Age of Empires 3: The WarChiefs

Download Age of Empires 3: The WarChiefs and expand your empire in this thrilling expansion! Command powerful Native American tribes, explore new territories, and conquer your enemies in this epic real-time strategy game. Ready to make history? Play now!
a game by Microsoft
Platform: PC (2006)
Editor Rating: 7.5/10, based on 2 reviews, 3 reviews are shown
User Rating: 7.3/10 - 8 votes
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Age of Empires 3: The WarChiefs
Age of Empires 3: The WarChiefs
Age of Empires 3: The WarChiefs

When it was first released in 2006, Age Of Empires 3: The Warchiefs was a big deal as it was the first expansion for Age of Empires 3. They were very clever with the development of this game in that they did not try and cram a ton of new stuff in here. Instead what they did was build upon what made AOE 3 so popular at the time.

A New Campaign

I would bet that one of the first things people will jump into is the campaign. At 15 missions long it is a decent length and once again follows the Black family that we have come to know. Seeing them in The American Revolution is actually really cool and the story is pretty deep and will keep you engaged. You will also experience the Red Cloud's War and Great Sioux War which for history buffs is going to be really cool. The story is split into two acts, Fire and Shadow and for me, Shadow was the better story.

So, Did They Add Anything?

I would not say that they technically “added” anything completely new to Age of Empires 3: The Warchiefs, but they did make a few changes and some of these are really cool. Revolutions are now an actual option! You can go to the imperial age or you can revolt and start a new country. This is pretty cool and something that is a great deal of fun and also a great idea.

Another new aspect to the gameplay is stealth. Each nation has a unit that can use stealth and this can come in really handy. Ninja, spies, native scouts are the kind of spies that each nation can have. These are a lot of fun to use and when you pull off using them just right you really do feel like a tactical mastermind!

There are a few other new additions as well such as the fire pit dances which are kind of neat and the new way the game handles The Aztecs greatly expands them which I thought was really neat.

I really think that this is a great expansion to an already great game. On the surface it may not look like Age Of Empires 3: The Warchiefs adds in a ton of content, but what it does it does very well and that makes it well worth playing. You can get a complete version of Age of Empires 3 that has this and the follow-up expansion and, in all honesty, if you ask me that is the best way to experience this game. The story alone is worth playing through and one of the most interesting AOE stories that they ever did in my opinion.

Final Score: 8/10

Pros:

  • I really liked the campaign
  • Each of the acts feels different
  • Interesting units in the Aztecs
  • I liked using stealth
  • Starting a revolution is cool

Cons:

  • Not a ton of new gameplay content
  • If the standard AOE3 did nothing for you, I do not see this winning you over

Download Age of Empires 3: The WarChiefs

PC

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

While Ensemble Were concentrating on putting the final touches to their Stetsons and swinging saloon doors in Age Of Empires III, they only offered a cursory glance at the native population. Now, they've set about putting that right in this expansion by featuring three native American tribes; the Sioux, the Iroquois and the Aztecs.

As well as the expected units and buildings associated with a new race, the three tribes all have access to a Fire Pit which villagers dance around to procure new bonuses, from producing healer units to increasing the strength of your troops. This offers a new slant on tactics and with each tribe specialising in different areas (the Sioux, for example, have a very strong cavalry), the new races are well-balanced and a joy to play.

The new campaign follows the saga of the Black family and is presented with all the slickness you've come to expect from Ensemble, with a host of historically based and well-varied missions. There are also a slew of other additions, many either new for the Europeans or aimed at balancing the new races in multiplayer.

If youre looking to expand either your single or multiplayer experience of AOE3, WarChiefs proves itself to be a slick affair and caters well for series fans. However, it still doesn't address the simplistic combat and will make a full game-sized dent in your wallet, thus still leaving us, a bit like the tribes, with some reservations.

The success of Age of Empires III is universally acknowledged and for good reason. In its third showing, the gameplay refinement is clearly present along with new features that are integrated seamlessly. Adding an expansion pack was only a matter of time and although it took awhile, Age of Empires: War Chiefs has made its appearance. Expansion packs often go one of two ways. Either an entirely new gameplay feature is added, often to fix gameplay imbalances or slip in a feature that wasn't ready for the initial release, or new content is added without significant changes to the gameplay.

Age of Empires: War Chiefs falls into the second category which isn't a bad thing when the original gameplay is already well balanced and has depth. Does the new content justify another $30 however?

Probably depends on how much you enjoyed AoE III, but the new content does make a strong showing. Age of Empires: War Chiefs focuses around the addition of three Native American civilizations: the Aztecs, the Iroquois, and the Sioux. There are a few new building and features to take advantage of such as the fire pit which gives nice bonuses and a new victory condition based on trading monopolies but if you take the fresh coat of paint off, it's still the same basic game. Again, when the core game starts out as strong as AoE III, tinkering with the gameplay can cause more problems but Age of Empires: War Chiefs isn't going to offer an entirely new experience either. One aspect that helps to bring a new feel however is the campaign missions. As you might expect, the stories are told well and keep you pushing to see what happens next.

Other areas like the graphics and audio look similar to AoE III but the strength and longevity of Age of Empires: War Chiefs is likely in the multiplayer capabilities anyway. Bottom line is if you enjoyed AoE III, Age of Empires: War Chiefs has plenty new to justify a purchase.

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