Age of Empires III

One of the most anticipated PC games of the year is almost here. Believe the hype.

As any self-respecting gamer knows, it's often necessary to keep a mental list of upcoming titles that deserve attention for their potentially groundbreaking gameplay, immense depth, or just plain breathtaking visuals. Too often, this short list for PC gamers is largely occupied by first or third person shooters, the self-proclaimed leader in hype and hysteria for the PC gaming world; but no longer. One of the most hotly anticipated titles for the PC this year isn't a First Person Shooter, but an RTS by the name of Age of Empires III, and it is set to raise the bar for both strategy games, and games in general, very, very high.

A New Age is Rising
Most gamers should be familiar with the Age of Empires series of games. The historically relevant strategy game was one of the pioneers of the real-time strategy genre during the late 90's, and has proved incredibly successful with the ensuing sequels it has spawned over the past decade. But while each sequel brought new and exciting gameplay, it's safe to say Age of Empires III is the most drastic change ever made to the series.

And for anyone who has seen the screenshots or played the recently released demo, the changes should be clearly evident; this is one of the most visually stimulating games to ever grace a PC. Granted, pretty graphics are par for the course when it comes to any successful FPS, but Age of Empires III isn't a shooter, which is perhaps why the visual style of the game is so remarkable. Every nuanced detail is there, waiting for the attentive gamer to observe it. Trees gently sway in the wind as they drop their leaves one by one, galleons glisten on the open water, buildings bustle with workers and foot traffic, and herds of wild animals graze in the fields. But these graphics aren't static, they're constantly changing in response to their environment. Send peasants to cut down the trees for lumber or watch as they explode into wood chips when your enemies' cannonballs rip through them. Prepare for a sea battle as you tear threw the bow of another ship, watching as it splinters apart and begins to sink to its murky grave. Buildings are the same way; fire a few canons off and chunks of the walls, foundation, roof, you name it, goes flying realistically. There are too many subtle details to recount - a herd's reaction to you killing one of their own, the dynamic death animations, etc - but each one further solidifies the graphical progress Age of Empires III will bring to the RTS genre.

Home Sweet Home
But Ensemble Studios didn't set out just to make a pretty game, it wanted to make sure it was pretty, with depth, and fun. Enter the home city, essentially your base of operations in the New World. Want to be a mercantilist despot who milks his colonies of every ounce of gold it can produce? Then send peasants and outposts from the motherland to expand your territory and make some land grabs. Prefer a more militaristic approach? Easy, ship off your finest cavalry and musketeers to defend, conquer, and control. A more balanced approach, perhaps? Send better armor for your troops and invest in faster harvesting time from your peasants. The options are incredibly diverse and allow each player to have unique "decks" of upgrades they can use over the course of the game. Coupled with the varied characteristics of each civilization and their individuals units, gamers should have no problem finding a setup that will best fit their specific strategies.

So far, Age of Empires III looks to meet all of its promises in spades. Granted, the gameplay is still tied closely to your standard RTS, so gamers who have never been interested in the genre have every right to be apprehensive, but anyone who has appreciated a real time strategy game at one point should be very, very excited. Believe the hype, AOE III is set to drastically change the RTS world for the better.

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