I never thought I'd see the day when I would reach my forties (laugh it up) and Doom would still be relevant in the gaming sphere. With The Dark Ages coming sometime in 2025, id Software's infl??uential?? shooter franchise is still as strong as ever.

To say nothing of the modding community, which has been tweaking and tinkering with the classics since time immemorial. Most fan-made content may change much about the originals, but will typically keep it feeling like a traditional Doom game. H??owever, one person decided to switch things up a bit.

ModDB user HELLKNIGHT61 thought it was high-time to remove the "FP" from "first-person shooter" and deliver a version of Doom that's more isometric. More specifically, they've taken the 1993 game and rebuilt it in the Age of Empires 2 engine, turning it into some sort of? classic PC gaming amalgamation.

Rip 'n' tear 'n' wololo

Now??, before I go any further, I am aware that "Age of DOOM" came out a year ago. According to the download page, it was released on November 9, 2023. However, it seems to have wormed its way onto the first couple of pages of ModDB and, honestly, I'm genuinely surprised I haven't come across thi??s one already.

HELLKNIGHT61 describes the mod as both a "tactical shooter and isometric shooter game," with some point 'n' click elements to boot. Simply put: it takes the sprites and visuals from Doom (as well as the ultra violent Brutal Doom mod) and incorporates them into Age of Empire 2's otherwise green and pleasant lands.

It's also standalone, which means you don't need either of the official games in order to play "Age of DOOM." It features a tutorial scenario, a practice scenario, as well as a remake of the "Knee Deep in the Dead" chapter, which has nine maps. It's also recommended to start with the tutorial, because a fast-paced shoo??ter in an isometric world w??ith tactical elements may not have the most intuitive gameplay.

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Age of Empires Mobile is an exciting new game from TiMi Studios, based on the beloved Age of Empires franchise. There are forty historica?l heroes that are scheduled to appear, including Rani Durgavati and Julius Caesar. Basically, it's an RTS, where you will construct buildings, gather resources, and expand the empire.

This article will provide key details of Age of Empires Mobile, suc??h as the release date, how to pre-register, and pre-registration rewards.

Age of Empire Mobile release date

Age of Empire Mobile is officially making its debut on October 17, 2024, on Android?????????????????????????? and iOS. However, the developers did not mention the availability of regions and countries at the time of launch.

How to pre-register for Age of Empires Mobile?

There are two ways to pre-register Ages of Empire Mobile. Don't worry; we will discuss both ways. The first one is very simple; simply head to the App Store or Google Play Store page, depending on your device, a?nd click on t??he "Pre-register/Pre-order" button to pre-register yourself.

In case you can't see the pre-registration page, then simply head to the official website and click on "Pre-register" button. A window will pop up asking fo?r your email address. Just fill in the details, and you will sign up for the launch.

Age of Empires Mobile pre-registration rewards

There ?are various rewards that are provided once you pre-re??????????????????????????gister for the game. Here are the list of items:

• Wood x150
• Food x150
• Stone x150
• Gold x150
• Building Speed-Up x1h
• Research Speed-Up x1h
• Training Speed-Up x1h
• Legendary Arrival Recruitment Token x2
• Empire Coins x1K
• Special Frame
• Hero: Cleopatra VII

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For a series coming up on three decades of history, I guess it only makes sense it expands into mobile with everything else. During today's Age of Empires New Year, New Age Livestream, Microsoft unveiled Age of Empires Mobile which is coming to both iOS and Android

Developed by TiMi Studios, Age of Empires Mobile brings the classic RTS genre to mobile devices for the first ti?me ever. Featuring several different civilizations including China, Rome, France, and Byzantine, players will be able to choose from over 40 heroes to raise an army and conquer others.

Visually Age of Empires Mobile actually looks pretty good. I know mobile graphics have come a long way, but I sort of expected it to just look like Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition but it actually looks better.

Unfortunately, I'm not completely sold on the gameplay. Even though several scenes showed what looked to be pretty similar to authentically classic Age of Empires gameplay that we've come to love over the many years, other scenes showed what looked to be pretty normal markers of current mobile "Pay to Win" trends like a VIP Level, timers (that can be skipped for a cost, I'm sure), and more. Hopefully, I'm just being paranoid. But it worries me to see predatory practices like that in an epic franchise like Age of Empires.

