Age Of Empires III

Genre: Strategy

Score: 9/10

My very first Strategy game was Age Of Empires. Me and my brother just got a new PC and we borrowed the game from our cousins. We didn't have a clue about what we were doing. It took us about 10min to figure out how to move our units around. After that, we were hooked.

Age Of Empires III is the latest installment of the series, and all I can say is "wow". At first when I started playing the game, I didn't really like the way the buildings were designed and the layout of the control panel was also confusing. But then you think "it's the same with any Strategy game". You get thrown into this new enviroment and you need to learn!

Needless to say after the 3rd game, I was hooked.

Synopses: Any good strategy game needs a good story. Well this one has one! You follow the Black family bloodline as they travel the new world in search of the Fountain of Youth. All that stands in your way, are the Persians.

After finding it, you have to destroy it because it has fallen into the wrong hands. After destroying it, you have to protect it's location from the French.

Writing it like that doesn't do the game any justice. Just buy the game and play the Scenario. It's awesome.

The Good: First thing to note is the Graphics. Microsoft introduced a new Graphics engine along with a new Physics engine. What does this mean? Better looking, realistic enviroments and units, and to do along with that, fantastic physical effects. When you shoot a building or boat, it actually shatters into pieces. If the pieces lands on ground, it rolls around a bit and if it lands on water, it makes the splash! It gives you a sense that you are in a real world.

The Campaign is also a big success I think. The story is interesting and all the stages look different and the objectives almost never gets repeated.

Home City was a bit of a weird thing for me at the beginning as well. But after a while, it actually comes in very handy. You use your home City to send your supplies to your Town Center. This can be anything from resources, Units or upgrades.

The Bad: The menu on the Start Screen. The way that you need to create your "Profile" doesn't work for me. I like to have my profile and then when I want to play a Death match, just select the civilization to play with and then get on with it. This one you need to create a Town for every Civilization and specify if it is for Death Match or Supremacy. It's a hassle.

But that is the only bad thing I can think of. The rest of the game is super cool.