Review for Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition. PC game, the video game came out on 15/10/2020
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition powerfully returns to the screens, developed by Tantalus Media and Forgotten Empires and published by Xbox Game Studios, after making the history of real-time strategy games. They are gone now fifteen long years since that distant 2005 when Age of Empires III hit the shelves, bringing with it campaigns, challenges and adventures. If you are expecting the classic "remaster" with a few graphic tweaks here and there and nothing more, you might be surprised. In fact, one of the objectives set by the developers is to maintain the original atmosphere of the game, while continuing the clock.
Will they have succeeded? Let's see it right away.
Browse the history books
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is always him, a kind of history professor always ready to give us lessons on civilizations, cultures, constructions and events narrated with the usual wealth of details. The possibilities provided to the player are so many, already starting from the initial menu you can understand how much work there is behind this title: if you think you are facing the classic game collage ("Age of Empires III") and expansions included ( "Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs"And"Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties“) You will probably be thrilled. Interacting with the map is much easier, thanks to three available and selectable layouts, zoom levels on a specific point of the map, progress indicators of a specific construction and the automatic exploration function, definitely a cure-all.
Be careful to select too high difficulties in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, mindful of how simple it was all in all to carry on and finish the game of the past, once you understand the two or three basic mechanics: the AI has in fact been completely revised and now it is more unpredictable, it reads battle situations much better and the “Expert” level is really for a few insiders. But if you are not so "hardcore", rest assured because the difficulty is scalable and the high number of tutorial present in the game helps even the most novice to orient themselves optimally.
The available civilizations are sedici, two more than the old edition: the Incas he Swedes, the ancient Germanic tribe that settled in the Svealand region, giving rise to today's Sweden. Particular attention was paid to the civilization of the Native Americans, rendered much more realistically within the game.
Whichever mode you decide to take, the game is always fun and engaging, the characters on the screen move always in a credible way and the ability to play historical battles with these graphics and animations is truly the ultimate for anyone who loved the series. Compared to the past they are available two new ways, or "Historical Battles"Where historical battles will be faced as scenarios and"The Art of War“, That is scenarios in which it will be necessary to complete challenges to obtain particular rewards.
Graphics and Audio
Making comparisons between what Age of Empires III was in 2005 and what this new version is, would be as merciless as it is of little use. Graphics are a decisive step forward, supports 4K and several graphical improvements to constructions and animations have been implemented. Lights and shadows, together with the particle effects are decidedly suggestive and very successful, even if for example the graphic model of the various NPCs on the map is a little too stereotyped.
The audio compartment is truly valuable, every civilization has indeed its own soundtrack and, starting from the initial menu, that solemn and suggestive atmosphere that has always characterized the chapters of the series.
Multiplayer
One of the most important improvements that have been introduced in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is undoubtedly the one related to the mode multi-playerwhich was completely renovated. Now the community has dedicated servers and there is a mode called "spectator", which makes it possible for those who wish to enjoy the show and, perhaps, learn the noble art of war from more experienced players, to watch a game in progress.
Playable civilizations are now much more balanced with each other and the options "Age up"And"Revolutions”Manage to give a breath of fresh air to civilizations that, otherwise, would be just the beautiful graphic copy of what they once were. At the time of writing, it wasn't possible to do too much testing, but the new modes and new servers promise interesting things.
When we are in our hands the "historical" chapters of remastered videogames in a modern key, we are always torn between leaving room for the romantic aspect that makes us go back to childhood and the objective action that pushes us to objectively analyze the game offer . Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is no exception and, although it is a remastered title with the addition of numerous new features and obvious graphical improvements, it can be played very happily. In the chaos of heated soups in 4K sauce, this title is enjoyable, so for those who missed it fifteen years ago or didn't buy all the expansions at the time, this is a great opportunity to play it again. We are sure that mod support will be a really interesting feature, which will allow players and communities to indulge themselves without limits.
► Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is an RTS-Strategy game developed by Tantalus Media Forgotten Empires and published by Xbox Game Studios for PC, the video game was released on 15/10/2020
