| View Larger Image | Age of Empires III | CD-ROMby Microsoft
| List Price: | $29.99 | | Price: | $26.99 | | You Save: | $3.00 (10%) | |
| | Publisher: | Microsoft | | ESRB Age Rating: | Teen | | Platform: | Windows XP | | Model: | G10-00025 | | Operating System: | Windows XP | | Release Date: | 2005-10-18 | | Sales Rank: | 1,220st |
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FEATURES | - Start out playing as the British and begin with a solid economy, or lead the French into an easy alliance with Native Americans - 8 total civilizations to choose from
- Work with Native Americans to your tactical advantage, for the first time ever
- Develop your own Home City, and customize it make it wealthier and more powerful as you take over Europe
- Explore the New World and create colonies while seeking out new resources and making alliances with the Native Americans
- Recover buried treasure from the Caribbean, hunt bison on the Great Plains, compete for trade routes and fortify the coast of New England
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ACCESSORIES |
| Age of Empires III: Sybex Official Strategies and Secrets (Sybex Official Strategies & Secrets)
by Doug Radcliffe (Author), Michael Rymaszewski (Author)
This exclusive, official strategy guide, written with the full cooperation and support of Ensemble Studios and Microsoft Game Studios, features: Strategies and tips straight from the game's creators Expert analysis of each civilization's strengths and weaknesses Detailed military and economic strategies In-depth statistics for everything in the game Step-by-step walkthrough of the single-player campaign Hardcore multiplayer tactics for every game mode ...
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| PC Gamer (1-year)
by Future US, Inc.
PC GAMER the #1 PC games magazine. The lastest game reviews, gaming news, tips, tricks and strategies to get the most out of your computer gaming experience.
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| Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs Expansion Pack
by Microsoft
AGE EMPIRES III
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
This newest version of the Age of Empires, Age of Empires III places you in the age of exploration and conquest roughly 1500-1850. You're now a European power, and it is your task to explore, colonize, and conquer North and South America. Main FeaturesManufacturer: Microsoft CorporationManufacturer Part Number: G10-00025Manufacturer Website Address: www.microsoft.comSoftware Sub Type: Strategy GameSoftware Name: Age of Empires III - Complete ProductFeatures & Benefits: Engage in epic strategic battles: You control the action as you experience a new level of exciting combat with realistic effects. You will engage in battle with blades, gunpowder, or both Develop and strengthen a unique, customized Home City: The Home City represents your capital back in Europe and plays a supporting role in your attempt to control the New World. Explore a vibrant New World: Take advantage of colonial era elements, perhaps establishing alliances with Native Americans, finding new resources in the Amazon rain forest, and more. Experience stunning graphics: Witness new lighting effects and shadows while immersed in a world that feels bright and sunny, yet which has a softness and depth that is revolutionary to PC games. Discover culturally diverse civilizations: Play as the British and have a stellar economy, play as the French and easily ally with Native Americans, or play as the Spanish and have more support from your home country in Europe.Game Rating: T - (Teen) - (13+) - Blood,ViolenceLanguage Support: EnglishPlatform Support: PCLicense Type: Complete ProductLicense Pricing: StandardLicense Quantity: 1 User |
Amazon.com
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. Campaign In this action adventure tale of historical fiction, players take on the role of Morgan Black and his family, struggling against the hostile wilderness and a mysterious cult that's crept in from Europe. In a series of 24 scenarios divided into three acts, Morgan Black and his descendants help the Aztecs resist conquest by Spanish conquistadors, pit the French against the British in the French and Indian War and help Simon Bolivar lead revolutions in South America. Multiplayer Whether you're searching for a quick game or hoping to talk strategy with friends online, Age of Empires III's Multiplayer site is your community destination. Here, you can play with persistent Home Cities that gain power and strategic options the more games you play, compete for a spot on dozens of ladders, help organize your clan or chat after a game -- all without leaving the multiplayer portal. Fans of Age of Mythology's Quick Search can still look for games swiftly, while players looking for something specific can browse game lists to find the set of options that matches their tastes. New Feature--Home Cities This revolutionary new feature to the RTS landscape is incorporated into all aspects of Age of Empires III -- from Campaign to Multiplayer -- and is unlike anything you've experienced before. Much like the persistent character from a role-playing game that encourages you to keep playing, your Home City is an important support system to your efforts in the New World. During a game, your Home City can regularly send you supplies or military reinforcements. You are the leader of your colony, but your success brings glory back to Mother Europe. The more games you play, and the better you do, the more powerful your Home City will become. Every few games, you gain the ability to both upgrade and customize your Home City: Upgrade your city by unlocking new types of soldiers or buildings, or