Age of Empires Mobile is currently available for pre-registering on both iOS and Android,

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Xbox Game Studios is currently hosting a New Year, New Age live stream to celebrate everything Age of Empires and reveal updates about its future. However, it's not all about Age of Empires. After being teased in 2022, Age of Mythology: Retold has been revealed. A definitive edition of the original classic RTS Age of Mythology, Retold will release on PC and Xbox S??erise X|S later this yea?r.

A bit more mystical

If you've never played the original Age of Mythology but are a fan of RTS like Age of Empires, you are in for quite a treat. Mythology takes the foundation of Age of Empires but adds a mystical twist to it, allowing players to call upon various gods to help them in combat. Greek, Norse, Egyptian, and Atlantean pantheons are all options in Age of Mythology.

As great as Age of Empires is, there has always been something special to me about Age of Mythology. Being able to summon Nidhogg ??or call in a massive thunderstorm not only felt fun but felt like it added a unique e??lement to the RTS genre.

Age of Mythology: Retold is primarily a graphical upgrade to the original, mixing its classic gameplay elements with modernized visuals. It will include the 50-mission campaign as well as an all-new Arena of the Gods feature that allows you to complet??e all new trials either solo or co-op with friends as you take on challenges as the gods themselves battle it out.

While no specific release date was given, Microsoft Game Studios did indicate Age of Mythology: Retold will be released la??ter this year on PC,?? Xbox Series X|S, and be available Day One on Game Pass.

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Plus, Age of Mythology is getting "retold"

Xbox owners are getting some historical strategy in 2023. Microsoft and World's Edge announced today that Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and Age of Empires IV are both making their way to Xbox consoles.

The two strategy games are expected to hit Xbox in 2023. For Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, World's Edge has a date set for January 31, 2023. Age of Empires IV, meanwhile, will aim for Xbox consoles later in 2??023.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cZTqd6BEIY

In an Xbox Wire post, World's Edge confirms ?t??hat the team has been specifically working on the controller experience. The team is specifically crafting a tutorial for controller input, paired with a new user experience.

A?? new game AI is also included, which the team says helps make resource management "efficient and intu?itive."

If controller isn't your thing though, keyboard and mouse inputs will be support??ed in the Xbox versions.

Keep it on the down-wololo

The Age of Empires II Xbox release will include all the Definitive Edition content since 2019. Alongside the DLC that adds new campaigns and civilizations, there have also been tons of updates over ??the years.

According to World's Edge, the versions will also have optional cross-play. This will let PC and Xbox players raise armies against each other, and the team is also aiming to bring AOE to Xbox cloud gaming. So yes, you will be able to lead? a war elephant charge on the go at some p??oint in the future.

More is on the way too, as Age of Mythology Retold ??is in production. From the sounds of it, it's an updated version of the original with updated graphics and features. Old-school RTS fans seem to have a good deal to look forward to in the future.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6tRpIseYCA

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Announced today at Microsoft's conference

A new look at Age of Empires IV? Sure, don't mind of I do.

Microsoft has been bringing it with the Age of Empires?? series over the years, and I for one am glad it's still around. This new one, IV, is out on Xbox Game Pass and PC on October 28, 2021. It's actually coming to Steam and the Windows Store, so you won't have to suffer the latter as an exclusive platform on PC.

It'll sport eight civilizations, four campaigns (!) and 35 missions. Oh, and it has eight multiplayer modes and a story mode that's designed to ease players in ??with a good NPE system. Yeah that sounds great.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p9DCiI8QBY

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Set in the Medieval era

Age of Empires II: Definite Edition has taken up the spotlight lately, but during today's X019 presentation in London, we got a look – a real, non-concept-arty look – at the future of the series, Age of Empires IV.

Along with Age of Empires IV gameplay footage, we also learned that Microsoft's dedicated Age of Empires studio is now going by World's Edge. As a reminder, Age of Empires IV is a partnership between Microsoft and developer Relic Entertainment (Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes), and they're looking to "bring this franchise back to the forefr??ont of gaming."

