Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Review

“By no means return”

Above are the phrases which mirror the strongly held beliefs of a sure member of TheXboxHub crew. With regards to making video games within the present age, you’ll seldom discover wiser phrases. However generally, simply generally, it’s completely value going again. 

I additionally needed to pinch myself as a result of after discovering that BBC Three was again on the telly similtaneously Age of Empires II: Definitive Version returned to the forefront of gaming, I used to be satisfied I’d mastered the artwork of time journey. 

Within the spirit of full disclosure, I have to say that I’m an enormous fan of the unique recreation. It was one of many few that I may play on the household PC as a child, requiring a whopping 8MB of RAM to run correctly. I vividly bear in mind unwrapping it on Christmas morning, and getting misplaced in a world stuffed with marvel, pleasure and hazard. 

However, can a recreation which is properly over twenty years previous maintain up within the present day? The brief reply is sure, as a result of Age of Empires II is considered one of, if not the greatest technique recreation of all time. If you’re constructing on foundations akin to these, it’s very arduous to go improper.

For these of you who aren’t acquainted with the unique (though I’m not fairly positive how that’s doable), Age of Empires II is an actual time technique recreation which follows a few of historical past’s most influential figures and civilisations. Simply watching the William Wallace intro backed by the narration washed over me with a wave of warming nostalgia.

Usually, you begin off at nighttime ages with a small tribe and must handle your economic system with a purpose to develop. In fact, you’ll always come beneath hearth from enemy forces so constructing and sustaining a military is important. There are all kinds of situations thrown at you, in addition to totally different recreation modes you possibly can play akin to Regicide, Marvel Race and so many extra.

The sport has been re-released a number of occasions over time (even for the PlayStation 2), however in 2019 the definitive version hit the PC to mark the sport’s twentieth anniversary. Nonetheless, this wasn’t merely a remake, however a brand new begin for the sport with recent campaigns and updates often being carried out. 

There’s numerous content material right here too. There are a great deal of missions to get your enamel into (every thing because the unique in reality) providing lots of of hours of gameplay in whole. “The Final Khans” is a brand new growth which provides three extra campaigns and 4 by no means earlier than out there civilisations to play as. 

Alongside new content material, there are rolling tweaks to the sport’s UI in addition to the state of affairs editor, which lets you create your individual tales if in case you have the talents and persistence to take action. 

As with every technique recreation the true check when porting it over to a console is getting the controls proper. How on earth do you translate all these menus and clicks over to a controller, and not using a mouse and keyboard? Properly, it’s merely a case of reinventing the wheel.

This was probably the most important problem with bringing Age of Empires II: Definitive Version to the Xbox. Nonetheless, by means of intelligent use of the D-Pad and several other choice wheels, all of it comes collectively very well. Key inputs, akin to discovering an idle villager, are assigned to the D-Pad. It’s also possible to maintain a unique path down to spotlight all your army items, for instance. 

You possibly can take additional management by splitting your inhabitants into teams, holding LB, after which assigning them to the D-Pad too. This helps you handle a number of occasions at a time, and break up items successfully relying on the enemy you might be dealing with. Or, you possibly can maintain down A to open a variety subject and run it over each unit you need to choose. Nonetheless you play, the setup lets you take good management of your armies.

One advice I’d make relating to the default controls is to show the reticule snap command off. This routinely strikes the cursor over the closest unit, however I discovered it to be too inaccurate to be helpful when attempting to select between the group. 

When it comes to unit instructions and constructing capabilities, merely holding RT down will open up a wheel with all your out there choices. You possibly can then choose what you need to do with the thumbstick and press A to execute the motion. The controls are stuffed with intuitive little thrives akin to the power to string collectively instructions by holding LT. This implies it’s simple to have a scout discover a set path (they’ll even be set to auto mode), or guarantee your villager builds sufficient homes to your inhabitants with out you having to always verify in on them. Between the fluid management format and plethora of recreation settings, you actually do have numerous energy over the way you play Age of Empires II: Definitive Version. We’ve come a good distance since having to rebuild farms once they expire.

Often considered one of my items would get caught in some surroundings, or if the queue at one of many army buildings grew to become crowded a few people would grow to be trapped inside. It was a uncommon prevalence, however proof that the odd glitch stays.

My solely actual main gripe is one which I bear in mind encountering within the unique recreation. In sure conditions, the AI will stumble and your items will do one thing a bit silly. Whether or not that’s merely standing nonetheless and taking some arrows to the top, or grouping collectively as a siege weapon reigns down loss of life, your technique can collapse in the event you don’t hold your eyes on what’s occurring. You possibly can change the “stance” or behaviour of your items to a level, however this gained’t resolve all your issues. As a substitute, you’ll typically must manually intervene and take corrective motion while shouting “What are you doing?!” in sheer panic.

Dodgy AI additionally works in your favour nonetheless. Typically enemies will merely stand idly by as you collect treasured assets, or will run at your partitions regardless of close by towers choosing them off with ease. The whole lot within the recreation feels prefer it has leaped ahead significantly, except the AI which hasn’t fairly made the identical strides.

I’ve at all times beloved the uniquely stylised civilizations and Age of Empires II: Definitive Version delivers these in eye popping 4k. It appears similar to the unique with a glow up and a few new animations, however this isn’t a foul factor because the design has at all times been good. And there’s something extremely satisfying about watching the crumbling particles of a constructing you’ve simply razed to the bottom. The unique soundtrack has additionally been remastered, containing these basic tunes with some new twists thrown in for good measure.

Regardless of all this, essentially the most thrilling factor about Age of Empires II: Definitive Version is the trouble free multiplayer. I bear in mind the times of logging in to MSN Gaming Zone praying that luck was on my facet and I’d be capable to get into a web based recreation. When that was no extra, a pal of mine managed to discover a workaround so we may play on-line collectively. How far we have now come since then.

Clean matchmaking was first made a actuality a couple of years in the past on the PC, however now it’s lastly out there on console. Not solely this, however a brand new co-op mode has just lately been added too which lets you deal with sure marketing campaign missions along with your mates. 

Taking part in Age of Empires II: Definitive Version with buddies is as simple as some other recreation in your Xbox. The choices out there to you aren’t watered down both, or you possibly can go for the default settings in the event you simply need to bounce in. There are even actual world maps out there to play, or particular places for a unique problem.

As you most likely count on, enjoying with different people is numerous enjoyable. Chatting techniques, revisiting previous chat inputs (11 anybody?) and dashing in to avoid wasting one another is extra exhilarating than ever. My most popular tactic, erecting partitions of doom after which sitting deep to tech up, feels much less dangerous if I’ve a couple of villagers camped in my ally’s base as a backup. 

There’s a lot extra I may ramble on about in the case of Age of Empires II: Definitive Version. The basic has had new life breathed into it, and is properly supported by Xbox Sport Studios for the console market, having fun with a thriving group as soon as once more. It holds a particular place in my coronary heart and it’s an absolute pleasure to play on Xbox, which is the most important triumph right here. The entire expertise bodes properly for Age of Empires IV, which can also be as a consequence of land this yr on residence consoles.

It’s not essentially what’s been completed to the sport which makes it so good, however the way it highlights the genius of the unique. Positive, Age of Empires II: Definitive Version has been properly polished and given a great deal of new content material, however extra importantly this has helped what made the unique so particular shine even brighter. 

Age of Empires II: Definitive Version brings a real basic again for a brand new era. Whether or not you’re a die arduous technique fan or first time invader, there isn’t any higher place to begin.

Age of Empires II: Definitive Version is on the Xbox Retailer and Sport Go