(Translated by https://www.hiragana.jp/)
Master of Orion III Critic Reviews for PC at Metacritic.com
The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20120121065237/http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/master-of-orion-iii/critic-reviews?dist=positive
  • Publisher: Atari
  • Release Date: Feb 25, 2003
Metascore
64 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 24
  2. Negative: 4 out of 24
  1. A perfect pick for those who prefer strategy over action.
  2. 92
    Galaxies are much bigger, available researches are more extensive, and there's far more information to track than in any previous 4x space game.
  3. This game can get hard really quick. If players do not pay attention to all of the in game menus, tips, and book they will be left without a clue on what to do.
  4. 81
    A game just waiting to be discovered. It does have its problems even beyond those involved in learning to play it, but they are minor in the grand scheme of things and, for lovers of the genre, it is the grand scheme that Master of Orion 3 captures best.
  5. Sure, the gameplay is incredibly deep, but I wanted more emphasis on the military aspects of the game. [Apr 2003, p.95]
  6. The new methodology required to deal with this large scale makes MOO3 the first progressive strategy game and avoids previous mistakes of the genre, such as overwhelming floods of micromanagement near the end of the game. It is precisely this refreshingly dynamic experience that makes MOO3 so appealing.
  7. One glaring problem is the 165 page manual. While holding an interesting background storyline for the game, material inside is poorly organized and not extremely helpful.
  8. 76
    There are things to like about this new version, especially as a multiplayer game, but in the end there are too many issues, big and small, for it to reach the nearly unreachable standard set by its predecessors.

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User Score

Generally unfavorable- based on 48 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 36
  2. Negative: 21 out of 36
  1. The most abysmal game I have ever had the misfortune of playing. Worst game of the decade. It is almost as if it had been deliberately designed to be confusing, frustrating, and bland. Trust me: Don't even play it if it's released for free. Full Review »
  2. Love the details, depth, and realistic astronomy (the only game to have realistic astronomy). The AI really sucks though, forcing you to micromanage. Gets boring fast once you're over 10 star systems. No eyecandy and earcandy in the battles. Like the alien races. Tech tree is very good. Full Review »
  3. The most disappointing game ever. MOO and MOOII were amazing (best strategy games ever!) but this thing was just... annoying. It's overly complicated, full of bugs and just NOT FUN. Full Review »