Pros: Adds 3 new civilizations to the mix which require unique gameplay strategies.
Cons: Focuses only on the new civilizations.
The Bottom Line: I recommend this game for other die-hard real-time strategy fans. Others may be discouraged by the difficulty and lack of attention to other civilizations.
swphoenix00's Full Review: Microsoft 9UB00017 AGE EMPIRES III:DYNASTIES WIN32...
The computer game Age of Empires 3 grows once again with the expansion pack "Age of Empires 3: The Asian Dynasties".
This time the RTS (real-time strategy) series adds 3 Asian civilizations to the fold; China, India, and Japan. Instead of being led by an Explorer or War Chief as in previous games, you are led by monks. Because of this, culture and religion plays a significant role. All of the Asian civilizations are able to build relations with European partners that will help aid them in various ways. To purchase these benefits, you spend "Export" which is a resource that accumulates automatically, and the amount you receive is based in part on the number of villagers you control. Another major difference between these civilizations and the others is that in order to advance in age, villages must build a Wonder. The Wonder types vary between the civilizations and each grant a different instant and passive benefit. The instant benefit typically involves receiving a certain number of resources or troops, while the passive ability may include boosts to the troops hitpoints. The passive ability only remains for as long as the Wonder stands though.
Now that I've addressed how the new civilizations are similar, I would like to explain how they are different. China's representation comes from the Ming Dynasty era. The single most unique feature of China is that all your troops are created in blocks (banner armies), with other troops. Therefore you can not simply create an army of one unit type. The monk you control for China has the ability to create disciples to make up for the fact you only start with 1 monk. Instead of building houses, you build villages which boost population limits, as well as create and fatten livestock.
Taken during the feudal period with the British East India Company, India brings a lot more than just a nice assortment of elephants. A significant difference with India is that creating villagers cost wood instead of food. Livestock cannot be hunted for food, keeping up with the cultural image. Instead livestock can be tasked on Sacred Fields which produce experience points. Most shipments also provide 1 free villager.
Japan comes in during the Tokugawa shogunate. Unsurprisingly that brings the samurai to the forefront. As Japan you can create several unique units that help aid your nearby troops. Unlike the monks you start with, when they die, you must create them once again. Culture plays a role with Japan in the sense that they do not hunt animals or livestock. Building shrines, which act as the equivalent to houses, nearby animals, will give you a resource trickle.
Several gameplay elements are added to the mix that are not specific to just the Asian civilizations. Four additional multiplayer modes are presented; Regicide, King of the Hill, Treaty, and Treaty-No Blockade. Regicide allows you to control a powerful Regent which you must protect at all costs. King of the Hill includes a fort in the middle of the stage which you must try to capture and hold for 5 minutes. Treaty simply means that opponents cannot attack for a set period of time, but can still block shipments. Treaty-No Blockade is the same as Treaty, but without blocking shipments. As with the previous expansion pack, Age of Empires 3: The Warchiefs, more than a dozen new maps are added.
The single-player campaigns were a pleasant surprise as there is a campaign for each new civilization. The campaign for China is a "what-if" scenario of China arriving to the New World before their European counterparts. India's campaign follows an uprising against the British East India Company. The campaign for Japan covers some of the conflict during the transitional period between the Toyotomi Dynasty and the Tokugawa shogunate.
Overall this is a solid expansion to an already great game. Several elements were included that prevented it from being an amazing addition to the series though. The developers increased the difficulty level a bit since they were aware many players were just breezing though the games. While this works for some, I would have personally preferred an added difficulty level. Another issue is that little to no attention was paid to the prior civilizations. What made the previous expansion pack work for me is that it gave me a reason to go back and play as the civilizations I have had already spent so much time playing as. Despite all of that is it worth it? Yes, for me at least. If you are a die-hard fan of the Age of Empires or other RTS games, you will like Age of Empires 3: The Asian Dynasties, but probably not love it. Casual gamers that rarely dip into the RTS games will likely be more mixed about it.
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