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The first Age of Empires was a game that met with some initial resistance from fans of real-time strategy. The game was heavy with micromanagement of economics and AI units could barely carry out your orders, let alone think for themselves what to do next. It demanded precision control of every facet of the fast-paced historical gameplay while setting a high standard of graphical excellence that was still able to run on just about any PC of the time. After taking a break from the main series with the offshoot Age of Mythology, Ensemble Studios are back on the path of history. Age of Empires III is a game of exploration in the New World with some help from the Old and that farily sums up where this game fits in the history of this series as well.

Taking control of Russians, English, French, Ottoman, Dutch, Portuguese, Germans or Spanish, you play the game in single-player skirmish and campaign modes or hop onilne for head to head and team competition. Each side has their own strengths and weaknesses as well as a diverse range of game changing features that make it entertaining to jump around between them. The English and Spanish are about as conventional as you can get while the French feature more expensive but hardier villagers. It's too early to tell if the balance is "just right" between all the sides, however there is no one favored group just yet. These differences make the game all about leveraging your advantages while minimizing your disadvantages. Like all the great real-time strategy games, this one provides an enormous canvas of unit, building and strategy options for you to explore. At the core is the guns or butter dilemma that has plagued man during wartime since he could stand on two feet.

The interface for the game simply needs to be better. Some functions you use regularly have hotkeys and some don't. Some text on the various screens, both in game and out, looks clickable but isn't while other text is clickable but you'd never think to try it. There are also areas where you can right-click to get menus of information that you'd just never expect to find. The interface is largely inconsistent in the way it presents information to you and in the way you interact with it. After a few hours of play, you become acquainted with its quirks, but it could be much better. The default in-game interface is also way too large, a problem that was notable in the game's demo, too. Thankfully, a more streamlined version is available. The buttons are smaller, but it's definitely the way to go. This can be turned on in the options. Be sure to do that right away.

The first Age of Empires was a game that met with some initial resistance from fans of real-time strategy. The game was heavy with micromanagement of economics and AI units could barely carry out your orders, let alone think for themselves what to do next. It demanded precision control of every facet of the fast-paced historical gameplay while setting a high standard of graphical excellence that was still able to run on just about any PC of the time. After taking a break from the main series with the offshoot Age of Mythology, Ensemble Studios are back on the path of history. Age of Empires III is a game of exploration in the New World with some help from the Old and that farily sums up where this game fits in the history of this series as well

Taking control of Russians, English, French, Ottoman, Dutch, Portuguese, Germans or Spanish, you play the game in single-player skirmish and campaign modes or hop onilne for head to head and team competition. Each side has their own strengths and weaknesses as well as a diverse range of game changing features that make it entertaining to jump around between them. The English and Spanish are about as conventional as you can get while the French feature more expensive but hardier villagers. It's too early to tell if the balance is "just right" between all the sides, however there is no one favored group just yet. These differences make the game all about leveraging your advantages while minimizing your disadvantages. Like all the great real-time strategy games, this one provides an enormous canvas of unit, building and strategy options for you to explore. At the core is the guns or butter dilemma that has plagued man during wartime since he could stand on two feet.

The interface for the game simply needs to be better. Some functions you use regularly have hotkeys and some don't. Some text on the various screens, both in game and out, looks clickable but isn't while other text is clickable but you'd never think to try it. There are also areas where you can right-click to get menus of information that you'd just never expect to find. The interface is largely inconsistent in the way it presents information to you and in the way you interact with it. After a few hours of play, you become acquainted with its quirks, but it could be much better. The default in-game interface is also way too large, a problem that was notable in the game's demo, too. Thankfully, a more streamlined version is available. The buttons are smaller, but it's definitely the way to go. This can be turned on in the options. Be sure to do that right away.

