Accessories

Age of Mythology without the Mythology
Personally I was heavily bored and disillusioned by Age of Mythology. It had very little replay value for me, especially when human infantry are basically useless against Myth units.

Age of Empires III, rather than acting as a sequel to Age of Empires II, acts as a sequel to Age of Mythology. The engine is pretty much exactly the same. Perhaps thinking the ancients too stupid to build big buildings, all the buildings here are maybe 3 or 4 times the size of buildings in Age of Mythology, making the map seem very small and difficult to navigate as you seem to run out of space quickly. Even ships look cartoonish simply by how massive they are in comparison to the puddle-sized river you've just built them into.

About the best improvements made from Age of Mythology is the population... you can have more than a 50 man army at one time here.

There is nothing else revolutionary here... it's the same old s-word with regards to real time strategy---civilians dig gold, hunt animals or farm, cut wood, build houses, build barracks, build church or mosque or temple, build infantry, mass them, attack, upgrade, build another base somewhere else, repeat. The graphics look great, but they are highly unimpressive in battle... gunfire, cannon shots, explosions, are all unremarkable. The only positive aspect I can say here is that the buildings actually look like they're taking damage when under fire---losing roof tiles, chunks of concrete and masonry crumbling off.

Everything else is just ordinary. The sort of generic, unremarkable RTS of the next 3D generation, improving where Age of Mythology fumbled (that is, army battles), but breaking no new ground.


(Native Americans) Indians: They have some settlements littered around. You build a trading post next to them and you can train some of their soldiers. That's it. Mercenaries.

In-depth Cities: Useless. It does nothing. You can't do anything with the cities. Instead you get bonus cards, which give you little tiny gifts that don't turn the tide of the battle massively unless you've got nothing left.


Everything else is about the same old s-word you'd find in Age of Empires II, Age of Mythology, and Rise of Nations. No innovation, no revolution, no increased challenge, nothing new. Status Quo all the way.

Chess like Strategy with great gameplay
This game is great to show the economics, military strategy, resources and etc of civilization, plus its a LOT of fun. My son and I like to play chess, and this is very similar with lots of interaction and online LAN excitement .............. its really addictive, ...you can win !! its great

A Very Enjoyable, Very Addicting Game
Age of Empires III deals with the European powers colonizing and fighting over the New World (North America, South America, and the Caribbean). Like past AoE games, this newest installment is relatively historically accurate. You can play as eight different nations, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Personally, I think this is a wonderful game. Being an avid AoE fan, I looked forward to buying it the moment it was announced. But before I bought it, I wondered if it would be worth while, whether all the trailers were as good as the actual game. Of course, the trailers are always better than the real thing. Nevertheless, this game is a Huge step up from AoE II. The biggest steps are graphics and physics. The terrain (numerous real world maps to chose from), each individual soldier, and each building is sculpted very well, so much so that I am amazed at the massive difference between AoE II and II. In addition, the physics of the game are spectacular. When a cannon shoots a building, a large chunk falls off, and even makes a splash in the water. I could go on and on about the improvements, but I won't in the interest of space. If you are thinking of getting this game, enjoy the trailers, are both an AoE and RTS fan, I say go right ahead - you will not regret it.

Very nice.

I am not a gamer in general but Age of Empires is an exception to the rule! I have played all previous versions. This addition is way better in graphic. However it needs a very advanced computer to be able to play without problems. You will need a good video card. Following scenario in AOE III I noticed virtual play area is relatively smaller than previous versions. I think if you liked other versions of AOE you will enjoy this one as well.

Apparently it's gotten better
I've read a lot of reviews complaining about bugs and crashes. I haven't seen any of them, so if you're concerned about a buggy version, don't worry.

The game itself is similar to most RTS games, but instead of, say, upgrading all rifles, you upgrade individual units to a higher rank. For instance, musketeers can eventually be upgraded to redcoats, with higher damage, armor, etc... As with Age of Empires 2, not each race has access to every unit type, and each have unique units (some more than others).

The most unique addition to the game is the concept of "Home Cities.
If you've played Command and Conquer Generals, it's a very similar concept to the Generals Promotions. First, you create a City (Profile) based on your nationality. As you play skirmishes, you gain experience and use this experience to "buy" additional "cards" to add to your "deck." Basically, before you start a game, you create a deck of cards. These cards are like the General Powers from CnC:Generals. As you gain experience from exploring and combat, you can "play" your cards, which is like sending a shipment from your home city. For example, early on you can ship crates of food, wood, or silver to your town center. Later on you can ship a Fort Wagon, which allows you to build a fort (like a castle in AoE 2). After you finish the skirmish, the experience you gain can be used to buy better cards to use in future skirmishes.

Another great addition is the concept of sustainability. Even after all the resources on the map are expanded, you can keep harvesting. Plantations and farms give continuous money and food for your colony, trade routes on the map allow shipments of resources periodically, and shipments from your city can always be sent in using your cards.

And of course, as all the other reviews have stated, the game is absolutely gorgeous. Water looks awesome, trees look awesome, buildings look awesome, etc... One of the things I was most impressed by was cannon fire. Cannonballs take chunks out of buildings exactly where they hit. They plow down a line of infantry in a single shot with the bodies flying through the air realistically. It all just looks amazing.

I have just started the campaign, so I can't comment too much on it. So far, it's pretty good.

All in all, this is a great game. I get a lot of enjoyment out of improving my city in order to use better cards. The city system really gives you a reason to keep playing over and over.