Age of Empires Online

Strategy is the entree and MMO are the sides here. I've enjoyed the dozens of hours I've put into the game, the biggest question is if it would hold up for dozens of hours more, and my answer to that is I'll unlikely play in any long-term sense, it just hasn't held my interest enough to encourage me to do so.

The free content is extensive, and if you don't like it, you can always quit without spending a dime.

Age of Empires Online combines fantastic gameplay with nice graphics to give a feel of classical antiquity.

You can find a flaw or two in here, but that is just a smirch on the game's face that is suprisingly addicting, and whose free-to-play model is effectively helping to get to more audience – from hardcore maniacs up to their mummies.

As it stands now, Age of Empires Online is a very good game. It still retains the same mechanics and core strategy elements from the original series while adding in an online element that doesn't feel all that intrusive. Even though there's a decent amount of content locked away until you shell out money, there's enough to do here with the base free game. You can have more fun with it compared to some fully paid titles. Time will tell how the game holds up in the long run, especially with more items to buy and a fluctuating user base. With its current model, Age of Empires Online is easy to recommend even if you absolutely have no plans to buy anything for it at any point in time.

Age of Empires Online combines a fantastic RTS gameplay with nice graphics and a freemium model. Players have plenty to do without paying, but is recommended to upgrade.

A recommended game for strategy players and a noteworthy achievement updating the beloved game to current times.

With Age of Empires Online, Robot Entertainment offers a real-time strategy experience for a large public in terms of solo play, and probably one that's more interesting in PVP. But in order to enjoy it, it's really best to purchase a premium civilization. It still remains pretty straightforward and classic, but wrapped up in a nice, overall production, with very polished equipment management, crafting and decoration options for your city.

Age of Empires is updated to compete against the latest versions of mobile and social games. The tactic is obvious: provide a free experience supported by optional subscriptions. The basis of the product are of good quality and adequate enough to attract different types of players, but the specifics details concerning expansions packs will define the user acceptance and the future of the bet ultimately. A very good job for now.

It's a bold attempt at marrying real-time strategy values with MMO elements, and although it's difficult to judge the game until a community has built up around it, the early signs are very positive.

This is a bold step for an RTS into the ripe and unconquered pastures of the Internet, and while it isn't completely surefooted, its spears are certainly sharp.

In Age of Empires Online you manage your very own online kingdom, fight other players and solve quests that require you to complete different objectives such as building temples or destroying enemy towns. At its core, the game plays like a typical real-time strategy game but it doesn't feel too traditional thanks to the various MMORPG features such as skill trees, crafting and equipable items. The game's biggest shortcomings are the lack of skirmish maps and the small player limit in battles. It could also use some more playable civilizations. [Sept 2011]

Age of Empires is a nice free2play game and true to the heart of the series. It has nevertheless some balancing issues especially in coop and the comic look is definitly not for everyone.

Age of Empires Online is pretty, well-designed and a little bit nostalgic RTS. But the shortcomings of a freemium model are obvious here: to win you have to pay. [October 2011, p.99]

In keeping with the chocolate bar metaphor, even apart from these issues, and the hefty price tag associated with the premium content, once you bite past the tasty yet somewhat odd MMO shell there's still a delicious RTS core to savour. Mmm, Age of Empires.