Online play through Ensemble Studios Online has the same interface problems as the main game. Unlike Age of Mythology, which seemed built for multiplayer, Age of Empires III obscures a lot of important information from you right from the moment you log in. Your old ESO ID won't work and once you create a new one, you arrive at a screen loaded with text that's a nice help the first time but a drag every time after that. Where Age of Mythology let you log in and match up with a random Joe in about three clicks, Age of Empires III requires at least double that and it's not nearly as responsive or as reliable to boot. Once you get a game going though, the online play is smooth and exciting. It's really how these games were meant to be played. Make sure to record your games (it's optional now) so you can see how your opponents are walking all over you.

The Age games are very good for learning about history. Age of Empires III probably abstracts history the most of any game in the series, though. The campaign is good as a tool for some learning and entertainment, but the fundamental game featuring various Old World countries fighting it out in the New World is sometimes a little bit over the top compared to reality. That's ok for kids though because they're going to love the competitive and visual aspects of the game. This is a beautiful looking game and it helps make the history compelling. The Home City is a neat way to show the influence of the European nations on this new North American land that was discovered.

The fighting is visceral but not bloody. Bodies are left strewn across the land and there are unnerving shrieks from the women villagers when they get cut down by muskets, but the portrayal of all this is rather classy. Kids that are learning about this era in school will already know a lot of the brutality of the period and might even wonder why the Native Americans aren't taking scalps and the like. The game never crosses any of those unmarked lines that often separate a high teen game from a low one. Age of Empires III can easily be enjoyed by kids ten and up. Just expect things to get a little rougher if you let them play online. What's found in the game is nowhere near as bad as the anonymous jerk three states over in his mom's basement shouting obscenities and verbalizing them through onscreen text at your kid during play.

Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through its licensing relationship with Microsoft Game Studios, is pleased to announce their latest release: Age of Empires�? III Original Soundtrack. The soundtrack album from the third episode of the king of real-time strategy games, developed by Ensemble Studios and Microsoft Games Studios, is now available.

While playing a game, press [Enter] and type one of following codes to activate the corresponding cheat function:

Note 1: After enabling this cheat, move one of the villagers into an opponent. He or she will transform into a Black Rider after death. The Black Rider will transform into a Heavy Catapult after it dies.

Note 2: Enable this code after establishing your Empire and clicking on the center of a town.

Note 3: Enable this code after a catapult is selected.

Throughout time, there has been one fact that tends to repeat itself: a conflict of interest leads to a conflict of weapons. In this case, there's an international race for who can settle the New World first.

Welcome to Age of Empires III. Eight civilizations, one great continent, zero chance of sharing. When the dust settles and the corpses fertilize the ground, will it be your flag being raised? Or will it be draped over your grave?

Age of Empires III follows the tradition of its predecessors, combining fast action with strategic thinking at every step. In addition to the new card system, even the same civilization can be customized and tweaked to fit your play style. IGN has covered the grounds from Delaware to California, and we bring the strategies and tips to you with our patented accuracy!

In this guide, you'll find:

• Basic Strategies: Details of the Basic Three strategies are here, including what to do and what to expect at each phase of the match.
• Civilizations: Basic weaknesses and strengths of each civilization, and which of the Basic Three strategies work best with them. Be sure to read this if you planning on playing against other players online.
• Cards: Sure, this isn't Yu-gi-oh, but the dozens of cards in the game are too important to shrug off in a single paragraph. You'll get a breakdown of every single card available, including its effects and which civilizations can use it.
• Campaign Mode Walkthrough: For those interested in the single-player campaign, this section gives you a step-by-step, battle-by-battle guide. Plus, you'll get cut scene narration, including a possible rude comment or two along the way.

But if graphics and sound are the icing, what about the cake? Age of Empires III is still rooted in classic real-time strategy gameplay (if you hate RTS games, it may not make you change your mind), but there are some new twists that are well-executed into the game design.

