1. Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
  2. News

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition News

Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition review - definitely definitive

For those whose eyes have already turned to the promise of Age of Empires IV, the remastered version of the most divisive of the original games is unlikely to be marked in their calendars. But Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is nearly here, and, well. It does the job.


I can't stress enough how excited I was when I got the code to play this game. I'll even admit to squealing a bit when the song started (doo-DOO, doo-doo-doo-doooo). And once the feeling of nostalgia from the introduction fades, we get a nice little gift: a note admitting that the representation of the indigineous civilisations and American history had taken "some liberties" in the game's original 2005 release. Developer Forgotten Empires goes on to promise that it has corrected these errors by working closely with native American tribes. There's no explicit apology, but it's a welcome recognition of the mess made of native tribes in the original's War Chiefs expansion.


In the main menu, I am presented with the choice of choosing to stick with the classic UI from the previous games or a cleaner, more modern version.


Read the rest of the story...


RELATED LINKS:

Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition is coming to Xbox Game Pass this week

Age of Empires' enduring appeal stems from balancing accuracy with fun

Age of Empires 3's Definitive Edition is your chance to give it its due


Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition review - definitely definitive

For those whose eyes have already turned to the promise of Age of Empires IV, the remastered version of the most divisive of the original games is unlikely to be marked in their calendars. But Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is nearly here, and, well. It does the job.


I can't stress enough how excited I was when I got the code to play this game. I'll even admit to squealing a bit when the song started (doo-DOO, doo-doo-doo-doooo). And once the feeling of nostalgia from the introduction fades, we get a nice little gift: a note admitting that the representation of the indigineous civilisations and American history had taken "some liberties" in the game's original 2005 release. Developer Forgotten Empires goes on to promise that it has corrected these errors by working closely with native American tribes. There's no explicit apology, but it's a welcome recognition of the mess made of native tribes in the original's War Chiefs expansion.


In the main menu, I am presented with the choice of choosing to stick with the classic UI from the previous games or a cleaner, more modern version.


Read the rest of the story...


RELATED LINKS:

Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition is coming to Xbox Game Pass this week

Age of Empires' enduring appeal stems from balancing accuracy with fun

Age of Empires 3's Definitive Edition is your chance to give it its due


Age of Empires 3's Definitive Edition is your chance to give it its due

Oh, no. No, this is all wrong. Everything is in the wrong place! There are only three resources! Villagers don't carry things and drop them off at storage pits, they just keep mining/chopping/picking berries endlessly! And why the hell isn't the campaign telling a real historical story?!


This is to convey some sense of the disorientation I feel when playing Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, having reconvened my friends for several games of its predecessor's definitive edition in recent months. I was ready for it to be different, but it's still a little alienating, especially when so directly compared with the warm bath of gooey nostalgia that has been our return to an immaculately restored Age of Empires II.


I played the demo of the original back in 2005 but didn't vibe with it, and so Age I and especially II remained my firm favourites. I always felt vaguely guilty to have not given III more of a chance, however, and after Microsoft did such a great job remastering I and II, was curious and excited to give III its fair shake.


Read the rest of the story...


RELATED LINKS:

Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition review - definitely definitive

Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition is coming to Xbox Game Pass this week

Age of Empires' enduring appeal stems from balancing accuracy with fun


An Inside Overview of Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition introduces its own, unique approach to empire-building while still capturing the spirit of the Age of Empires series. It differentiates itself from and improves upon previous titles with features and gameplay that were fair ahead of their time; a great example is the Card and Shipment system, which increases the pace of matches and the strategic choices offered every time you play.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
With the release of Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition coming October 15th, this is a great chance to look at these awesome and varying mechanics. Let’s check out some of the gameplay pillars that make Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition special!

The Explorer

At the beginning of each match, you start with an Explorer: a courageous adventurer that can explore the map and claim treasures by defeating menacing guardians. Each treasure collected will grant you a bonus in the form of experience, resources, units, or other advantages to help your civilization gain the upper hand.

Shipments

As your civilization gains experience in a match, you can request shipments from your Home City. These shipments can be resources, units, or other interesting and unique bonuses.

Shipments are represented by cards, and each match lets you bring a fully customizable deck of cards to use over the course of the game. A deck can contain up to 25 cards, of which there are over 100 to choose from when creating your personalized deck! You can even have multiple decks premade to suit your differing strategies, civilization choices, or play style.

Politicians

When you want to advance to a new Age, you’re required to choose a Politician to lead the way. Every Age will offer multiple choices in a Politician, each of whom grants their unique bonuses upon advancement. Politicians may offer you additional resources to kick start your economy, military upgrades, military units, and even hot air balloons if you choose to adopt their policies for your civilization.

Batch Training

Most military units can be trained in batches, allowing you to quickly recruit groups of soldiers to enter the fray! It also opens the door to orchestrating clever ambushes and traps—especially when combined with Home City shipments.

Resource Gathering

Resources gathered by Villagers are instantly added to your stockpiles without having to be dropped at the Town Center or other drop-off points. This streamlined system lets you focus your attention on the action, and helps expand your civilization across the map.

Map Layouts

Maps in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition are designed to push players to expand into the open, which naturally leads to tense moments and action-packed sequences of gameplay. You’ll be constantly battling for access to resource locations and Trading Posts—creating an ever-evolving tug of war for map control!


Alongside these key pillars, you’ll experience countless unique and interesting mechanics that make Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition the definitive next step in the Age of Empires franchise.

♦     ♦     ♦

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition launches on October 15th, and you can pre-order on Steam and the Microsoft Store now!

Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition is coming to Xbox Game Pass this week

There are a heap of new games coming to the Xbox Game Pass on PC throughout the rest of the month. It does mean that we'll be saying goodbye to a few, but that's what you've got to deal with when it comes to free-ish games on a subscription service.


Anyway, the pick of the bunch is Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition. The real-time strategy game is all yours October 15 and comes with two new game modes built just for the definitive edition. You'll also find all the previously released expansions and 14 civilisations. There are two new civs, too, which are the Swedes and Inca.


There are plenty of other games coming, too. I'd recommend Katana Zero as it's a rollicking good time. It has all the Hotline Miami-like violence you'd expect from something published by Devolver Digital and throws in some stylish combat. There's a need for split-second timing, but you can slow down time, so it's not too daunting. If you die you start the room again, but if you win you get to see your wet work played back to you in gritty black and white.


Read the rest of the story...


RELATED LINKS:

The Age of Empires 3 Definitive Edition changelog is 75 pages long

Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition review - definitely definitive

Age of Empires' enduring appeal stems from balancing accuracy with fun