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.