Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties Critic Reviews

Developer dream teams should get together more often. AoE III may be an elder statesman in the RTS world these days, but BHG has dipped the game in the fountain of youth with this revitalizing add-on.

This is all exciting stuff that breathes exotic new life into Age of Empires III, and it's one of the best real-time strategy expansion packs since "Brood Wars."

A rare and generous package of new visuals, new gameplay, and absolutely crucial improvements to the core game. If you weren't an Age III fan before Asian Dynasties, get ready to be one now.

It's hard to believe that any two-year-old game could be livened up this much with an expansion pack, but Big Huge Games has pulled off this trick just about perfectly with The Asian Dynasties. While the core gameplay is still recognizable, this is a great facelift that makes an old friend look young again.

The expansion offers good singleplayer levels and great looking visuals, but the gameplay may feel old if you've played AoE III before. I'd still recommend it for RTS fans; just don't expect a classic.

If you’re already in the possession of the very excellent Age of Empires III, then this expansion is a must-have.

If you haven’t taken to the Age of Empires series, Asian Dynasties won’t be different enough to change your mind. But it’s nice Eastern breeze for veterans and dabblers alike.

The units are colorful, the combat is exciting, and the story, though not as thrilling as Age 3 or as historically relevant as Age 2, is still strong enough to carry the action.

Gamers will need to get over the dated graphics and artificial intelligence, along with a few design oversights that spoil the Asian setting, but this expansion strengthens the Age of Empires III gameplay and makes it feel almost new again.

A testament to the uniqueness and coolness of the new civilizations is that I can't pick a favorite side.

Aside from three new campaigns consisting of 15 scenarios in total, Asian Dynasties incorporates a ton of new content in the form of civ-specific units and abilities, additional maps, new cards, multi-player gameplay modes, and the wonderful return of Wonders, among other perks.

The Asian Dynasties features three short and sweet mini-campaigns focused on events in Japan, China, and India, but the multiplayer is where you can truly test your mettle.

What's incredible is that Big Huge managed to introduce so many fresh ideas to the game yet still maintain the essentially balanced gameplay that remains as addictive as it always was.

While a solid title and a good entry into the series, Age of Empires 3: The Asian Dynasties failed to rekindle my interest in Age of Empires 3. A good title for fans, but not worth it for those hoping for a reinvigoration of the series.

TAD is pricey for an add-on pack, but if you can stomach the cost, there's plenty of succulent, meaty goodness to be had from TAD. Plus it will big up your brain, and that can't be a bad thing for a pony.

The Asian Dynasties is a solid expansion that offers unique Asian civs and some other gameplay tweaks to Age of Empires III.

The artists at Big Huge Games did a great job of capturing the unique building structures and military units for the new factions.

Unfortunately, AOE3's ship has sailed for most folks, and this just isn't exciting enough to quite justify also splashing out on the original game if you don't already own it.

One for hardcore online fans only.