The timing here couldn't be better, what with AoE II: Definitive Edition hitting Steam today.

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Keeping Up with the Khandashians

Real-time strategy players will ?fi??nd themselves going back in time this fall -- back to the Middle Ages and back to 1999.

Xbox has revealed that it's remastering the ever-popular Age of Empires II. It's getting the 4K treatment, an audio overhaul, and a new campaign. ?The campaign is called "The Last Khans."

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition launches somet??ime?? this fall. It'll be apart of Xbox Game Pass when it releases.

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A beautiful RTS that still holds up

Age of Empires was a fundamental part of my RTS education. Two years before it I was enjoying the futurist spin of Command & Conquer and the fantasy vibes of Warcraft II, but Age of Empires offered up something else entirely -- a mi??dd??le-ground.

It was a monumental moment in the history of the genre, as the awe-inspiring sprite-work and the sheer scope of the game really spoke to me and spurred my interest in ancient civilizations. Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is still very much a ga?me from the '90s, lacking the panache of its sucessors, but those of you with an open mind and a strategic knack will enjoy it just as I did all those years ago.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (PC) 
Developer: Microsoft Studios
Publisher: Microsoft
Release Date: February 20, 2018 
MSRP: $19.99

Even though I haven't played in ages, all of my prior knowledge came flowing back through me as soon as I moused my cursor over my first worker. The Definitive Edition has a way about it that just feels right, to the point where I had to do a double-take and watch a video of t?he original just to see if I was going crazy. No, the 1997 edition never looked this good, and the remaster doesn't douse its le??gacy in any way.

A tried and true skirmish-based RTS, the concept of a warring over a finite amount of resources that forces eventual confrontation isn't unique to Age of Empires, but it's handled a bit more organically in this series. With several forms of resource gathering (such as hunting and farming berries for food) you? always feel like you have a strategic choice, rather than just setting and forgetting a bunch of drones to grab gold from a mine. Rising through the ages for upgrades at new tiers (an RTS staple) is gamey, sure, but it's engaging and framed as moving through major moments in history. Multiple win conditions like building and defending a Wonder to win are still magical and unique.

Subtle enhancements that bring the original iteration into the modern era are welcome. Attack move (where units quite literally can attack while navigating if you press a qualifying button) is a no-brainer. So are all the included staples of old school RTS that are still relevant today -- multiple building orders, control groups, viewing idle villagers at a glance. Pathfinding (the process in which units locate areas you command them to go) is the only "improved" mechanic that still needs work. It'll all come naturally to folks who have moved on from Age of Empires and into more uncharted territory. The population limit increase is really the big draw here. While a lot of remasters fundamentally don't touch the base, Microsoft took a chance here and shook up the game while keeping in some tongue in cheek references.

Ratcheting up a unit cap that served as a technical limitation doesn't sacrifice its strategic core, and it works particularly well with the expanded zoom feature -- whoever put in for that one deserves a raise. I was taking all this in with the tasteful animation alterations (mainly more stylish building destruction) and?? the orchestral soundtrack. The only aspect of the presentation that feels off is the UI -- which is so dated that it's like the team ran out of money to fix it up.

What's going to be the big holdup, not ?only for power users but for posterity, is online play. It's very finicky even after its beta state, to the point where you really need to sort of go into this remaster knowing it's a single-player game. Despite the boisterous claim of dedicated servers for all on Xbox One, some PC releases are left in the dust, this one included.

Remember all of those fun '90s ping issues you had? Well they're back, baby! Having tested out the multiplayer in the live version I ran into some of the same issues as the beta, where entire games would drop as a result of a connection error. Having to go through the Microsoft Store app, which significantly hinders my ability to play the game at times (I had to go through multiple processes to rid the app of boot errors), is also no fun.  It's a good thing the campaign has basically been doubled in the Definitive Edition, and bots are still in.

The Windows 10 restrictions simply do the development team a disservice. A lot of work went into Age of Empires: Definitive Edition and just enough tweaks were made to ensure that it's still relevant in 2018. I have an incredible amount of respect for the folks who broug?ht this classic back to life, and for their restraint to ensure that this remaster doesn't abandon its roots.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of th?e game provided by the publi?sher.]}

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Still have that muscle memory?

