Befitting the premise, it’s not surprising that the New World features heavily, maps largely being based on various locations in North and South America with a considerable emphasis on exploration.
Age of Empires III takes off more or less from where Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings ended, spanning the Age of Exploration up to the mid-19 th Century. What stands out immediately from the get-go is the setting. In light of rekindled popularity through its Complete Edition on Steam, a persistent modding community and renewed interest in the franchise itself, it makes one wonder whether the game really does stand the test of time. But long after the dust has settled, perhaps it’s time for another look. It’s no surprise, then why Age of Empires III tends to be seen at least by some as a black sheep in the series.
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By that point, though, the series itself seemed to risk sliding into limbo thanks to Ensemble Studios having since closed down and a changing environment where the likes of Starcraft II and MOBAs were beginning to gain popularity versus more conventional RTS titles. Others even went so far as to view it as a disappointment if not a “huge mistake,” as series co-creator Bruce Shelley was quoted as saying in a sensational Kotaku article in 2011 with regards to the game, the article also highlighted how the developers may have made too many deviations from the mold such that Shelley even tried to have Microsoft rebrand it away from being a direct sequel, further adding fuel to the fire. Whether it’s the introduction of the RPG-like “Home City” system, a single-player campaign that largely deviated from previous entries or the tweaks done to gameplay, some saw it as lacking and paling in comparison to its predecessors. But though the game had received generally good reviews upon release, AoE III had gained something of a mixed response from gamers and fans.
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Moving the setting forward in time into the Age of Exploration and introducing new twists into the established formula, the game went on to win GameSpy’s “Top Ten PC Games of the Year” and PC Gamer’s “Editors’ Choice” for the same year around two million copies were sold by 2008. Thus, when Age of Empires III came out in 2005, there was much in the way of anticipation. All the while helping popularize historical gaming and set a precedent for games as varied as Rise of Nations, the Cossacks series and the Total War saga. Although not the first of its kind, the series stood out sharply from the fantasy and science fiction themes of many other RTS – barring the fantastical, if still somewhat historical spin-off Age of Mythology – in the process codifying many staple mechanics that fans of the genre tend to take for granted. When Ensemble Studios made the original Age of Empires in 1997, few seemed to expect that this Civilization-inspired work would spawn what has since been considered one of the classic franchises in the real time strategy genre.
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