A good game that lives up to the series
User Rating: 7.3 | Age of Empires III PC
Age of Empires was the first RTS game I played on the computer. Ever since then I have enjoyed the series and their expansions. Age of Empires 3 is more like Age of Mythology than its predecessors. The environment is real 3D, the graphics are smoother, and the gameplay is a little different. The game seems to be built for a speedier type of player in that resources are no longer dropped off at a building and cards are selected in a deck at the home city screen to send extra supplies, building, and units to your base. Features like card decks, home city, and experience change the gameplay from a normal build and play game to actually giving you advantages for future games by allowing you to level your home city which gives you chances to send better items to your base that your enemy might not have.
The new features both add and take away from the enjoyment of the game. For those who enjoy a slow game and a strong base might not like the limits on buildings and units. For example you can only create 2 of the biggest ships in the game and only seven defense towers. Also the walls are much weaker making it harder to create a real defense that’s impenetrable. The music in the game has the familiarity of the first two games and the graphics are amazing. The cannonballs roll across the ground bouncing, ships and buildings lose pieces when hit, and units fly backwards when hit by cannonballs giving realism to the game.
The game is worth trying but may upset slower builders. The online community will enjoy it more for its quicker gameplay and new concepts.
