Age of Empires III (PC)

• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 31 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 8 stars

  Jameson Thottam: Summary Review of Age of Empires

  by jameson thottam on November 1, 2005

  Pros: Graphics have been significantly improved: Jameson Thottam

  Cons: Sounds need work: Jameson Thottam

  Summary: Jameson Thottam: Summary Review of Age of Empires
  
  Microsoft's Age of Empires has long been considered to be the pinnacle of the RTS gaming world alongside other equally deserving
  
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  Summary: Jameson Thottam: Summary Review of Age of Empires
  
  Microsoft's Age of Empires has long been considered to be the pinnacle of the RTS gaming world alongside other equally deserving titles as Blizzard's Starcraft. Like many other hugely successful titles before it, the emergence of clones should come as no surprise. It is a huge improvement over its now ancient-looking predecessor, featuring superior graphics & sound. In spite of all these upgrades though, there are still several flaws which tend to limit the game's overall playability. Among them include a somewhat low-set population limit. Further details on the issue will be discussed in the gameplay section below. Graphics is always the first on the agenda.
  
  Graphics: Jameson Luke Thottam
  Veterans of the original Age of Empires will find the graphics in to be more than just simple eye candy some of them might even start drooling over their keyboards after seeing how detailed the buildings & units are compared to the ones in its prequel. The structures you get in are comparatively larger & more refined. The detail in the landscape is rich & nicely laid out. Each of its civilizations sports a unique style of architecture you get to see nice old English castles while playing the Britons & ornate looking Oriental palaces when playing the Chinese or Japanese. The ships, though nicely drawn tend to look a little off at times. I often compare them to the more richly detailed ones found in Cossacks European Wars, from which those in look as if they could use a little brushing up. Overall grade: B+
  
  Sound: Jameson Thottam
  Perhaps the biggest complaint with AOK lies with its rather lowly sound department. Although AOK has a huge vocab derived from the speech of each one of its civilizations, the effects you get during an actual game is somewhat sparse. The music replays itself over & over again, giving the player a bit of a monotonous feel. Additionally, the in-game tunes aren't as catchy as the ones you get in Cossacks. Almost all the tunes have somewhat of a mellow medieval flavor, which some might consider a nice touch while others like me would opt for something a little more upbeat. Overall grade: C-
  
  Gameplay: Jameson L. Thottam
  As mentioned in the first paragraph, a list of nifty improvements does not make AOK a perfect game. There are still several issues that require some attention. While most may feel comfortable with the newly set 200 unit population limit, others might still complain that it's a little too low to mount a decent offensive. The lowly set population limit prevents players from building large armies & engaging in massive invasions as seen in titles like Cossacks. A squad of 150 isn't going to do much compared to say an army of 2000 or more. This is why most campaigns in AOK tend to drag on for days without an end in sight.
  
  Itdoes require a moderate level of micro management. Farms do not rejuvenate so you'd have to rebuild them every now and then after they get exhausted. This can be a bit of a pain, especially when you're engaged in a seige against an enemy. Being told you're out of food halfway during a heated battle is not something you'd want to experience. The player is then faced with a dilemma on whether to leave the scene of battle ( thus risking his troops ) to go plant some crops, or continue on. The AI can be surprisingly strong at times making you wonder if the CPU is actually cheating behind your back. Then again you could always cheat back by typing in special keywords in the chat-box. One such cheat even allows you to build yourself a souped up Shelby Cobra complete with twin machine guns to mow down those annoying little invaders.
  
  CPU Tactics: Jameson Thottam
  The tactics employed by the CPU controlled opponents can be a little tricky at times. A favorite method of deception would be to falsely petition for an alliance in an attempt to buy some time then stabbing you in the back after building itself a fairly large army. There is an option at the start of the game where you are able to pick your teams & enemies. If you're playing a 6 player game, you may adjust sides according to your preferences it can be 2 against 4, 3 against 3 or maybe 5 against 1.
  
  Camapign Editor: Jameson Luke Thottam
  The campaign editor is a cool feature that allows you to create your own scenarios & campaigns. Creating a custom campaign may take up sometime but it's well worth the effort once you've beaten every one of the pre-set in game scenarios. Overall grade: B
  
  Summary: Jameson Thottam
  
  It is one title no RTS fan should be without. It's definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the original AOE or others like Starcraft. The game works fine on higher end processors so you might want to make sure to have at least something over 600 Mhz for it to run smoothly. Believe me, you don't want to be running this based on its minimum system requirements. Final Grade: B
  
  Jameson Luke Thottam

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  4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 6 stars

  I was a little dissapointed

  by samnesral on November 22, 2005

  Pros: Better than AoE II

  Cons: Not a HUGE leap forward.

  Summary: This game will give you hours and hours of fun but i thought it would be AWSOME and it was alright I think my expectations were too high.

  Summary: This game will give you hours and hours of fun but i thought it would be AWSOME and it was alright I think my expectations were too high.

  3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Hal La Looo YA

  by bmanweiler on June 17, 2006

  Pros: Great Game best ive ever had for PC

  Cons: Nope none at all

  Summary: Like i said best game ever

  Updated
  Its not the best anymore but its in my top 10. Everyone needs to buy the game F.E.A.R!!! Ausome graphics

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  Summary: Like i said best game ever

  Updated
  Its not the best anymore but its in my top 10. Everyone needs to buy the game F.E.A.R!!! Ausome graphics and a fricking auesome game.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 2 stars

  looks = good, crashes galore

  by diabulos on November 9, 2005

  Pros: great game engine

  Cons: it crashes like there is no tomorrow and the AOE III web forum is FULL of complaints

  Summary: The game looks great, sadly I can't play it. After a sloooooow installation (3 CDs!! better games came in less, what about a DVD instead)I managed to get ...

