Age of Empires III

"Keeps True to its Past!"

Age of Empires in the past many many years starting from the original has been a smashing hit. I have always loved the original back in my 90's days. Age of Empires 3 keeps true to its ancestors and provides the same fun and enjoyment that the others have.

Gameplay: 9/10
Gameplay in this one is even better than the others. I originally thought due to it being in the Colonial Ages and forward that I would not care for it but gunpowder and artillery make it really fun and the rag doll effects make it even better. My only gripe on the gameplay is that once you choose a civilization in the game you are stuck with it unless you want to start a level 1 city all over again. Being that there arn't that many civilizations in the game you would think it would be lacking but each side plays differently in almost everyway not to mention to of the same side can play differently based on what you pick for cards.

Sound: 10/10
Outstanding, I love hearing the firing of artillery shells and muskets going off and seeing my men cheer once they have defeated the French. Hearing them cheer as England has a certain historical fun aspect. Pretty much all of the sounds and music in this game owns and is well designed and as always they kept the original Age of Empires music theme and revamped it a bit which I can relate back to the original and feel as nothing as changed.

Graphics: 9/10
The visuals of this game are outstanding, especially the reflections and the way the buildings fall apart. I play alot of RTS games but this is definetely my favorite effect, even the ships fall apart from the mast downwards. I especially like the zoom feature they included because it lets you get a close up of whats really going on and how your men are handling the situation. Great Job!

Replay: 10/10
As any normal RTS this game has infinite replayability and it is even better than its ancestors. My only gripe was the lack of maps. I was hoping for a larger selection of maps but oh well.

Definetely a keeper and a collector game if you have all the others!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/30/05