Age of Empires Online

 PC
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 189 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 65 out of 189
  2. Mixed: 57 out of 189
  3. Negative: 67 out of 189
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  1. Bluey
    Aug 21, 2011
    3
    AOE: Online is one of those games that deserves 2 scores in a review. One for what it sets out to do, and one for what it does. At the core of the experience is a highly addictive, fun and competitive online RTS game. Mixed into it are RPG elements such as quests, loot, upgrades and epic items. These let you customize your army to your hearts extent. The upgrades are significant, able toAOE: Online is one of those games that deserves 2 scores in a review. One for what it sets out to do, and one for what it does. At the core of the experience is a highly addictive, fun and competitive online RTS game. Mixed into it are RPG elements such as quests, loot, upgrades and epic items. These let you customize your army to your hearts extent. The upgrades are significant, able to buff the strength of a unit by more than 50%. It makes every match different as you'll encounter players with different items and units at their disposal. While there are still the expected balance issues, it's a fantastic experience.

    But there are negatives to this game, unfortunately a lot of them. The main problem is it's payment model. It claims to be a micro-transaction game but nothing could be less true. The cheapest items you'll find are $7.50 each, and consist of a pack of trees or statues to place in your capital for decoration. Seems pricey? Wait until you see the rest. A premium Civilization will set you back $20 for each one you buy. If you want to purchase everything there is for the next six months, it'll cost you $100. But it's free to play right? No. Unlike other similar F2P Microtransaction titles, Age of Empires cripples its free players. If you don't pay, you have no Advisors (which buff your units), you cannot get equip rare or epic items, and some units will simply be locked out entirely. The power of the locked out units is far greater than the default ones, as demonstrated early on when the game gives you a few of them to mess around with in a PvE scenario. Lacking units plus loot, a free player will NEVER be able to beat a paid subscriber who knows what he's doing. The advantage is just too big, meaning it's pay2win.

    That set aside, there are plenty of issues with the game balance itself as well. For starters, matchmaking is downright broken. When you first set foot in PvP, you'll be level 6. Without hesitating, the game will match you against level 20+ players time and time again. Not only will their identical units be twice as powerful as yours, they'll be able to tech up to an age you don't have access to. You'll be pounding his Tier 3 reinforced stone fortress to no avail with your Tier 1 Spearman as you realize that no matter how many units you produce, you have no way of winning. The RTS games themselves are slowpaced. Your Town Hall, the village-producing default building, comes with a free turret inside it and a crapload of health. Rushing and harassing is impossible here as it chews up tier 1 units and puts the hurt on tier 2 as well. That means the first 5 minutes of every match are the same. Make villagers, get resources, tech up and build units. It becomes tedious fast. Unlock more modern RTSes, there's no constant back and forth here. You want a surefire way to win? Keep your army in 1 place, wait until your ready and storm the opposing army. Expanding beyond your main base is unneccessary and pointless the first 40 minutes and will rarely come into play.

    The PvE factor, the only content available for free players, is downright boring. The first 4-5 hours consist of only tutorial missions. There's no story here, no voice acting or cutscenes. It's build your base and destroy the opposing base. It wouldn't be so bad if the AI gave you any resistance at all, but it doesn't. They send the same 4-5 men to your base every 5 minutes, and your town hall alone is usually sufficient to fend them off. These missions would be over in minutes were it not for the enemy towers placed everywhere that chew up your units. Again, boring, and repetitive.

    It all adds up to a very flawed experience. There's some great fun here. The loot system is unique and addictive. The PvP can be very satisfying, and CooP PvE is still fun as always. The horde-like Crete addon you can purchase is engaging and challenging. But the payment model is unfair to freeloaders. Without those, your community will crumble due to the lack of players. Microsoft has overpriced their content by at least 50% here and made some very poor choices as to what to give to free players. Make no mistake, this game is not free to play. You get a stripped down demo as a free player and have no chance to win. It's a business model that leaves a very sour taste, and I hope that the game fails miserably because of it. So in what it tries to do, I'll give it a 9/10. It's addictive and can be great fun.
    But for what it accomplishes, a 3/10 is generous, and I'm feeling generous today.    … Expand
  2. Adalonus
    Aug 24, 2011
    3
    First off, I'm pretty sure the concept of Free to Play and Micro-transaction games have been lost. Free to Play means exactly what it sounds like. FREE. Full content available to you for the low price of $0. Micro-transaction means the full game is available, but different things are available to individuals for a dollar or two. Different models and skins are available to buy along withFirst off, I'm pretty sure the concept of Free to Play and Micro-transaction games have been lost. Free to Play means exactly what it sounds like. FREE. Full content available to you for the low price of $0. Micro-transaction means the full game is available, but different things are available to individuals for a dollar or two. Different models and skins are available to buy along with experience boosters and cash to in-game money transactions are allowed as well for the more casual gamer who wants to be on equal footing as the more hardcore gamer without putting in equal time. In no way should this give someone a competitive advantage who would normally be on equal footing with someone else. Age of Empires Online misses this. The game is incomplete unless you start handing your paycheck over to Microsoft.

