The main game will probably be a 6.9/10 for me.
The demo leaves me unsatisfied, unimpressed.
Graphics look worse then AOM on minimum req's.
UI is unreasonably huge and gets in the way.
Horrible dialog. Uninteresting and plain cinematic. Scenario 1: I got an army quick with little to no effort. Attacked the enemy. Built outposts. The scenario was over in less then 10 minutes. I understand this isn't even a newbie tutorial scenario like the pirate ship one in AOM. This is in ACT III and it's still so easy. Scenario 2: A siege. Cool idea. Weakly played out. Sent shipments. Built cannons. Built a couple outposts. Upgraded trains. GG. Was over in less then 15 minutes. Total playable time not more then half an hour. Pathetic. Skirmish: On my very first game (barely knowing what to do) I beat the computer So I tried expert next... This provided more of a challenge, but was still pathetic. the computer destroyed my main base so I ran a little to the side of the map. I stayed there for 15 minutes (before resigning) building up and gathering resources. The enemy did not attack me The enemy AI is extremely unintelligent and weak. I've noticed that they build their fort in the same exact place Owch. I know most of you can afford and want to spend loads of cash to upgrade your computer to get the best graphics possible. Unfortunately, unlike many of you, I choose to spend my hard earned cash on my car and other things. I'm sorry my computer isn't top of the line. My specs: The game runs well on low settings until 5+ cannons show up. How can the graphics be so unbalanced? One minute the game is running smooth with 100+ guys fighting each other, the next, it's unplayable? That's not right. I've tried to disable everything and it doesn't help. Cannons lag regardless of any setting that's enabled/turned on. AOK was an awesome game, and The whole idea of collecting treasures is over used and lame. There are just far too many treasures on the map and it becomes a huge distraction early on. The home city isn't that great of a feature. It feels cramped and crowded and isn't as satisfying as god powers were in AOM. Choosing a politician is ok. Some choices seem better then others, but it's ok. You can't really play defensively in this game. It's clear if you do you will lose. This game is much like AOM in that it forces you to be aggressive because of trade routes. Over all the game is average at best. The demo has failed to impress me or even consider purchasing the game. The numerous eye popping bugs and performance issues on a system which meets minimum requirements show nothing but amaturism. Let the thoughts, flames, posts saying the game looks great on your high end computer and defending of ES begin!
Not much of a challenge, even on hardest difficulty.
Only 2 civs available. That's fine. But the enemy AI is retarded.
Also the AI pretty much only builds siege units and longbow men.
So before you go and say "what are you talking about the graphics look so good on my {fill in high computer specs here}, you should know that it doesn't matter. This game has failed to cater to my needs and IMO is too demanding for the gameplay it offers. This gameplay could have been done with AOM graphics or even AOK graphics. The physics engine pretty much adds nothing to contribute to the way the game plays. The game is also not playable on my system for one reason:
512 RAM
64 MB card
P4 2.8
Once cannons start firing the game becomes
All ranged infantry feel the same. What's the difference if they're shooting a gun or shooting arrows? They all pretty much look and play the same.
It's true that siege play different then infantry and melee units play differently then ranged but that's it. I don't get the joy of using units as I did in AOK where the skirmisher felt different then an archer or where a hussar felt different then a paladin. Or when janissarys felt different then longbow men. In AOE 3 they feel the same, for me anyway.
Once you've rescued the same guy from a bear or killed the bandits (who by the way just run from you) for the 5th time it just becomes a chore. I want relics like in AOK that people actually fought over.
Once you use up all your cards it doesn't become fun anymore to send food shipments.
For now its AOK >
I look forward to reading =)
I <3 GAMESPOT!