With the Age of Empires series selling 16 million copies to date, Ensemble could have gotten away with creating a marginally tweaked and improved sequel--instead, the studio is crafting a dramatically enhanced RTS that features all the latest technological bells and whistles.
Taking place in the New World between 1500 A.D. and 1850 A.D. players choose from one of eight different countries to explore the land and set up colonies. Each nation you pick has its own perks--for example, Spain has its massive army, the French are cozy with Native Americans, and English enjoy a strong economy. And unlike real life, the natives aren't there for your ruthless exploitation, but aid you in your race for colonial supremacy.
Units will typify technology in that time period, ranging from cannons to rifleman to pikemen. New for the franchise is the concept of a home city: aside from the colonial establishments you manage, each nation has its respective Home City across the Atlantic. Your success or demise in the New World affects the Home City, which in turn affects how much resources it sends to you.
This visual end gets a significant revamp, featuring bloom effects and enhanced animations courtesy of the Havoc physics engine. While the ultimate system specs are unknown, the game so far shows an unprecedented level of graphical detail for an RTS.
The European conquest of the Americas wasn't the prettiest of events--but Microsoft is poised to rewrite history with Age of Empires III.