Following a delay, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is back on track and now a?iming for a February 20, 2018 launch on Windows 10?? PCs.

"[I]t was important for the team to treat the Age of Empires franchise with the respect it deserves, so we took the time we needed to get features like attack-move and the improved minimap exactly right, and even added things like an in-game tech tree? (how did we survive 1997 without that?) that we hope fans? will love," Microsoft creative director Adam Isgreen said of the later-than-expected release.

Besides gameplay updates, Definitive Edition will have rebuilt assets for 4K, LAN play and online play with Xbox Live, a new orchestral score of the original soundtrack, campaign narration for every mission, and an enhanced campaign/scenario editor with the option to share via AgeOfEmpires.com.

The idea is to "[retain] the original feel and unique gameplay that made Age of Empires so special for so many." If you'd like to play before launch, the multiplayer beta is adding participants on January 29.

Age of Empires: Definit??ive Edition Launches on February 20 [Xbox Wire]

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Some customers were charged despite the game's delay

It's not news that Forgotten Empires is taking more time to finish Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (the game was delayed to 2018 almost a month ago), but there is more to that story than the typic??al "Sorry for the wait" and "Thanks for understanding" messages. It's a good upate, though. Mostly.

It seems that some pre-orders were "mistakenly charged ahead of schedule" and, as a result, the studio needs to issue refunds. Anyone affected by the errant charge will get their money back and Rise of Nations: Extended Edition on Windows 10 for free. Expect t?o hear more "within the next week."

Lastly, everyone who pre-orders will be invited to the Age of Empires closed beta, with sign-ups available over here. That should help pass the time until launch. That said,? all pre-orders, charged or otherwise, were canceled as part o??f the refunding process. So if you still want in, you'll need to reorder.

"We're dedicated to treating this 20-year-old classic with the respect?? it deserves as a hallmark of video game history," said the developers, "and we're so happy to have your support in doing everything we can to make that happen."

Age of Empires?: Definitive Edition Pre-order Update [Age of Empires]

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Slaughtering villagers will have to wait

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, which was slated to release Oct. 19, has been delayed into the tentative window of early 2018. The news was announced by the development team through a blog post on their website.

In the post, the developers cite a need to rework and modernize the gameplay before they feel comfortable with the final product. To achieve that goal, they, "will instead be inviting thousands more players from th?e community into our closed beta between now and launch to allow for more in-depth testing across single playe??r campaign, multiplayer balance, fine-tuning the lobby, etc."

The team didn't share when the final release would fall, b?esides their goal of putting the game? out by early 2018.

It looks like Microsoft may have jumped the gun in an effort to expedite the release of this game. AoE: DE was announced out of the blue at E3 ??2017, and received a release date mere months after that. T?he game probably needs a little more time in the oven, which seems implied in the developer post.

Sure, giving lots of players access to the closed beta might seem like a consolation prize, but given the devel??opment team's language concerning gameplay, they may actually need to fine-tune mechanics until they feel comfortable with the final product.

Hopefully all goe??s well, and players ??can get their hands on the game soon. 

Age of Empires: DE Release Update [Age of Empires]

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Age of Empires I, II, and III are getting Definitive Editions

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes studio Relic Entertainment is on board for the long-awaited Age of Empires IV. Details are light and the attached trailer doesn't show ??any gameplay, but just knowing who's developing the game has fired up my imagination. I can picture it!

Microsoft announced that in addition to Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (which is coming to Windows 10 on October 19), Age of Empires II and III will also see remastered versions. Y?ou ca?n expect 4K support, an overhauled user interface, updated assets, and even some gameplay enhancements.

This news came out of an hour-long Age of Empires stream that's archived here.

Good to see this series back in the limelight.

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Rise of the Rajas is out next week

It's nearly 2017, and I'm marveling at the fact that Age of Empires II HD is getting official new content.

Forgotten Empires and SkyBox Labs are putting the finishing touches on Rise of the Rajas, a Southeast Asia-set expansion slated for S??team on December 19, 2016. There's four voiced campaigns, more civilizations (Burmese, Khmer, Malay, Vietnamese), battle elephants, and mangrove forests.