improving those you already have. Broaden your tech tree in whatever direction most fits your play style--invest in warships, native alliances, cavalry, artillery or economy. Customize your Home City by changing the appearance of buildings, the weather or even the types of people who walk, work and perform in its streets. Throughout a game, as well as in between games, you can visit your Home City to watch its citizens go about their lives, get an opinion on how you're doing, plot your next move or just marvel at the beautiful sunset. Full 3-D Graphics, Destructible Environments and More We first set out to reproduce the rich detail of Age of Empires II: Age of Kings. As we strove to make the fascinating Age of Empires III time period come alive, that goal quickly evolved: We at Ensemble Studios wanted to create the best-looking game ever. From the stunning water effects to the hundreds of units battling on-screen, you'll feel like you're a part of the action in the New World. Tone mapping--This photo imaging technique balances the colors in a scene on the fly. The end result is a rich, warm game where bright colors are vibrantly rendered alongside darker counterparts, such as shadows. Lighting and shadows--The sun is always shining in Age of Empires, so it's important that lighting and shadows be an awe-inspiring experience. Units and buildings cast shadows according to a real sun position, and even cast shadows on each other. High Dynamic Range rendering allows us to represent the shiny glints of sunlight that bounce off highly reflective surfaces. Bump and specular mapping--Water glistens like water. Metal shines like metal. These advanced techniques serve to provide an extra level of rendering detail heretofore unseen in real-time strategy (RTS) gaming. Water--We felt that portraying stunning, realistic water effects in the game was so important that we devoted a programmer to it full-time. You'll find the water rich with details like foam near the shore, accurately modeled water motion, flotsam in rivers and realistic water colors. Plus, reflections change with the viewing angle, the angle of sunlight and the motion of the water. The overall effect is breathtaking. Cliffs and Riverbeds--Instead of just stretching terrain, we built a system to attach geometry to the terrain map to allow for realistic overhangs and steep cliffs, from areas like the American Southwest. This effect is supported on random maps too. Civilizations British 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. Dutch 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. French 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. German 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). Native American European civilizations can learn new technologies and gain troops by forging alliances with the Native Americans. A British player who allies with the Iroquois is essentially playing as two civilizations: the British and the Iroquois. Ottoman 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. Portuguese 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. Russian 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. Spanish 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. Combat Age of Empires III gives players an amazing amount of control over their side of the battlefield. More to command -- Not only are you in command of large and diverse armies of infantry, cavalry and artillery, but also Native American warriors, mercenaries and tall ships. Multiple formations -- You can assign different formations to your army for different strengths and weaknesses, or have the game automatically choose the most appropriate formation. Examples include: Volley -- ranged infantry, like musketeers, take turns firing at enemies ahead of them. Charge -- your soldiers walk, then run into combat. Cavalry wield sabers, and musketeers fix bayonets. This formation does tremendous damage but makes your soldiers more prone to injury. Bombard -- your soldiers protect the cannons, while the cannons shell enemy ranks. Available only when you have artillery in your army. Battles are easier to follow -- You can still command individual units. But when the units fight in formation, you'll be able to tell exactly who is winning the fight. Real-time physics -- Infantry struck by cannon fire will be thrown like rag dolls, perhaps even over a cliff and into the water. Cannonballs bounce and ricochet. Detailed destructions -- Shingles, shutters and whole towers may fly off a building and interact with the terrain, such as crashing into nearby water. This next generation effect is done on the fly so that each building always has a unique destruction, no matter how many times you see it. Unique animations -- With hundreds of unique combat animations, you'll never see the same battle twice. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.5 based on 234 reviews)
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Good to play with friends by Rich from Sacramento  4 Stars
October 21, 2009
I have a few friends at school that play this game with me and I play on line with other people from all over the US. It's a good time to get together with my dad also.
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Easy to play - Great Graphics by Sharkbait 4 Stars
October 06, 2009
I was looking for an RTS game similar to the Civilization series, but something that didn't require as much micromanaging. I found Age of Empires III and thought I would give it a try. Although, I wouldn't rate the game excellent, I have enjoyed playing this game. The controls were simple to learn and get used to, and it had great graphics. The story isn't all that bad either... although not great.
