Good old AoE III, a game which is now functionally free on Steam, which is generous considering this game is widely detested across East Asia where the other AoE games are beloved (AoEII in China and AoEI in Vietnam). This was a sweet, cute, and dumb game with a story mode focusing on fictional characters, a first for the series. Sadly this is also the only time this idea was implemented because AoEIV decided to play it safe and just redo AoEII.

Let's get the grievances out of the way. The gameplay is stiff for a 2005 game, which makes sense because it's a 3D rendered RTS, something which Ensemble Studios wasn't very gifted at. The gameplay itself is also basic, with no unit soft counters like in AoEII, only hard counters, meaning it's difficult to keep playing AoEIII without getting tired of the watered down gameplay. AoEII may be lacking in the personality department, but its gameplay is harder to get tired of because it's objectively better designed.

Unlike what some people think, AoE3 has more in common with AoE1 than it does with 2. Like AoEI, this game has a superior atmosphere to AoEII. Again, I stress that AoEII is the best game in the series, but I don't really feel the timeline since AoEII feels the most... uninteresting in its execution, since they needed to put more effort into the gameplay. The AoEII campaigns are fantastic, but they make up 90% of the game's personality, the remaining 10% made up by the voicelines of the units. AoE1 had charm in its discreet love for history and giving the Antiquity Era much needed love. AoEIII is unpopular in East Asia because the Colonial Era is epitomized in every facet of this beautiful game. When I play AoE3, I can REALLY feel like I'm travelling back to the 1600-1800s in much the same way playing AoE1 elicits feelings of living in 1000 BC. Ambiance is essential to the Age of Empires Trilogy, and it's only really realized in AoE2's single player, not so much in multiplayer.

Also AoE3's story mode is actually worth playing. I like how this game changes enough to make up for the dumbed down general gameplay, and also implements wacky passives to help the civilizations play and especially feel different. Each tech tree harbors unique units which are reskins of the same thing, all for that ambiance. AoEIII may not have been competently designed gameplay wise, but it is a fun time if you feel like going back to Colonial times, one of the most interesting Eras of history (especially good old America).