First, Age III simulates colonization, meaning that the town you build in the game can request "shipments" from your Home City. You gain new shipments by earning experience (you get experience from building stuff, collecting resources, or killing bad guys), and you have a set list of things that you can send over. This has a profound impact on your strategy. Do you send over economic resources early, to give your town a leg up on the competition? Or do you send over tons of military units, so that you can field an advanced army while your neighbors are still building up? Shipments add a lot to the game by giving you more strategic possibilities, and by giving you incentive to rapidly earn experience. They really reward players for going out and making things happen around the map.

Every map is also dotted with Native American villages or trade routes (located along central roads) that can be built up by your colony. Controlling a trading post gives you free experience or resources whenever a trade cart comes by, whereas Native American villages can provide you with inexpensive military units or technology upgrades. Controlling these points on the map gives you a major edge over the long term. As a result, it's a rush to be the first to locate these points, and they are always hotly contested. Battles usually play out as a series of skirmishes across the map before big conflicts rage at the town centers.

Finally, Age of Empires III adds the "Home City" concept. Outside of the real-time portion of the game, you can create a Home City representing the world power that's supplying your colonies. Your Home City has a level -- like an RPG character -- representing how experienced it is. As you earn experience playing the game your city will "Level up" and you can choose new abilities for it, in effect deciding what kinds of shipments you'd like to send to your colonies. The decision about what kinds of upgrades to make to your city is agonizing and has a tangible impact on the main game. It's also fun just to level up, develop, and customize your own personal city. One nice side effect here is that, even if you get totally ass-whupped in a multiplayer game, you probably still earned a lot of experience to use to develop your city. This concept works great all around and really contributes to the game.

How the West Got Ownt

The single-player campaign is divided into three acts representing three generations of the same family. Picking up where Age of Kings left off, the lead character in the first campaign is a Knight adventuring in the New World in search of a lost treasure. Said treasure impacts his whole family line, as depicted in Act II, a rip-roaring Davy-Crockett style adventure starring his Grandson. Act III picks up two generations later, featuring a wild west romp involving railroads, the Mexican war, and a quest into the Amazon jungles before the family finally finds closure. As with the other production values of the game, the writing is solid and the voice acting is great.

There's a good variety of missions in the single-player campaign, from protecting a stronghold until help arrives to building a railroad line to battling pirates along a series of islands. None of the individual scenarios have you doing things that hadn't been done in other RTS games, but the real magic is in the gameplay, which allows you to develop a different Home City for each act and tackle each scenario differently.

Each of the three acts will take around eight hours to mow through, leading to an enjoyable couple of weekends just on the single player alone. The difficulty is a little inconsistent, with some missions being a breeze while occasionally one would seem crazy difficult. Fortunately, you have the option of switching the difficulty level for each mission.

One nice thing about the single-player game is that your hero characters can't die. Oh, they can get worked over -- writhing on the ground in pain, calling for help -- but you can always bring them back. This eliminates the frustration of having a scenario end just because a main character dies and also creates the possibility of impromptu 'rescue missions' where you create a small force with the intent of bringing one of your heroes back to your base alive.

While Ensemble Studio�??s spin-off of the Age of Empires series, Age of Mythology, was a delightful change to the somewhat realistic tones of their flagship series, I always craved a sequel to the original series, and a brand new title to sink my teeth into. The first two iterations, the second of which arrived over 6 years ago, were heralded as the new pinnacles of the genre, and went on to sell deservedly in copious amounts. But 6 years is a long time in the video game world. I mean, in just over half a decade we went from idyllic fast-paced 2D action with Sonic the Hedgehog, through to the ever adored Mario 64. And as such, you can�??t help but feel that things have perhaps moved on, leaving this particular series lagging behind.

For the un-initiated, the Age of Empires series has been running since way back in those dot com days of the mid-nineties. Back when Britpop was at it�??s finest as Oasis, Blur, and Radiohead competed for radio time. Strategy titles had been and gone of course, from the likes of M.U.L.E to Populous, but none seemed to grip like the original Age of Empires. Although essentially being a simplistic collect build and rush title, it sold in the millions, and achieved award after award.