If you like games like Total War, Sim City, Civilization, etc., and are looking for a game that is fairly simple to play and you can jump right into (it has a decent tutorial) then you'll more than likely enjoy Age of Empires III.
System specs game played using: Windows Vista 64, 4GB RAM, 512MB Nvidia GeoForce 9800GT, 3.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor.
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I like this game by Terry Crock (Massillon, Ohio USA) 4 Stars
September 27, 2009
I am in my forties and I like this game. A good game to play to get your mind off the daily grind.
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This games is really funny by Luis Carlos Chaves 4 Stars
August 14, 2009
If you likes estrategy game, this is a must have. Great resolution, nice balance between story line and objectives. Good choice!
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Updated, But Not Innovative by Andrew Fischer 4 Stars
August 11, 2009
Upon discovering that some of my favorite old RTS games did not transfer over to my new gaming desktop with Windows Vista (such as Empire Earth), I decided to try Age of Empires III, which was indeed compatible with my Vista operating system.
This game greatly reminds me of a refurbished image of the previous installment Age of Empires II. The graphics are updated, and when turned up on a good computer, are quite pleasant to look at, especially the water effects. At higher settings, one can actually see missed cannonballs bounce across the ground and chunks of buildings fall off. The music reminds me a lot of Age of Empires II, but has also been updated to sound less "midi-like."
The most notable new feature in this game is the Home City, which can be named and created. As the user plays more and more games, he will earn experience, which can be used to unlock new "cards" containing bonuses to be used in the game. Gaining levels can also allow the user to upgrade the visual appearance of his Home City, although this will have no effect in the actual game.
The castle from Age of Empires II has been replaced by a large fortress, which can be purchased with one of the Home City bonuses. The explorer is a neat feature as well, serving as a strong, unique unit that is good for exploring and scouting the territory (the explorer is akin to heroes from Battle for Middle-Earth II). Additionally, Native Americans can be recruited, which are quick to build and can be upgraded, sometimes providing that essential edge needed to stave off your opponent while you mass your army in the background.
Overall, Age of Empires III was a refreshing update to Age of Empires II that is both fun and easy to play. However, the only downside I can see to this game is its lack of innovation. Although the Home City is a new and creative feature to the game, not much else has changed. But if Age of Empires II worked well for many people, why fix it? The Empire Earth series failed to stay true to its base in its third installment Empire Earth III, whereas Age of Empires III remains true to its beginnings. The updated graphics are beautiful and the gameplay is seamless, quick, and fun. I recommend this game for any fan of RTS games.
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SIMILAR PRODUCTS |
| Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs Expansion Pack
by Microsoft
AGE EMPIRES III
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| Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties Expansion Pack
by Microsoft
Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties is the second expansion pack for the massively popular Age of Empires III, from Ensemble Studios and Microsoft Game Studios. Engaging gamers of all ages and types in epic warfare in the Eastern world, Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties will lead Japanese, Chinese and Indian civilizations to expand their empires.Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties is the latest installment in the award-winning Age of Empires franchise, developed collaboratively by...
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| Age of Empires III: Sybex Official Strategies and Secrets (Sybex Official Strategies & Secrets)
by Doug Radcliffe (Author), Michael Rymaszewski (Author)
This exclusive, official strategy guide, written with the full cooperation and support of Ensemble Studios and Microsoft Game Studios, features: Strategies and tips straight from the game's creators Expert analysis of each civilization's strengths and weaknesses Detailed military and economic strategies In-depth statistics for everything in the game Step-by-step walkthrough of the single-player campaign Hardcore multiplayer tactics for every game mode ...
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| Age Of Empires Collector's Edition (Limited Edition)
by Valusoft
Control 10,000 years of human history and rewrite it to suit you. Lead your civilization to glory across the Millennia by choosing your path to greatness. Battle alongside legendary heroes as you conquer rival empires. Discover new technologies and chart your course well - from the Stone Age to the Imperial Age - and your legacy shall live forever!
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| Age of Empires III - The War Chiefs Expansion Pack
by Microsoft Corp.
Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs is the new expansion pack for the best-selling real-time strategy (RTS) title of 2005, Age of Empires III from Ensemble Studios and Microsoft Game Studios. Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs will engage gamers of all ages
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