Introduction
Age of Empires 3 had to live up to a lot of expectations from E3 2005. The graphics looked good, the gameplay looked great and all in all it looked like a game that would change RTS games forever. But the real question is, has it lived up to all the hype?
Graphics |
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The graphics in AoE3 are absolutely incredible. The detail on buildings, terrain and military is overwhelming, especially on a real time strategy game. Attacking your opponent becomes so realistic you feel as though you are in the game, with debris falling off buildings to villagers being blown back metres from the cannons. The only downside is a good pc is required to play this game to the maximum graphic capability, so if your computer is slow or your graphics card isn't up to date you're often forced to turn the graphics down, especially in multiplayer mode.
Sound |
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AoE3's sound is quite average, and doesn't exceed many people's expectations. The background music is very average, but it adds to the scene of battle very well. The in-game music is precise, with your colonies language correct. But the sound on the game isn't a key aspect, and you find yourself not concentrating on it at all.
Gameplay |
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Whether you play Supremacy, Deathmatch or Campaign, when you sit down to AoE3 you know you're going to be playing a great game. With endless strategies, an option to change you're armies formations in battle and the huge wars within the game, there is a wide variety of things to do in the game, and you can experiment to find which strategy suits you best. You're explorer plays a part in your game aswell, he can locate the opponent(s) town center, so you know exactly where to hit. Even if you don't like RTS as much as other game genres, the gameplay is an absolute gem.
Lastability |
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Players question the lastability, it depends on your own opinion of the game. The actual AoE3 game will keep you playing for months, but the actual Supremacy/Deathmatch can get tedious at times. After you build your empire, there is limited options, and you often find yourself attacking the opponent when you don't want to, or resigning just to end the game. On the other hand, games under 40 minutes long can be exciting, and stategic. There are multiple maps to explore, different strategies to try out and time to get to know the best military to be assigned to different jobs.
Overall |
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In conclusion, Age of Empires 3 is a brilliant game, with a great variety of options and the fact that you know every game you play is unique. I would highly reccomend this game, especially for hot blooded RTS fans, and with the new expansion around the corner, the game is about to get a whole lot better...
Final Score : 88 %
