Age of Empires: Definitive Edition

This title is AAA, and it is on PC.

Microsoft delivered a solid remake of a classic old title. Nostalgic for the old ones and a great history lesson for the newer, this is exactly what gamers need while waiting for Age of Empires IV. Legends never die...

The Definitive Edition captures the romanticized memory that we had of this 20 year old classic and puts it in a modern game. The reworked graphics are marvelous and despite some badly aged mechanics like the path finding it is still fun to build your own ancient empire.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a must-play for series vets looking to recapture the nostalgia of their first RTS experience, and well worth a look for new players looking to understand the roots of the RTS genre.

But Age of Empires II HD is still probably the game I’ll go back to most. It’s more interesting, more expansive, better balanced—all the things you’d want from a sequel, basically. And that wouldn’t normally be an issue, except for the fact that Age of Empires: Definitive Edition arrived after its sequel this time around.

There’s clearly been plenty of love and attention given to the remastering of Age of Empires Definitive Edition, even if some of the less enjoyable elements of the original have also made it through the process unscathed. Twenty years later it still remains a hugely enjoyable RTS, and particularly thanks to its iconic soundtrack remains a joy to play, with hours disappearing as the eras pass you by.

While it may not have Civilization’s country-spanning scale or Total War’s grand battles, it’s nevertheless a satisfyingly deep strategy game. Age of Empires may be ancient by videogame standards but this engaging, challenging overhaul is well worth digging up.

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 the original just to see if I was going crazy. No, the 1997 edition never looked this good, and the remaster doesn't douse its legacy in any way.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is still lumbered with some of the quirks of its ‘90s origins. This is understandable - it is a remaster, not a remake - but those quirks do cause some friction. Beneath them, though, the underlying gameplay remains as solid as a fully upgraded phalanx. Indeed, some of its ideas are almost as fresh today as they were 20 years ago, which says something rather damning about the genre as a whole. The game also looks and sounds terrific, and fans of the original will be delighted.

Age of Empires: Definitive breathes new life into an absolute classic, and allows us to put on those rose-tinted glasses for another long campaign across the map, dominating through any means possible and constructing an empire very few could dream of.

The Definitive Edition has fulfilled its most important goals. It revives the first Age of Empires in a more beautiful way than in the memory of the most nostalgic - and removes enough of the legacy that I can enjoy today just as much as it used to. Above all, I can hardly wait to see what the developers will do with the Definitive Edition of the second part.

Age of Empires Definitive Edition manages to fulfill its function as a remaster. The graphics and the sounds are truly a delight, and there are some small playable improvements as well, but these are weighed down by the AI and a pathfinding system which still does not behave as well as it should.

It's the same game, but it now looks better than ever. If you want to go back to one of the games that made history, this is your chance.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition its a good remaster with great visuals but with a formula that, sadly, feels limited and kinda simple for the genre standards of nowadays. Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable game that will appeal mostly to those fans and players who enjoyed the original title from two decades ago.

The legendary RTS milestone comes back with a new look and an updated gameplay, but with some old mechanics and too much crashes, freezes and unstable frame rate, it can't be still a masterpiece.

The legendary Age of Empires returns with a good remake that makes a great job bringing the classic to the new era without loses its essence.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition does an excellent job of improving its graphical performance, but it still feels too outdated for newcomers.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is the perfect game for old gamers. It's a visual reborn with the same gameplay mechanics. This is good... but bad as well.

No doubt it would have been interesting to see some alternate take or variations in this remaster, perhaps in a secondary ‘modern mode’ with streamlined controls, updated AI, and less tech-tree clutter. But as a reasonably priced remaster that doesn’t mess with the original apart from implementing some minor improvements and all the bug fixes and content that came with later expansions it’s hard to fault Age of Empires: Definitive Edition. A fun, engaging trip down RTS memory-lane.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a beautiful history lesson about a genre-defining game, which would've been a whole lot better if the AI had reached is definitive form as well. The new aesthetic makes it easy to ignore the obsolete, underlying technology for a few campaigns, but it would really be a feat to stay entertained for all 10 of them.

I still have major concerns about the game's combat, but Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a good history lesson for what inspired me and so many others to love RTS genre so much. It’s a brilliant game with a ton of content and for such a low entry price, I think it’s worth a look even if it’s not perfect.

It’s a very solid remaster of a classic game, and those looking for a nostalgia trip to 20 years ago should look no further. Some of the quirks are still present, even the original cheats, ultimately making this the true Definitive Edition.

Quotation forthcoming.

The target audience for this Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is clearly nostalgic people. This remaster is a nice starter to wait for the main course: Age of Empires IV. Despite bugs such as a shameful pathfinding and some zoom problems, this is not a lazy version. Graphics and audio improvements are enough to once again enjoy one of the most important games in PC games History.