And yet a decade later, we�??re still presented with essentially the same gameplay mechanic. The in game time has changed, now encompassing the period of 1500-1800, but things are for the main bulk of the time, exactly the same as Age of Empires II.

Some things have moved on of course, particular the graphics engine pushing everything along. If you happen to have access to a particularly meaty PC, then the visuals might not exactly blow you away, but certainly perform the job much more than merely adequately. The sea in particular looks most attractive, as boats rock realistically once cannons are fired, and ships break apart in large chunks. On land things aren�??t quite as impressive, with large areas of basically �??dead land�?? that merely needs to be traversed rather than ogled. That isn�??t to say a mass land based battle isn�??t impressive of course. Smoke billows around the battlefield, and huge cannonballs send infantry sprawling here, there, and everywhere. Yet it isn�??t until these huge hulking weapons, and mass battles make an appearance that the visuals really get going. During the many peaceful moments you�??ll spend erecting buildings and gathering up wood, there�??s a lack of activity that although is realistic, fails to impress the eye.

Which brings me neatly to my particular bone of contention in terms of the visual aspects of Age of Empires III. Although the game is particularly adept at keeping things to a level suitable to your particular PC�??s capabilities, it still can�??t hide the odd instances of slowdown that occur with alarming regularity. Perhaps it�??s something to be fixed by a future patch, but it�??s certainly off-putting when you�??re in the throws of a huge battle with an online chum.

And battle you will. Be it single, or multiplayer, violence plays a large part in proceedings. Once a huge battle begins, your troops will automatically drop into formation, the relevant type of troops slotting in at their allotted spots. More realistic than before you�??d assume. However, the fact that your collection of troops all move at the speed of the slowest unit means that swift cavalry charges are only possible if you happen to select them individually. But that�??s not the only problem Age of Empires III suffers from in terms of the combat system. Since units appear particularly small on screen, in huge mass battles in particular, you can simply lose track of certain troops, and spend eons merely searching out the remnants of your early cavalry charge. Add that to the sometimes iffy frame-rate, and it�??s easy for frustration to build as your online opponent only achieves victory thanks to a slightly quicker trigger finger.

The actual collecting of resources, and keeping your economics in check has become vastly simplified by the new feature of not making your slaves meander back to town to drop off their latest wood cuttings/food gatherings. A plus for most, but a little strategic play lost for others.

It�??s the introduction of a �??home city�?? that turns out to be the biggest new feature. As you progress through the game, killing enemies, and blowing up their homesteads, you�??ll achieve experience points which can then be spent on obtaining aid from your home city. Aid comes in many forms, from a set of fresh new army recruits, through to a swift economic boost. It�??s a delightful introduction, and yet another touch of strategy added to Age of Empires already bloated bow.

It�??s difficult to simply encourage anyone to pass up on the opportunity to play Age of Empires III. The same addictive basis of gaming genius that�??s made a series so loved still exists, and as such can on the one hand be considered a masterpiece. On the other, flaws are too numerous to take its place at the true pinnacle of modern day RTS title. It�??s with a heavy heart that I unfortunately announce that the Age of Empires titles simply cant stand up to the modern day RTS design, and finds itself overly eager to hide its archaic gameplay formula. As long as you�??re not expecting something fresh, and filled with brand new novel ideas that will take the genre to the next level, then you�??ll adore Age of Empires III. Yet if you�??ve come to expect a little more from your strategy based romps, you�??ll be sorely disappointed.

Experience the power of the WarChief in the new expansion for Age of Empires III! In Age of Empires�? III: The WarChiefs, play as one of three new civilizations �?? Aztec, Iroquois, or Sioux �?? each with unique units, buildings and abilities that will test your strategic mettle. Use upgrades for the European civilizations from the original games to earn civ-specific bonuses, build units at a new mercenary saloon, collect new Cards, and battle toward victory with the new Revolution feature. Explore the new single-player Campaign and follow the continuing tale of the Black family as they witness the birth of a new nation.

