have been following the Age of Empires series, you will know that with each new release, the developers go forward in history. The main new features of this game include: Home cities, which allow you to get shipments from home after acquiring experience points (also new, but only useful for home city growth), Indian tribes, which allow you to trade and make alliances with Indian civilizations, and new civilizations and units, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
The story is on par with the other Age of Empires, following through the regular campaign type gameplay that RTS fans have grown accustomed to. While Age of Empires' story isn't revolutionary, it still is a good story that will, most likely, make you want to finish the game to see how it plays out.
Graphics and sound are where this game really excels. The graphics are very much so updated from the previous Age of Empires games, and it is easily seen. For example, when you are attacking buildings, certain parts fall off while you attack, instead of the general flames that used to appear when you were attacking a building. Other things such as beautiful landscapes and amazing unit details make this game very visually pleasing. You may be thinking, "With all these good graphics, how can my mid-range computer run it!?" Well, if that's the case, don't worry: these graphics seem to run extremely well on mid to high range computers, even on the highest, or near highest, settings! I have experienced no slowdowns running full specs, and that makes the game look even better.
Sound in this game is also very well done. You hear tons of ambient sounds which add to the realism of the game. The units still talk when you click on them, and the buildings still play a sound when you click on them, so it helps add to the feeling that you are actually there and commanding your troops and villagers. Everything in this game has its own, unique sounds that make this game sound very good.
The value of this game, like all the other Age of Empires games, is great. Even after you finish the campaign mode, the real bulk of the gameplay is in the random map games that Ensemble Studios made famous with its first Age of Empires games. You choose a general landscape, your civilization, victory conditions, and last but not least, enemy civilizations and number of enemies (or teammates!). These random maps are very fun to play either single player or on online multiplayer, helping to add many hours to the value of this game.
For some reason or another, even though I love this game and think it is the best Age of Empires yet, I find myself playing it much less than I did either of the previous two, and the Age of Mythology series. I'm not sure why, because like I have stated in the review, it is an amazing game, but I guess I can't just get into it. Maybe it is because it's more of the same, or maybe I have passed on from my RTS phase. That is the reason for my "9" in reviewer's tilt. Don't get me wrong though, I still have dedicated many hours to this game and will definitely keep playing. It's one of those games that you pick up and play, even if you haven't played it for a few weeks or months.
Overall, if you're a fan of the Age of Empires series, or just looking for a great RTS, this is the game for you. It has the great qualities of the Age of Empires series, but with added visual and sound extras that make the game an even better one. I highly recommend this very much so under-appreciated game!
**Note on scoring:**
Difficulty: It has many options for a change in difficulty, from the first being very easy and the last being very hard, so it's hard to label an overall difficulty. It's based on how you choose.
Learning curve: If you've played any Age of Empires game, or any RTS game for that matter, you will easily be able to pick up and play this game. If not, there are great tutorials you can use, and the learning curve would probably increase to 30 mins-1 hour, depending on the type of gamer you are.