Others say...

"This game ROCKS!!!"
If your into strategy games then this game is for you. It has a great campaign game with a great story and you can also play online with god knows who. Plus, if you buy this game with the Asian Dynasties expansion pack the game gets even better. I don't own the Asian Dynasties expansion pack but I downloaded the trail software and it was great. I plan to purchase it.

"This game isn't all cracked up to be."
This game is not really that good compared to the previous game.
The game play isn't that great and the fighting is kinda lame.
I wouldn't really recommend this to anyone.

"Age of Mythology without the Mythology"
Personally I was heavily bored and disillusioned by Age of Mythology. It had very little replay value for me, especially when human infantry are basically useless against Myth units.

Age of Empires III, rather than acting as a sequel to Age of Empires II, acts as a sequel to Age of Mythology. The engine is pretty much exactly the same. Perhaps thinking the ancients too stupid to build big buildings, all the buildings here are maybe 3 or 4 times the size of buildings in Age of Mythology, making the map seem very small and difficult to navigate as you seem to run out of space quickly. Even ships look cartoonish simply by how massive they are in comparison to the puddle-sized river you've just built them into.

About the best improvements made from Age of Mythology is the population... you can have more than a 50 man army at one time here.

There is nothing else revolutionary here... it's the same old s-word with regards to real time strategy---civilians dig gold, hunt animals or farm, cut wood, build houses, build barracks, build church or mosque or temple, build infantry, mass them, attack, upgrade, build another base somewhere else, repeat. The graphics look great, but they are highly unimpressive in battle... gunfire, cannon shots, explosions, are all unremarkable. The only positive aspect I can say here is that the buildings actually look like they're taking damage when under fire---losing roof tiles, chunks of concrete and masonry crumbling off.

Everything else is just ordinary. The sort of generic, unremarkable RTS of the next 3D generation, improving where Age of Mythology fumbled (that is, army battles), but breaking no new ground.


(Native Americans) Indians: They have some settlements littered around. You build a trading post next to them and you can train some of their soldiers. Mercenaries. The good thing is they don't count towards your population. Also you get a few upgrades that only give you a minor edge in battle.

In-depth Cities: Useless. It does nothing. You can't do anything with the cities. Instead you get bonus cards, which give you little tiny gifts that don't turn the tide of the battle massively unless you've got nothing left.


Everything else is about the same old s-word you'd find in Age of Empires II, Age of Mythology, and Rise of Nations. No innovation, no revolution, no increased challenge, nothing new. Status Quo all the way.

"Chess like Strategy with great gameplay"
This game is great to show the economics, military strategy, resources and etc of civilization, plus its a LOT of fun. My son and I like to play chess, and this is very similar with lots of interaction and online LAN excitement .............. its really addictive, ...you can win !! its great

"A Very Enjoyable, Very Addicting Game"
Age of Empires III deals with the European powers colonizing and fighting over the New World (North America, South America, and the Caribbean). Like past AoE games, this newest installment is relatively historically accurate. You can play as eight different nations, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Personally, I think this is a wonderful game. Being an avid AoE fan, I looked forward to buying it the moment it was announced. But before I bought it, I wondered if it would be worth while, whether all the trailers were as good as the actual game. Of course, the trailers are always better than the real thing. Nevertheless, this game is a Huge step up from AoE II. The biggest steps are graphics and physics. The terrain (numerous real world maps to chose from), each individual soldier, and each building is sculpted very well, so much so that I am amazed at the massive difference between AoE II and II. In addition, the physics of the game are spectacular. When a cannon shoots a building, a large chunk falls off, and even makes a splash in the water. I could go on and on about the improvements, but I won't in the interest of space. If you are thinking of getting this game, enjoy the trailers, are both an AoE and RTS fan, I say go right ahead - you will not regret it.