Age of Empires: Definitive Edition

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.