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  Summary: The game looks great, sadly I can't play it. After a sloooooow installation (3 CDs!! better games came in less, what about a DVD instead)I managed to get going. after a few minutes of play, the game just switches back to dekstop and an error message came up. I checked the offcial site, and loads, I mean loads of people are having the same problem and no response from the makers. There is a patch which does not address the problems, and which tends to crash and then the whole game is sort of gone funny, reinstall is the only answer. Another patch should be coming soon they say, meanwhile, 37 pounds (here in the UK) down the drain, I have a pretty package, 3 coasters and no game to play, you wonder about the so called bete testing process, maybe there is something to it, I mean, I may sound crazy, but, hey, why not try that next time you make a game and charge 37 pounds for it? given the experience of so many people, putting a gun to someone's head and taking their money would be as ethical.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  great game

  by anshu94 on August 19, 2011

  Pros: nice fantastic

  Cons: nothing man

  Summary: like i said wow

  Summary: like i said wow

• 10 stars

  Each one gets better than the previous one.

  by billhaack on October 23, 2010

  Pros: Each new version brings enhancements in all areas.

  Cons: Concern that this will be the final rev, or that it will significantly change in the next one.

  Summary: Follows the tried and true formula with new devices, weapons, enhanced management - micro or macro manage.
  Another way to look at this series and those similar to it - ...

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  Summary: Follows the tried and true formula with new devices, weapons, enhanced management - micro or macro manage.
  Another way to look at this series and those similar to it - they are real-time strategy RPG's - but the "role" part refers to your civilization.

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• 10 stars

  The best real time strategy game. Ever. (In my opinion)

  by nicholasjh on December 30, 2008

  Pros: - Amazing gameplay
  - Great graphics
  - Endless discoveries of new features and options

  Cons: - Heavy on system resources

  Summary: I grew up playing all of the different Age of Empires game, so I guess my opinion is going to be fairly biased. But nonetheless, AOE3, along with its expansions, ...

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  Summary: I grew up playing all of the different Age of Empires game, so I guess my opinion is going to be fairly biased. But nonetheless, AOE3, along with its expansions, is a simply amazing computer game. I have played pretty much every other RTS game out there, and (in my opinion), very few of them come close to Age of Empires 2, let alone 3.
  
  I've been playing the AOE3 and its expansions since they were first released, and I still haven't even come close to discovering everything there is to discover about the games. The possibilities and options and features seem endless, with each different civilization bringing something completely different to the table. Every time I sit down to play, whether it's against a computer or online, something new will happen, surprising and delighting me at the same time.
  
  The Age of Empires series has alway been my favourite RTS, and this is now only strengthened by AOE3. It is one of the few games I have enough respect to pay for. So if you're debating at all about which real time strategy game to buy, you must get this one. In my opinion :D

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• 4 stars

  I had expected something better

  by downloadace22591 on May 6, 2008

  Pros: looks nice, and hey, it is Age of Empires

  Cons: installation, design

  Summary: Okay, being a devout AOE II fan, I was expecting a lot better. However, I had so many problems installing the game that the excitement I had built up for ...

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  Summary: Okay, being a devout AOE II fan, I was expecting a lot better. However, I had so many problems installing the game that the excitement I had built up for it when it actually worked collapsed in on itself. The game is nothing new to the genre. The design is way too similar to Age of Mythology, and the time period is pretty boring. That being said, its still a good game, just don't buy it with a $50 price tag like I did, and wait until it goes down to $20 or $30

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• 8 stars

  Best Real-Time Strategy I've Played

  by kevdrez on January 31, 2008

  Pros: Improves on an already stellar Age of Empires series.

  Cons: Playing online has a "failed to connect" bug, happens less now - see review

  Summary: I loved AoE II.
  
  If you loved Aoe II as well, you will love this game. Great graphics + amazing gameplay + free online gaming = the best strategy game on the market,
  
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  Summary: I loved AoE II.
  
  If you loved Aoe II as well, you will love this game. Great graphics + amazing gameplay + free online gaming = the best strategy game on the market, in my opinion.
  
  I absolutely love how the civilizations are balanced but very different. Home city shipments add a new twist that seems strange at first, but once you warm up to it you realize how neat it is.
  
  Online play is sometimes troubled by a "failed to connect" bug, but Ensemble Studios has recognized the problem and is fixing it. It doesn't always fail, either- so you can almost always get in a game on the second or third try.

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• 9 stars

  I love the game

  by geosultan4 on January 7, 2008

  Pros: Great graphics, novel idea of home cities, addition of other leaders' personalities give the game heart, and the free online play is good

  Cons: The campaign is rather hackneyed

  Summary: I love the game. The graphics are great, and I love the addition of home cities. It gives the game another reason to keep playing, as the experience gained in ...

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  Summary: I love the game. The graphics are great, and I love the addition of home cities. It gives the game another reason to keep playing, as the experience gained in one game will carry over to another. Other leaders can talk to you, which makes the game more interesting. The campaign is too much like you'd expect, and the memory requirement could be too much for some older computers, though most games are around 2.5gb, anyway.

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