    Now for the actual game (or at least what's available). There's nothing wrong with cartoony graphics on a "Free to Play" game. The missions are mind-numbingly repetitive and the MMO aspect is a far stretch. The idea to try to mix an RTS with the permanent aspect of an MMO is brilliant, but AoE:O only succeeds in adding items and a chat box.

    To sum up my feelings on this game: Brilliantly incomplete. I'll give half the score they could have had for half the game they gave me minus a point for lying about it being F2P/Micro-transaction. (8/2)-1= 3    … Expand
  3. paketep
    Sep 1, 2011
    0
    I have bought every Age of xx game there have been up to now. This is not one. This is a sad sad farmvillized clone perpetrated by the suits of Microsoft that tries to dime and nickle you into boredom. Don't bother, there are so much better RTSs out there. I just wish they hadn't pissed all over the name of this once great franchise.
  4. Extreme74
    Aug 29, 2011
    1
    Well I was looking forward to this game. I downloaded it the first day and decided after the first day to get the $40 content DLC. Well I was fighting random game crash after game crash since i started. I decided to reinstall the game to hopefully fix the problem. And now I can't even start the game up. So the time I did get to play it was a good game but again the word is "get toWell I was looking forward to this game. I downloaded it the first day and decided after the first day to get the $40 content DLC. Well I was fighting random game crash after game crash since i started. I decided to reinstall the game to hopefully fix the problem. And now I can't even start the game up. So the time I did get to play it was a good game but again the word is "get to play" Going to try and get a refund but i am not holding my breath and then wait until they fix the bugs (if they do) not really seeing a lot of info on Microsoft side on the forums. Good luck with the game.… Expand
  5. Chapy
    Aug 18, 2011
    4
    Competitive player review incoming. First things first, let's get 'free' out of the way. This game is not free. The DEMO is free, that is, the two somewhat playable races are free, the two lowest level gear tiers are free (common/uncommon), and mind numbing PvE is free. This game does do what it sets out to do, however. It was designed to be casual, to be easy and thoughtless and to make aCompetitive player review incoming. First things first, let's get 'free' out of the way. This game is not free. The DEMO is free, that is, the two somewhat playable races are free, the two lowest level gear tiers are free (common/uncommon), and mind numbing PvE is free. This game does do what it sets out to do, however. It was designed to be casual, to be easy and thoughtless and to make a ton of money, and it will likely succeed in all areas. It's not a 'free' game for anyone who enjoys PvP or balance for that matter. It's not a game for anyone who LIKES MONEY, since each race costs what the price of the entire game should be, $20 dollars. Worse yet, unless I am missing something while I painstakingly searched all the controls and settings, they don't even provide hotkeys outside of opening up the settings and controls and digging around for them. No, that barracks you want to build, there is a hotkey but you're too stupid to be told what it is, just click on it. That is the tone of the entire game, a casual, boring, anti-competitive money sink. Cannot recommend this to like-minded tryhards like myself, or anyone who enjoys a challenge for that matter.… Expand
  6. DrIron
    Sep 1, 2011
    0
    This may just be the worst MMO I've ever seen in my life. $20 per civ, a pay-to-win system, and wonky gameplay compared to previous Age of Empires games are signs that this game won't survive long. I find it hard to believe this was even meant to be a serious game and not an attempt to just see how far you could take microtransactions, and how much you could charge for them. A season passThis may just be the worst MMO I've ever seen in my life. $20 per civ, a pay-to-win system, and wonky gameplay compared to previous Age of Empires games are signs that this game won't survive long. I find it hard to believe this was even meant to be a serious game and not an attempt to just see how far you could take microtransactions, and how much you could charge for them. A season pass alone is $100.… Expand
  7. ImmoralAtheist
    Aug 18, 2011
    3
    Microtransaction model ruins balance, and has changed the gameplay mechanics into something worse.
    It's supposed to be a strategy game, but this economic model seems to have greatly harmed that.
    Crappy AI, especially on water maps. Very generic quests. No MMO. It's a multiplayer game, with global chat possibilities, and other players can see your home town. That graphics themselves aren't    Microtransaction model ruins balance, and has changed the gameplay mechanics into something worse.
    It's supposed to be a strategy game, but this economic model seems to have greatly harmed that.
    Crappy AI, especially on water maps.
    Very generic quests.
    No MMO. It's a multiplayer game, with global chat possibilities, and other players can see your home town.
    That graphics themselves aren't that big of an issue. What I don't like though, is that combat lacks any sense of fierceness. It feels just as cartoonish as the graphics. It kinda sounds like they're fighting with training weapons.    … Expand
  8. lordjrs
    Oct 2, 2011
    0
    I loved AoE 1 and AoE 2, and also i loved Microsoft for making one of the greatest RTS in history. No More. This game is a demo, because you can only play with 2 races. You must pay to gain access to the other races that are more OP than the free races. So basically this game is another attempt to gain money squeezing a good franchise. Don't even play it, please.
  9. rabbit
    Aug 19, 2011
    1
    As some others have already said, there is nothing "free" about this game whatsoever. You can actually join the game and level all your way up to level 40, which is really boring as the quests are really repetitive. Nevertheless, you can do it if you want to.

