Age of Empires III

"A great effort but too powerful graphics for older computers"

Out of the box, this game looks stunning. I never owned the first game, so I cant compare it to this one, but the second game is one of the games I own, and Age of Empires 3 is a huge leap in the series. Nearly everything has improved over its predeacessor, except on older computers, the graphics are too powerful which forces you to play a dimmed-down version of the game, because you have to turn the quality of the graphics down, to play the game and semi-fully enjoy it, on an older comp.

Graphics 9/10

Absolutley stunning for a RTS (Real time strategy) but not the best for a PC game. The graphics are crisp on newer computers, but you know what happens on an older computer, you have to lower the quality. Overall, these graphics are pretty good and deliver a great spectacal in the game.

Gameplay 9/10

The gameplay is smooth, and current allowing you to sneak up on your enemy and create armies faster than it's predacessor. It is much easier to gather a lot of units but with too many units, it makes the game very slow. The new treasure gathering feature doesn't really help later in the game, but it helps out when you start the game and you are building a new colony. Overall, the gameplay is highly better than the 2nd game and is a MAJOR highlight of the game.

Sound 10/10

The sound is way better than the second game because it doesn't sound like a keyboard, but it sounds like an orchestra made the music. It gives you an interesting twist to the theme song of AOE series, also. There are many great voiceovers for the NPC's which deliver a truly realistic experience. Overall, this is a great addition to the wonderful gameplay.

Difficulty 8/10

In single player mode the game isn't too hard but when you go online, you will get attacked before you even reach the second age. That is all.

Replay Value 9/10

After you play online, the replay value of single player is dull. But with online gaming, you'll feel forced to play another person online so online has a very good replay value.

Rent or Buy???

Judging that it is a PC game, you cannot rent it (unless you are renting for just a non-major retailing store) but if you are a fan of the RTS genre, or you want to get into the RTS genre, this is a good game to buy!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/28/05