Age of Empires 3 : Age fans have patience!

From the preview shots, Age of Empires 3, the newest extension to Ensemble's Age of Empires series looks to be one of 2005 most antipicated PC games. Conquering the world on your computer will be more fun than ever with enhanced game play and captivating 3D and lifelike graphics; water glistens like water and metal shines like metal.

For students who are easily distracted from their scholastic duties, do NOT buy this game! Ok, buy it after exams.

A great game of strategy and history - one of my favourites!

Age of Empires 3 Product Description

Age of Empires III will offer gamers the next level of realism, with advanced battle physics and unparalleled visual detail. The new game picks up where Age of Empires II: Age of Kings left off, placing gamers in the position of a European power determined to explore, colonize and conquer the New World. This time period features stunning scenes, from towering European cathedrals to courageous tribes of Native Americans, and spectacular combat with Industrial Age units like rifled infantry, cavalry and tall ships bristling with cannons.

Age of Empires 3 will once again demonstrate Ensemble Studios' reputation for excellence and innovation in the real-time strategy (RTS) genre. The game will set a new standard for visual quality and amaze players with detail never before seen in an RTS. Age of Empires III will also excite strategy gamers with new game-play elements, including the concept of a "Home City", new civilizations, units, technologies and an immersive new single-player campaign that will span three generations.

New Key Features of Microsoft Age of Empires III:
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 & 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.

Get Age of Empires 3/III from Mr.Gadget Australia!