    On the other hand, the "PvP" which should be the main part of the game as any other AoE game is highly restricted to free players,    As some others have already said, there is nothing "free" about this game whatsoever. You can actually join the game and level all your way up to level 40, which is really boring as the quests are really repetitive. Nevertheless, you can do it if you want to.

    On the other hand, the "PvP" which should be the main part of the game as any other AoE game is highly restricted to free players, you can't even play against a friend, nor choose your ally when playing 2v2 matches.

    With the extremely abusive prices, $20 for one civ, and future features which should be in the game in the first place and for free were already announced, and they will charge for them.
    I played through the beta so I know how the game is like, it is fun in "PvP" when you have all the implemented features (despite many bugs after public release), but again, you'll have to spend **** of money to actually get the full game.

    In the end, it could be great. However, it is clearly targeted on MMO and RPG players, as people are treating those boring quests as the actual game, when the multiplayer ("PvP") should be everything the game is about. This should be a RTS game after all. I guess.    … Expand
  10. Parvarteshwar
    Aug 21, 2011
    4
    The Age of Empires series has been on a slope which peaked with the release of Age of Mythology. The Titans, Age of Empires 3 + Expansions have all been falling down that slippery slope. Unfortunately, the valley is nowhere in sight with Age of Empires online and the true fans of the game will find that this slope also comes with many toll stops. The game does present some new andThe Age of Empires series has been on a slope which peaked with the release of Age of Mythology. The Titans, Age of Empires 3 + Expansions have all been falling down that slippery slope. Unfortunately, the valley is nowhere in sight with Age of Empires online and the true fans of the game will find that this slope also comes with many toll stops. The game does present some new and enjoyable features, like a campaign with many missions, customizable units, well-balanced game-play and the online feature is also well instigated. However, even though the free version is free, you get a small amount of material (less than 5 hours of game-play). You are also blocked from many technologies, units, buildings, and civilizations. It would be more accurately defined as a generous demo than a game. The main flaw of this game is the huge price tag for the entire content, $100 for all the civs. There has been a recent trend of many games studios to release DLCs instead of an expansion or new game, the reason being that fans will pay $10 for a glittery new feature but will only pay $20 for an entire expansion. The cost of the entire version of AOE Online can reach $100 but even with all the premium content you are still looking at a game which feels incomplete. Then the realization appears that a huge amount of content has been withheld for the DLC goldmine. This is where the evil Microsoft monster rears its ugly head, squeezing every nickle and dime out of a game that who best be described as "family friendly". Thats right, all of the fans out there who have enjoyed the game since its humble beginnings do not even have a challenge worthy of their time, but at least there kids will be occupied with 10 hours of content at $10/hour. My prediction right now is that by the end of the year enough DLCs will be released to increase the full content price by 50%. My advice, go with Starcraft 2, even though Blizzard is raking in as much money as god with WoW they still had enough respect for their fans to release a complete game, and at half the cost of AOE Online.… Expand
  11. scottslod
    Sep 7, 2011
