It was only a matter of time before the Selentine Merchants ventured too far from their trade routes, over the South Seas, searching for rich lands that might lay beyond. But they were unprepared for the terrors they would awaken, and the devastation they would unleash upon the world of Etheria.
The war that followed would change the face of Etheria forever.
Join with the many races of Etheria as you fight your way through the ruins, jungles and deserts of the southern continent of Keshan, searching for new lands to conquer, and the treasure with which you might build an Empire.
Or repel the invaders and then unleash the full might of their empire upon the northern realms!
This game has been patched to the latest version: 1.03.24
Age requirements: ESRB Rating: TEEN, PEGI Rating: 12+ with Violence.
Minimum system requirements: Windows XP or Windows Vista, 1.8 GHz Processor, 512MB RAM (1 GB recommended), 3D graphics card compatible with DirectX 7 (compatible with DirectX 9 recommended), 2GB HDD, Mouse, Keyboard.
One of the earlier games to mix rpg and rts. Here's what it is: a good rts game, with a solid rpg hero system in it. Simple as that. If you like rts games, this is one of the better ones, and has some unique units and a very recognizable, somewhat standard rts core game. The rpg elements are more of a part of the larger rts as a whole, with persistent heroes that level up, collect... full review items, and generally rule the battlefield. If you are into good rts games and want one with a twist to keep things interesting that doesn't much up the usual formula, you can't go wrong with WB3.
I was quite surprised at this game. It gave me more than I was expecting, and turned out to be surprisingly addictive.... full review
Rather than two or three sides, There is a huge number of races and classes to play, the combination of which can have a great effect on how you play the game. It is mostly a single campaign, but instead of having missions assigned to you, you can choose where to go and what to do on a main map. The overall main quest is the same, but you can build up your charact before you head off on the next main mission.
The game initially is more of a pure RTS game. Build your base, seek out an item and so on. As hinted by the RPGness your main hero has stats, a skill set, inventory, spells and so on. After each mission, you can choose a selection of troops to take with you, these also get stronger the longer they survive.
Because of all the race&class combinations: Your hero can be a mighty warrior, a magic user, focused on construction or defense, a support unit for strong troop units or a jack of all trades. Depending on where you focus your skill and attribute points, the early game can be either hard or easy.
Base building, works on a tier level. Some buildings must be constructed after others. Nearly all of them can be upgraded in some way. Only buildings of the same race as the player can be captured, with a couple of exceptions. Both the hero and worker units can build them, but repairing is limited to the building itself, and there IS a delay after each build before you can do so again, so make the choice carefully. You don't want to be hit while the repair option is on a timedelay disable.
There is a big variety though, most races have unique buildings, and building types/methods of some form.
Along with the various skills, you can grab weapons, armour and items throughout missions. Either at the death of enemy heroes, or purchased at various shops; both in missions and from the main map. There's even set kits as well, and bonus items from special quests that give some increased ability.
What becomes interesting is, the stronger the hero gets, the less the game is a RTS. Things become more strategic, as new opportunity and skills open up. Eventually, at high levels, it changes again into a more hack&slash title.
Graphically, it's decent. Some units look a little muddy and low detailed, but remain easily identifiable. Thankfully, it's not too distracting. There is some reusing of buildings for a few races as well.
Audio wise, again, passable. Music is not bad, but nothing special, and all units call out when clicked.
Aside from the main game, and multiplayer. A skirmish mode is available.
Also, you have a level creator built in. It's a little clunky, but you can create hard challenges for your high level hero. (Yes, your hero can be ported across game modes and back at any time).
Overall, I'm very happy with the entertainment I got out of this title. There is a fair amount of depth I was not expecting (more than I covered here), but never has it been hard to manage it all.
I've loved the RTS genre since classic Age of Empires, and have played quite a number.
WBIII is one that has found its way in to my favorites for some of it's interesting options. It was one of the earlier RTS to implement 'hero' units, which I like. As well as not only do your hero units level up, but -all- of your units can level up and you can take on a personal entourage... full review of elite units.
The other thing that has always stood out about WBIII is the sheer number of races. It's been some time since I've played it so I can't recall the exact number of races, but I do believe it is the most I have ever seen in any RTS. (Yes, I do believe it's even more than Dawn of War w/ all expansions.)
Of course due to its age, many of the races share similar mechanics, but even then, every race has at least a few unique elements to it.
All in all, I would say it's well worth the $10 to anyone who loves the RTS genre. It may not be quite as awesome as Dark Crusade or WarCraft III, but it's certainly a good one none the less.
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