It's a strange but? awesome sight to see a game like this running at high resolutions. We've gotten lucky with some of these re-releases and reworks, even if they do have their own issues. I'd? love to see certain other strategy games touched up and expanded upon. (I'm looking at you, Blizz.)

Here's the civilization breakdown for Rise of the Rajas:

• Burmese – Assemble the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia through a legion of Battle Elephants that can demolish the most powerful of defenses. The Burmese unique unit is the Arambai, a ranged cavalry unit with a deadly but low accuracy attack.
• Khmer – Construct the largest religious monument in the world and amass an immortal army of devastating siege weapons. The Khmer unique unit is the Ballista Elephant, a mounted scorpion that can be upgraded to fire two bolts simultaneously.
• Malay – Conquer Southeast Asia with the vast island empire of Malay and upgrade your docks to harbours which can shoot arrows. The Malay unique unit is the Karambit Warrior, an extremely cheap infantry unit that can quickly overwhelm its foes.
• Vietnamese – Lead your people to independence and wage guerilla warfare with an extremely powerful arsenal of ranged units. The Vietnamese unique unit is the Rattan Archer, a heavily-armored ranged unit that is effectively impervious to enemy archer attacks.

Besides that paid content, performance fixes are still coming along. "We've had an open beta over the past few months to identify and correct a few performance issues, and with your help we've managed to reduce desyncs by 90%! With today's announcement of Rise of the Rajas, we're also pushing these performance upgrades live to all of our players for free. Among other things, this makes multiplayer matches much more stable, AND we've added multiplayer restore back in, so if you ever DO lose a match in progress to a desync, you can get it back and pick up where yo?u left off!"

Announcing Age of Empires II HD: Ris???e of the Rajas DLC! [Age of Empires]

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I hear the drums echoing tonight

The team at Forgotten Empires is keeping the real-time strategy dream alive in 2015. On Thursday, Age of Empires II HD will get a new expansion called The African Kingdoms.

Running down this latest trailer, you can expect to find four fully voiced campaigns for the new civilizations (Malians, Berbers, Ethiopians, and Portuguese), reworked water battles, and a Sudden Death ?mode.

As for new maps, we're looking at five random maps, eight real-world maps, and ten special maps. With that latter group, the developers hope to "challenge team play in unconventional ways" and "force pla??yers ??to cooperate."

Lastly, there's going to be improved AI and balance updates, though Forgotten Empires hasn't gotten into specific ch??anges yet. Look for detailed patch notes on November 5.

I'm happy to see games like Age of Empires and Age of Mythology still going strong, but I'd be even happier if Blizzard would remaster the classic Warcraft titles. They know we want it.

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What a time to be alive

Two years later, Age of Empires II HD is still going strong??. So strong that, according to producer Ryan Chaply, more people have spent 50+ hours with the game than there are actual humans living in Little Rock, Arkansas (~200k, says Wikipedia). Better give them something new.

The community team behind The Forgotten, an expansion for Age of Empires II HD released in 2013, is once again collaborating with Skybox. Their next offic??ial, still-unnamed expansion will add "new civilizations, campaigns, game modes, units, and more." And if you want to stick with the vanilla game, "you can look forw??ard to additional support and features that benefit every owner."

More immediately, the developers pushed out an update yesterday that should improve team ??battles and game performance for lower-end machines. Also, support for Windows XP is out (RIP).

Age of Empires II - The path forward [Steam]

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Not like I was expecting any different

The next entry in the long-running Age of Empire series is Castle Siege, a touch-based game built for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 by Smoking Gun Interactive.

Players will gath??er resources and build up civilizations such as the Britons and Teutons and then go on the attack, swiping their finger to send troops into battle to bring down other empires.

If you'd rather skip the trailer, this quote from the announcement should tell you whether or not this "fast-paced experience" is right for you: "Castle Siege is built for you to enjoy the expansiveness of an Age of Empires game with the speed and simplicity of tou??ch-based gaming."

Introducing Age of Empires: Castle Siege [Age of Empires]

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Age of Empires?