The return of one of the vicars in the RTS genre is a mix between nostalgic memories and learning how to manage your rage. The same problems that in 90s were the norm now are huge problems that can make you shout at your citizens.

While Age of Empires was once the best game of its kind, the Definitive Edition’s changes are only superficial, ignoring the gameplay advancements that have improved the genre since 1997. As such, only existing fans will fully appreciate it.

It’s equal parts frustration and exhilaration, awesome when you’re winning, aggravating when a moment’s lapse leads to ignominious defeat. Yet the forward-thinking mission design and the pace and balance of the gameplay means it’s still weirdly addictive and absorbing. It’s no longer the best of its kind, but this is one historical artefact that’s still worth playing here and now.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is the return of the iconic brand, but the times change and the RTS went ahead.

It’s not perfect, but it’s still pretty fun. With single- and multiplayer offerings and a wealth of nostalgia, it’s hard to do wrong with Age of Empires: Definitive Edition.

Whether you really wanted it this way or not, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is about as pure of a remaster as you’re ever going to find. The visuals and sound are all upgraded for a modern era without changing the heart of the game. However, with the vastly superior Age of Empires II HD already in existence with five years of community built up around it, there is little reason to recommend this game unless you’re just dying to play extremely early era civilizations.

After hours spent in the world of Age of Empires - Definitive Edition, we still don't have the answer to the real question: why should we play this remake? Gameplay-wise, the genre has seen a lot of improvements over the years, and the developers weren't bold enough to give a fresh start to the original title. At the end of the day, this seems more and more like a wasted opportunity.

I’m torn. On the one hand it’s Age of Empires as I remember it, atmosphere and spirit intact. On the other hand despite refreshed graphics it’s simply an old game so sentiment seems the only driving factor here. [04/2018, p.61]

It’s difficult to play a game like this in isolation. Sooner or later, the mind wanders back to the present – the truth is, the genre has come on in leaps and bounds since Age of Empires came on the scene all those years ago and this is one remaster that feels like it doesn’t really belong.

Age of Empires Definitive Edition is stuck between past and present. On the one hand this is a beautiful remake with nostalgic gameplay, but the problems of the past still plague the game, making the Definitive Edition a shell of its former self.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a game stuck midway between the past and the present. The remastering process took a lot of work and turned out pretty good but I can't understand why the gameplay was left intact without any modern polish. At first, the nostalgia was strong but fighting with the archaic solutions over and over again for a few hours was too much for me and I got bored.

The nostalgic flair from back in the early strategy days is still there. But sind RTS came such a long way and has improved even with its successor (in 1999) tremendously, the gameplay deficits are also more evident.

A questionable operation.

Not even beautiful graphics, new animations and a great soundtrack can hide the fact that Age of Empires isn’t good enough according to modern standards. Remaster brings some nostalgic feelings but only when you get over the technical issues, lags and AI mistakes.

Even though the Definitive Edition is a beautiful reimagining of a classic and definite RTS it doesn’t go the extra step to modernize the gameplay or at least fix several issues existing in the 1997 version. The nostalgia factor can drive the experience so much before remembering ultimately the several limitations of this old pioneer.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a very faithful remake that captures every single quality of the original title. That means you're getting a wonderful new presentation alongside all of the blemishes of the past.

If you're set on playing the original Age of Empires, this is far and away the best way to do so. That said, real-time strategy is a very feature-heavy genre. While this is the tightest the original AoE has ever been, it’s still sluggish and stripped-down compared to almost any modern offering.

With Definitive Editions of the later installments on the horizon, Age of Empires is once again poised to be overshadowed. If you have an overwhelming sense of nostalgia about the birth of the series, this does an excellent job of preserving it while making it considerably more palatable, but for a trip down memory lane, it sure is expensive.

While it is certainly one of the most accessible RTS games I've ever played, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition does feel too outdated for newcomers. Unintelligent AI, monotony, and unbalanced gameplay hold it back from competing with modern strategy games out right now.

The graphical and audio enhancements are phenomenal and huge selling points, but having a pretty game without responsive AI quickly makes those enhancements meaningless. The heart and soul of the game is there, even in the tutorial, but it’s simply too old.

Age of Empires does not really age well and the new look and soundtrack do not really change much about it.

Age of Empires has been one of the most beloved RTS in the Nineties; this release, which is a carbon copy of the original, is the result of a nostalgia operation that we did not need.

As of right now, this is a title that can only be recommended for fans of the original game, as Age of Empires II is a more complex, deep, and a better release in every way.

A well-crafted remaster but this ancient real-time strategy has little to offer modern gamers, especially when the sequel is already readily available.