New Civilizations

The Sioux

With the discovery of gold in their sacred Black Hills, the Sioux had sporadic conflicts with the new immigrants, leading to the Indian Wars and eventually the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The Sioux Nation consists of three geographically distinct divisions of peoples who speak a Siouan language: the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota. In the language of the Sioux, the names Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota mean �??friends�?�.

The Sioux were famed for breeding and training horses. Military advantages of the in-game Sioux civilization are primarily cavalry based. The Sioux strike hard and fast.

The Iroquois

The Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois, formed a League of Five Nations long before Europeans arrived in North America (a sixth Nation joined later). The Iroquois Confederacy had a constitution with rules for the selection of war chiefs, guidelines for council meetings, and even suggestions for proper oratory at funerals. Benjamin Franklin expressed great respect for the Iroquois Confederacy. During the American Revolution some tribes sided with the British, while others sided with the colonists, effectively dismantling the once-powerful Confederacy. Equipped with artillery and siege weaponry, the in-game Iroquois civilization can mount a powerful but slow-moving assault.

The Aztecs

At their height, the Aztec represented the most powerful civilization in Mesoamerica. The Aztec constructed great cities, most notably Tenochtitlan on the site of modern-day Mexico City. Described by some early Spanish as grander than most European cities, Tenochtitlan�??s advanced infrastructure included temples, markets, and canals. In Aztec society, membership in the calpulli established each individual�??s religious and secular schooling, as well as warfare training. The men of a calpulli served together in battle and on numerous public works projects. The in-game Aztec civilization is based around a strong infantry consisting of several units, including elite infantry.

It's the dawn of a new age in real-time strategy (RTS) games. A brave New World is rising �?? a hostile yet beautiful world, filled with innovative gameplay, new strategic scenarios, eye-searing graphics and much more.

Welcome to a world called Age of Empires III.

 New Feature �?? Home Cities

Players have access to their own European Home City for economic, technological and military support as you establish your colony in the New World. Your Home City's success depends on you, with your city's improvements retained between games. Learn more.

Civilzations

The Spanish have a strong military, with both hand infantry and cavalry. Flexibility in early shipments from the Home City give the Spanish the option to attack early or set up for a strong, late economy. Spanish Home City improvements benefit soldiers, buildings and naval units.

Quick access to Settlers gives the British one of the strongest economies in the game. The ability to upgrade two key units �?? the Musketeer and Hussar �?? make the British military formidable in the late game. The British Home City emphasizes improvements to technology and naval warfare.

Although the French economy starts slowly, the Coureur unit, a Villager with strong fighting skills, makes the French difficult to attack early. The French also have the strongest cavalry unit in the game �?? the Cuirassier. Plus, the French are experts at allying with the Native Americans.

Starting the game with two Town Centers, the Portuguese can quickly produce Settlers, control territory or support their allies. The Spyglass ability allows the Portuguese to easily spy on the enemy. The Portuguese also have a strong navy, strong light infantry and the best Dragoons in the game.

Although Dutch Settlers are limited and costly, their civilization makes up for this economic disadvantage by building Banks and generating coin automatically. The Dutch Home City emphasizes upgrades to defense and economy.

The Germans have fewer Settlers and therefore a slower economy. Fortunately, both the Settler Wagon and Uhlan cavalry spawn for free from the German Town Center. Plus, the Germans start with the ability to send Mercenaries from their Home City (long before other civilizations can).

Starting the game with extra resources but fewer Settlers gives the Russians the flexibility of focusing on economy or an early raid. Russian infantry, individually weak, are trained in blocks at a faster rate, providing the Russians with the opportunity to overwhelm their enemy with greater numbers.

For the Ottomans, Settlers spawn automatically from the Town Center. Building a Mosque and conducting research help keep that Settler production steady. Befitting their position straddling Europe and Asia, the Ottomans have more unique units than any other civilization.