Age of Empires III

The Age of Empires series has been a solid title for strategy game fans.  As with any game series there seems to be a push for more is better when in comes to sequels.  Well that is certainly the case with Age of Empires III but that doesn’t mean the gameplay won’t be as good as previous versions.  Strategy games usually have a tendency to just suck you in with hours of gameplay.  At E3 2005 Microsoft was showing off the latest build of Age of Empires III and it appears that the time sucking vacuum will strike again.  Be prepared to spend countless hours away from friends and loved ones.

The biggest update for the third game in the series is the graphics.  The developers are pushing the envelope when it comes to graphics for a strategy game.  Honestly I have never seen a strategy game look as good as Age of Empires III.  The water looked amazing with ripples and waves flowing through the water.  Shadows of birds flying overhead were seen on the surface of the water along with fish jumping up out the water.  All of the graphics in the game have undergone an overhaul to provide the most impressive looking strategy game I have ever seen.  Buildings are strikingly gorgeous with tons of detail.  The cities are alive with activity that will surely impress even the most jaded gamer that has never played a strategy game. 

Another part of the graphics that have been updated is the inclusion of a physics engine, licensed from Havoc.  The physics engine allows for a realistic war time experience that will vary with every battle.  No building will be destroyed the same way twice and flying debris will damage soldiers during combat.  The developers were showing off a scenario where they attacked a building to show how the damage changed each time the building was attacked.  Soldiers were also flying through the air as the result of damage from bombs or even flying off horses as they charged into battle.  Each character in the game would react independently to the damage that was done to them. 

As far as gameplay goes the big change with the third edition is the inclusion of a Home City.  The Home City will function as the main base of operations for your troops since the Home City will supply all of the resources to your troops.  If your Home City is poorly performing then it will be harder to provide the necessary resources to your troops out in the field.  The game will be set during the 1500 to 1850 time frame.  There will be eight different playable civilizations to control during the game, all European countries. 

Age of Empires III was the best looking strategy game I witnessed at E3 2005.  Hopefully the system requirements won’t be too intensive that gamers won’t have to buy an all new system just to play the game.  But it might be worth it since this was, in my opinion, the best strategy game on display at E3.  Look for Age of Empires III later this year.

For All E3 2005 Previews