Age of Empires III


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Game Description :
Developer: Ensemble Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Windows Mobile
Genre: Real-time strategy
Theme: Historical
Release Date: October 18, 2005

Screenshots:


Synopsis:
Age of Empires III focuses on the many European powers vying for power over the New World. Like it's predecessors Age 3 revolves around your civilization and how well you can build both your economy and military might. The game includes eight different civilizations with the ability to utilize other civilizations in the form of mercenaries. The eight civilizations include the British, French, Spanish, Dutch, Russians, Portuguese, Germans, Ottomans.

Plot:
Set in a very wide variety of countries to take sides with, the game offers more than 30 real-historical armies.
The story-based campaign mode consists of related scenarios with preset objectives, such as destroying building of the enemy base, sabotaging or slaughtering an enemy hold. In Age of Empires III, the campaign follows the fictional Black family in a series of three "Acts", which divide the story arc into three generations.
Instead of playing as one of the standard civilisations, the player takes command of a special civilization that is linked to the character or period that each Act portrays. Most units of the player civilizations speak in English language, with the exception of unique units such as Spanish Rodeleros, Spanish Lancers, German Ulhans and German War Wagons.

Gameplay:
In Age of Empires III, you start off every game with one Town Centre, a Town Settler, and 5 villagers. placed in a random map, you are allowed to find and gain resources such as food, wood and gold, in order to create an army to defeat the opponent.
Age of Empires III has 5 ages for players to develop their civilisations through, starting from Discovery Age through to the Imperial Age.
While the overall gameplay of resource collecting and empire building and army management remains unchanged, your Home City will be able to help you survive and create a new village on the map.
this Home City offers a persistent support mechanism, where in real time your Home Sity civilisation will be allowing you to send shipments of resources, units, or other bonuses that can be customized based on experience and leveling that is earned. This experience level is carried over from one game to the next.
After you have build your army, you will be attacking your enemy base, and once you have destroyed the town centre and killed every enemy unit, it is your victory.

Graphics:
Graphics are surprisingly well done for a game developed in the 2005th, Textures are well-detailed and the characters and the buildings aren't as much of an polygon.
the 3D detention world fits perfectly for this game since the camera angle is stuck on the sky facing down, which provides a great look from above.
Shadows in this game are generated real time using a light source mechanic, which gives the whole wold an great view, even in night.
The only thing I don't like about the graphics in this game, is that the colours hurts my eyes in any desert map, because the screen just get painted in reddish orange.

Controlls:
All you need for this game is a single mouse, you use left click to chose a unit, right click to an action key to command the unit what to do.
You use your mouse scroll to zoom in and out, scrolling side ways will rotate your point of view.
As a real time strategy game, these controls are well executed.
Although there are a few hot-keys for commands and options, but it would have been nice if they had made more pre-made hotkeys for commands.

Ratings:
Plot : 10/10
Gameplay : 9/10
Graphics : 6/10
Controlls : 7/10

Overall Rating : 7.5/10