Microsoft plans to begin working on a new strategy title. Not that it made a public announcement or anything, but a job posting on LinkedIn&n??bsp;outs its intentions. The position is for a team lead on a "new AAA title within an established and well-loved strategy game f??ranchise."

Right off the bat, this screams Age of Empires as it's been almost three years since Age of Empires Online launched. That's the safe money, but don't discount the idea of another Halo Wars. It may not be "established", a "franchise", or even necessarily "well-loved", but Microsoft's shown a willingness to do almost anything with the Halo name lately.

Software Development Engineer Lead [LinkedIn via NeoGAF]

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I'll pass

A free-to-play, touch-based Age of Empires is exactly what none of us wanted but Microsoft is the latest in a long line of companies that? can't resist chasing after the lucrative mobile market.

This KLab-developed strategy title will hit iOS, Android, and Windows Phone in the summer. It's called Age of Empires: World Domination. Commit that name to memory, and stay away.

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The Forgotten is out now on Steam

I had to do a double take when I heard that all these years later, Age of Empires II has a new expansion out. The Forgotten was originally an unofficial mod before its team collaborated with Skybox Labs for a commercial release. It's available this week as $9.99 DLC for Age of Empires II HD on Steam, as is newly??-added Steam Workshop ??support for mods.

Okay, so what's in here? Five civilizations, including Italians, Indians, Slavs, Magyars, and Incas; four campaigns, one of which is about Dracula; the LudaKRIS map size; integrated Twitch streaming; Spectator mode; and the modes Capture the Relic and Treaty (also known as No Rush). Makes me happy to see AoE live? on, even if it's by way of an HD re-release.

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Having technical issues? This might help

Those of you who happily bought Age of Empires II: HD Edition for nostalgia's sake only to encounter a slew of technical issues, heads up: a new patch for the game might do the trick. "We’ve got a giant excel sheet with threads, posts and tweets bucketed into categories, and sub sheets for various issues, including information to help us try to get the issues we’re seeing resolved," reads a post on the official Steam forum.

To opt in for the patch, right click? on the title in your Steam library, hit "Properties," and choose "Betas." There should be an option for "performance" on the drop-down menu. Fixes include frame-rate and performance improvements, especially for high-end machines, and a bunch of miscellaneous changes to multiplayer. Speaking of which, if you go for this, know that you ??can only play against other folks who also have the same build.

From the sound of it, this is only the beginning of what's in store. The post also talks about an upcoming in-game option for? full screen multimonitor and mouse-bounding. Let us know if this current patch was able to do much o?f anything for you, dear readers.

Patch Notes for ‘performance build’

• Frame rate & performance improvements that increase frame rates up to 50% on low end machines and up to 500% on the high end systems previously experiencing frame rate issues.
• Visual fixes:
  
  • Windows DPI scaling no longer zooms the in-game perspective 
  • Default scroll speed increased
• Multiplayer fixes including:
  
  • Quitting a multiplayer game triggers a resignation instead appearing as a ‘drop’
  • Private lobbies stay private
  • Quick match no longer crashes
  • Long Steam usernames no longer cause crash
  • Hotkeys for multiplayer are correctly saved
  • Lobby now enforces that you only play multiplayer with the same build version
  • Visual indications of players in your lobby and in game who have low frame rate
  • Better networking verification prior to entering game (prevents getting stuck on the voting screen)
  • Performance warning if you have high ping to one other player who isn’t host or if your data is being relayed
  • Multiplayer quick match speed defaults to normal
  • Quick match has additional map size filter
  • Multiplayer Lobby doesn’t lock to a region for displaying games
• Achievements fix: Single player unlocks achievements properly

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I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks

Age of Empires is one of the older strategy game series. Before Supreme Commander, before Sins of a Solar Empire, before even StarCraft, there was Age of Empires.

As a fan of planning and scheming, the series has been a staple to my PC gaming diet for some time. You could not believe my excitement when I saw that there would be an HD remake of both Age of Empires II and the Age of Conquerors expansion for Steam. Middle ages, ??here I come.

