GH Review: Empire Earth 3

Zardon · Dec 4, 2007, 09:36 AM

Read The Review Here
__________________________

Video game franchises are volatile entities. With each successive release of a popular franchise, publishers walk a fine line between pleasing existing fans and attracting new ones. Driving fresh sales with changes to gameplay can backfire terribly, as the fans that made a series a success in the first place may walk away in disgust. Yet publishers are reluctant to ditch previously successful branding, so a profitable series is likely to soldier on until its final iteration resembles its first release in name only. Some games have such valuable pedigrees that even the worst gameplay isn't enough to hamper the critical reception; take the extended technology demo known as Doom 3, for instance.

Other games, however, such as Sierra's recently released real-time strategy game Empire Earth 3, can't survive on branding alone. 2007 has seen a number of superb releases in the real-time strategy genre, and the Empire Earth name alone isn't enough to carry the third game in the series if the gameplay isn't up to par. Given the generally excellent reception of the series' previous release, continued success for the series is no easy task - and by no means guaranteed.

BlueMak · Dec 4, 2007, 11:41 AM

I like the review, but I disagree with the score.
Unfortunately more and more sites and magazines consider 50% to be a low score and not an average (where 0 is zero and 100 the max).
Leaving that minor detail aside, I enjoyed reading the review and I still can't believe how one company can massacre a game as they have with EE3. It's like they were trying to ruin the series and produce the most sucking game of the year.
What a disgrace for a game, I wish the developers were ancient japanese warriors.

Skull · Dec 4, 2007, 12:30 PM

regardless of whether it gets 50% or 25%, its still fair to be considered a crap game. which the other 98% of the text is detailing.

BlueMak · Dec 4, 2007, 02:01 PM

Which is why I said I like the review apart from the final score :-p

Dec 4, 2007, 09:36 AM	#1
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 179	GH Review: Empire Earth 3 Read The Review Here __________________________ Video game franchises are volatile entities. With each successive release of a popular franchise, publishers walk a fine line between pleasing existing fans and attracting new ones. Driving fresh sales with changes to gameplay can backfire terribly, as the fans that made a series a success in the first place may walk away in disgust. Yet publishers are reluctant to ditch previously successful branding, so a profitable series is likely to soldier on until its final iteration resembles its first release in name only. Some games have such valuable pedigrees that even the worst gameplay isn't enough to hamper the critical reception; take the extended technology demo known as Doom 3, for instance. Other games, however, such as Sierra's recently released real-time strategy game Empire Earth 3, can't survive on branding alone. 2007 has seen a number of superb releases in the real-time strategy genre, and the Empire Earth name alone isn't enough to carry the third game in the series if the gameplay isn't up to par. Given the generally excellent reception of the series' previous release, continued success for the series is no easy task - and by no means guaranteed.

Dec 4, 2007, 11:41 AM	#2
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,465 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	I like the review, but I disagree with the score. Unfortunately more and more sites and magazines consider 50% to be a low score and not an average (where 0 is zero and 100 the max). Leaving that minor detail aside, I enjoyed reading the review and I still can't believe how one company can massacre a game as they have with EE3. It's like they were trying to ruin the series and produce the most sucking game of the year. What a disgrace for a game, I wish the developers were ancient japanese warriors. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Dec 4, 2007, 02:01 PM	#4
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,465 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	Which is why I said I like the review apart from the final score :-p __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Dec 4, 2007, 12:30 PM	#3
Skull Boney Admin Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: somewhere over the rainbow Posts: 659 Rep Power: 59	regardless of whether it gets 50% or 25%, its still fair to be considered a crap game. which the other 98% of the text is detailing.