Age of Empires III

In the highly anticipated next installment of Ensemble Studios' Age of Empires series, Age of Empires III transports players to the period between 1500 and 1850, picking up where Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings left off. As players work to build their empire, they take on the role of a European power struggling to explore, colonize and conquer North and South America. Age of Empires III introduces exciting new gameplay elements, including the all-new Hometown and an incredible combat system. There are new civilizations to discover, random maps to conquer, and a single-player campaign like never before. Players can also expect stunning graphics thanks to a revolutionary graphics engine that pushes the limits of PC graphics technology in a completely new way.

Story

The story-based campaign mode consists of interrelated scenarios with predefined objectives, such as the destruction of a specific building. In Age of Empires III, the campaign follows the fictional Black family in a series of three "acts" that divide the story arc into three generations. All three acts are narrated by Amelia Black (Tasia Valenza). Instead of playing as one of the standard civilizations, the player controls specific civilizations associated with the character or era depicted in each act: the Knights of St. John for Act I, John Black's mercenaries for Act II, and the United States for Act III. Most player units speak English, except for unique units such as the Spanish Rodeleros and Lancers or the German Uhlans and War Wagons. Act I: Blood In the late 16th century, Morgan Black, a Scottish-born mid-commander of the Knights of St. John, defends their last stronghold on Malta against the forces of Sahin "The Falcon" of the Ottoman Empire (in a tale of the Great Siege of Malta). As the Turks flee, Morgan and his superior Alain Magnan discover a stone library that tells of the Lake of the Moon, the Fountain of Youth that supposedly gives eternal life, and a secret society, the Circle of Ossus, that seeks the Fountain for its own gain. Alain orders Morgan to sail to the New World to search for the lake, but Morgan is attacked by the pirate Elisabet "Lizzie" Ramsey and ends up in the Caribbean islands. After attacking and defeating Lizzie again, Morgan's men find some navigational charts and sail to New Spain. In Yucatan, Morgan's troops destroy an Ottoman base. However, the Spanish conquistador Francisco Juan Delgado de Leon captures Sahin. Morgan then defends his new Aztec allies against the Spanish and learns that Delgado was searching for the map to Moon Lake, which was disguised as a mosaic in a town square. Morgan sails to Florida, but his fleet is damaged by a hurricane and docks in Havana, Cuba, where he earns Lizzie's respect and promises her the gold of the Spanish treasure fleet if she will take him to Florida. In Florida, while Alain claims the lake, Morgan and Lizzie capture the Spanish treasure ships and Sahin, killing Delgado. Sahin tells Morgan that he only wanted to stop the coven from claiming the spring. Alain orders Morgan to execute Sahin, but Sahin and Lizzie convince Morgan that Alain is really leading the Circle of Ossus. At Moon Lake, the group captures a giant stationary cannon called a "Fixed Gun" from the Coven. Using the gun, Lizzie's fire ships and Morgan's ground troops stop the elite soldiers of the Circle's Bone Guard, kill Alain, and destroy the well. After the battle, Sahin returns to Turkey and Lizzie, having lost her Spanish gold, travels to the Caribbean, although it is hinted that she and Morgan will be reunited. Morgan silently wonders if they have really found the Fountain of Youth, and fills up his empty canteen with water from the lake.