Age of Empires II HD Edition 
Developer: Hidden Path Entertainment, Ensemble Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Released: April 9, 2013 (PC)
MSRP: $19.99

Those of you that haven’t played AoE II in a while will probably have some pretty fond memories of the aging strategy title. You’ll likely think of it as one of the greats; spectacularly innovative, well-balanced and displaying a level of detail that would make Renai?ssance painters blu??sh. Then … you’ll start the game.

As great as it might be, the number of changes that have been made here are the absolute bare minimum. There are no HD textures, all of the original sound effects and voice clips have been kept, and none of the mechanics have changed. Everything?? is exactly as we all le?ft it -- for better or worse.

Little in AoE II has aged as well as one might hope. Those used to more sophisticated strat?egy games might find this golden oldie a bit frustrating. There’s no auto-explore, no unit command queues, no building queues, selecting a group of units will often select stray workers, control groups are pretty limited both in terms of number of units you can select and number of control groups ?allowed, and worker AI leaves quite a bit to be desired.

Even so, there’s a kind of purity to the whole thing. Micromanageme??nt and care are a lot more important than they have been in years and the lack of affordances and hand-holding gives a rougher but sometimes more precise experience. I found myself setting rally points much more effectively, and I would often dedicate five of my control groups to villagers or workers speci??fically to help cycle through economic management. For example, in my main lumber-gathering camps, I’d keep one worker in a control group so I could easily reposition the camp, and jump to that group of workers for quick action.

Additionally, I became much more careful with base construction patterns and the arrangement of my buildings and supply lines. Keeping everything organized with so l??ittle help from the computer is hard enough, and I figured working around my own fo?olish base design would make the whole thing intolerable.

This bare-bones approach encourages a much more aggressive, and obsessive style of play. There’s no room for complacency; you can't afford to stop moving or quit paying attention. Quite unlike StarCraft, which is often the same for the first three minutes or so of every match -- build worker after worker, secure more food, then crank out some military. At the very least, AoE will have you manually scouting and switching between various starting food sources while also securing housing, wood supplies, and getting everything set-up for the tech advancement. It’s different?? enough each time that it’s never the same game? twice.

Each of the civilizations is also fairly balanced with a few small exceptions here and there. Generally speaking though, the game is a very appropriate gauge of an enormous number of tactical as well as bigger-strategy skills. The game moves fast enough with other co??mpetent players that you’ll need to be pretty aggressive to keep up, without being so inaccessible that newer or less well-practiced players will be doomed before they ever start.

Similarly, the campaign will take you through some of the more interesting, albeit distressing, moments in the middle ages. It’s all more or less historically accurate, though handled with a fair amount of tact, such that it never veers into unnecessarily offensive territory. If you can teach your children how to play effe??ctively, it’s honestly not a bad tool to teach them a few things about major historical conflicts. I remember learning about the Aztecs and the city of Tenochtitlan from this thing. Enough that I can still spell that city-name properly with one try. Whoever said games weren’t effective teachers?

In all seriousness though, this game is fantastically well-made, even if it a little rough around the edges. Some of the bigger issues with trying to run the thing on modern computers (such as the color bug, and the mouse scroll bug) have been fixed. Plus AoE II now supports a huge range of monitor resolutions, which is nice, even if we&rs??quo;re still stuck with these old textures, but there is Steam Workshop support so things c??ould change down the line by fans.

Yeah, it actually took me longer than I’d like to admit to notice and fully grasp the importance of that inclusion. It’s only been a few days since the game dropped and there are already a pretty decent set of HD texture packs, gameplay tweaks, and tons and tons of other goodies. In the same way that Skyrim took my initial investment of 75 hours and magically extended that to something in the neighborhood of 500, the Workshop for AoE II is an amazing bonus. And, combined with access to multipla?yer via Steam, it's really ?the only addition the game needs.

All told, while a little frustrating if you’re not into tons of micro-management, Age of Empires II HD with the Workshop and updated multiplayer features is an excellent title. The brilliance of the game’s desi??gn is still there, you just might need to look past its age to see it.

The post Review: Age of Empires II HD Edition appeared first on Destructoid.

