The West is, perhaps, the most generic RTS race on offer, and once you go past the present day it goes down the robots-and-lasers route. Only the West has builder units, for example the Middle East forces construct their buildings as mobile units, which can deploy and then pack up again as required, while the Far East forces can build structures using any units at all.Īs you progress, the differences become even more marked. Right from the outset, they're very different. The three civilisations on offer here are the West, the Middle East and the Far East. Whereas previously the game's playable civilisations were broadly analagous, with minor differences in terms of special units or production strengths, EE3 has opted instead for the Starcraft model - with three civilisations whose entire workings are entirely different from one another. It's here that another major departure from Empire Earth's previous design becomes apparent. Once each turn on the world domination map is complete, you then get a chance to resolve all the battles you started in that turn in real-time mode. The game also plays with the concept of spies, which can be used to report info on your enemies, but we didn't get to see much detail on the working of this mechanism in our demo session.
![empire earth 3 empire earth 3](https://dkbsce63yl4ec.cloudfront.net/uploads/game/logo/117760/be9d31539b.jpg)
#Empire earth 3 upgrade
Moreover, you can upgrade territories in various ways - one obvious example we saw being the addition of a road network to a province, which reduces the travel time for armies across that province, and makes your forces far more mobile. Combat units are designed in big, bold strokes - focusing on making the function of each unit clear, rather than on artistic realism. Rather than simply being used to move armies around, the turn-based map allows you to choose whether each province you conquer is a Military, Commercial, Imperial or Research province - a choice which affects the kind of units or resources produced, as well as your progress through the tech tree.
![empire earth 3 empire earth 3](https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/gamespot/images/2007/319/reviews/839478-938463_20071116_003.jpg)
![empire earth 3 empire earth 3](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/empireearth/images/e/e1/Urban_Special_Force.png)
#Empire earth 3 series
The most blatant addition to the formula in EE3 is that it has sprouted a whole new game mode which overlies the entire single-player experience, a turn-based world domination affair which sees you gradually branching out from your starting region to take over the entire planet.ĭrawing inspiration from both the Medieval series and Civilization, the world domination mode looks like it could turn out to be satisfyingly complex. In skirmish mode or multiplayer, you advance much more swiftly - going from the Stone Age to the Big Bloody Robot Age in the space of a single battle. In the single-player campaign, this means gradually advancing through the ages (or Epics, in EE3 parlance), with several battles being fought in each age until eventually you're battering your opponent with big stompy mecha, lasers and nuclear missiles. You command a civilisation, starting from the very earliest reaches of history and advancing through research and warfare right up to modern times and beyond. The basic premise of Empire Earth remains the same as before, and it's every bit as compelling as it has always been. The Roaming Empire Each race in the game has a very unique style for its buildings and units - these, as you might guess, are Far Eastern.
![empire earth 3 empire earth 3](https://www.giantbomb.com/a/uploads/original/0/56/193981-10.jpg)
Acknowledging that the second game was a bit too intricate and fiddly for many players, the team has radically overhauled the Empire Earth formula - simplifying many features, focusing on accessibility, and completely changing whole swathes of the game. With the third iteration of the series, Mad Doc doesn't seem keen to repeat its previous performances as bridesmaid, rather than bride. Ironically, perhaps, for games sporting such an ambitious title - roll "Empire Earth" around on your tongue a bit, and then come and tell me it doesn't simply drip with grandeur - this is a series that's always been overshadowed somewhat by its rivals.ĭespite uniformly good reviews for the first game, and good-but-not-quite-as-good reviews for its sequel, Mad Doc's series has never quite recovered from the fact that Age of Empires was there first - or that Rise of Nations did broadly the same thing, but in a more accessible and more heavily promoted way.