Age of Empires III Expanding East

Today Microsoft and developer Big Huge Games announced the second expansion for Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties. The new content introduces Asian civilizations to the real-time strategy (RTS) game and adds new gameplay features. This will be the first time Big Huge Games has worked on Age of Empires III, as the original game and first expansion were developed by Ensemble Studios. Big Huge Games recently created the Xbox 360 version of the board game Catan, and is responsible for the real-time strategy series Rise of Nations.

The Asian Dynasties includes remixed versions of classic Age of Empires maps and game modes, and 15 new Asian "wonders." The expansion supports new Windows Vista features like the Games Explorer and parental controls.

Age of Empires III was released back in October of 2005 and remains one of the top ten best-selling PC games today. The RTS gives players control of a European power attempting to seize control of North and South America. The Asian Dynasties come into power this fall.

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