Plus, Age of Empires II HD, ShootMania Storm, and more

Another quiet week of new releases is ahead of us, but that's okay with me. More time to catch up on m?y backlog and a chance to give my abused wallet a mu?ch needed rest. Still, there are a few things coming out that might pique your interest.

DrinkBox's Metroidvania-inspired luchador romp Guacamelee! is probably the most intriguing title dropping this week. Farmer Juan becomes a super-powered luchador to save El Presidente's daughte??r, and damn, is that art style not wonderful?

Along with that, the free-to-play martial arts MMO Age of Wushu, set in ancient China, launches; Age of Empires II HD will allow us to relive one of strategy's greatest classics; ShootMania Storm, a fast-paced multiplayer shooter, finally gets released after a delay; and a few other games request y?our attention.

What are you getting this week?

Xbox 360: Halo 4 Castle Map Pack

PS3: Guacamelee!

PC: ShootMania Storm, Age of Wushu, Age of Empires II HD, Ocean City Racing

3DS: Dillon's Rolling Western: The Last Ranger, Soccer Up 3D

Vita: Guacamelee!, Table Mini Golf

PSN: XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X, John Daly's Prostroke Golf

XBLA: Motocross Madness

ShootMania Storm (PC)

Age of Wushu (PC)

Age of Empires II HD (PC)

Ocean City Racing (Mac, PC)

Dillon's Rolling Western: The Last Ranger (3DS)

Soccer Up 3D (3DS)

The post New releases: Start off y?our week with Guacamelee! appeared first on Destructoid.

Expansion pack included

Age of Empires II, the 1999 strategy game from Ensemble Studios, is getting an HD remastering and coming to Steam. Age of Empires II HD Edition will hit Steam on April 9, a mere month away. This HD-ified title will also include The Conquerers expansion pack, and is being developed by Hidden Path Entertainment, since Ensemble Studios no longer exists.

Steam Workshop integration and multiplayer lobbies will also be included, turning this into one of the most desirable HD releases in recent memory. There is information on the official website, as well as a link to a Steam store page, whi??ch shows th??e price at $19.99, temporarily cut to $17.99.

Age of Empires II HD arriving April 9 [GameSpot]

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Creating more civilizations wouldn't be cost-effective

Bit of disappointing news for those of you actively playing Age of Empires Online, but nothing can last forever. Excluding some finished content scheduled to hit in the next few weeks, Gas Powered Games won't be adding anything else to this free-to-??play title.

In a rather candid blog post, it is stressed that the game will continue to exist and actual c??ommunity and customer support will continue. While bug fixes and balancing may still happen, expect this process to be "slower and, frankly, more difficult ??for the team. Some may, in fact, be unfixable. We will be watching carefully in case any critical bugs appear."

The reason Gas Powered Games has ceased creating further content is an understandable one: "creating top-tier content, as we have been for the last year and a half, is very expensive -- too expensive to maintain for long, as it turns out. We can no longer afford to keep creating it. AOEO already ??has a very large amount of high-quality, hand-crafted entertainment, and adding more is no longer cost-effective."

Age of Empires O??nlin??e ending new content production as it's "no longer cost-effective" [PC Gamer]

The post No more new content planned for ?Age of Empires Online appeared first on Destructoid.

Game "journalists" believe themselves to be decadent nobles from prestigious times, supping in the banquet halls of the mighty while impoverished simpletons bow and scrape at their mercy. The folk behind Age of Empires Online know exactly how filth like me see ourselves,? and drew this image. 

That's me in the bottom right, joined by fellow arrogant luminaries Jeff Gerstmann??, Larry Hryb, Tina Palacios, Chris Kohler, Stephen Totilo, Br?ian Crecente, Ludwig Kietzmann and Ben Kuchera.

We all think we're so brilliant, when we're really just jumped up pricks with no social skills who will share an advert for a videogame just because som?eone drew us on it. That was self-deprecating humor, and not an actual sentim?ent of bitterness, for those that didn't catch it.  

Age of Empires Online hit Steam this week. It's currently available as an "all-in-wonder bundle" for $16.99, a deal that knocks $33 off? the usual asking price. So that's nice!

The post Age of Em??pires Online knows how game media see themselve??s appeared first on Destructoid.