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. age of empires feels s lot more as a limited demo then even close a f2p or even pay one or more time(s) for the first 10 levels you stuck with tutorial quests with can only get skipped if you have the done it with the same civilization. after that the quest get someting of interest and there after gets repeatable un till you reached a sertan lvl but then again some new quest with alot of repeatable and before you know if you held long enough . then you will already reached the max lvl of 40 shortly. and you will ask yourself how long am i going to play it? for f2p you will be on a very short least of wat you need like a good balance vs premium, store space, and resource gathering in you capital, and limited buildings for in your capital and a limits every were and a constant reminder to get premium *if* you decide to get premium (with it rather had needed at lvl 20 or higher) you find yourself rather scammed for wat you receive the price you paying for even the smallest things (its about 50-75% overpriced) f2p members risk getting items on quest witch the cant discard unless they go get premium wat is disturbing because you already far to limited on the storage space. you got. don't, expect *free* pvp or a sandbox game like you could at the previous age of empires. keep you 20 USD or euros in your pocket for something else, this game isn't worth it even for its f2p… Expand
  12. Sula
    Sep 4, 2011
    1
    Rip off for money. There is your another f2p / microtrransaction rip-off system that is widespread in mmorpg's and now it's coming for other genres. Sure you can try to play for free , but it is nothing more like a handicapped demo. People that had spend $ will roll over you with no problem, they just have advantage over free player. Like in all f2p games.
    But maybe so want to pay? Then    Rip off for money. There is your another f2p / microtrransaction rip-off system that is widespread in mmorpg's and now it's coming for other genres. Sure you can try to play for free , but it is nothing more like a handicapped demo. People that had spend $ will roll over you with no problem, they just have advantage over free player. Like in all f2p games.
    But maybe so want to pay? Then you will get 2 civilizations for 40$ + if you want to be competetive you need to spend another ~20$ for civilization booster packs + there are still separate items in item store for additional $. Then new civilization will come for and each is at least 20-30$. Remember item store is still offering more. Previous AoE games shipped with alot of content and with like 8-12 civilizations each for one time expense of 40-50$. Really AoE Online is a rip-off compared to it.

    Add a graphics that resemble cartoons for 6 year old kids , bad AI , boring missions and that game give a feeling like go spend spend $ = win then you have full view.

    Vote with your wallet and buy & play games that don't use microtransactions , item stores and things like that , which will cost you way more than your usual flat-rate game that you buy for 50$ or eventually 40-50$ + subscription.    … Expand
  13. Monkeyspode
    Sep 30, 2011
    2
    The game started out poorly and has only gone downhill since. More then 6 weeks after launch we finally got the first patch. The patch did not fix a single issue people had been complaining about since launch. In fact the only thing it did was make game balance worse then prior.

    Avoid this game at all costs, the developers are running this historical franchise into the ground.
  14. Willowimp
    Mar 31, 2012
    0
    I have to give this game a zero. I downloaded the game through Steam as they had the All-In-Wonder Bundle for 66% off. But unlike other Steam games, I can't just simply download the game and play it. This "Games of Windows Live" App keeps popping up and I've tried several times to register, create a profile, download patches, etc.. and nothing I do seems to please it. So since Games ofI have to give this game a zero. I downloaded the game through Steam as they had the All-In-Wonder Bundle for 66% off. But unlike other Steam games, I can't just simply download the game and play it. This "Games of Windows Live" App keeps popping up and I've tried several times to register, create a profile, download patches, etc.. and nothing I do seems to please it. So since Games of Windows Live won't let me log into the game, it's a fail. Too bad, because I absolutely loved the first three AoE games.… Expand
  15. deadstoned
    Feb 25, 2012
    3
    The destruction of a once mighty franchise, this game defecates on its predecessors. The Games for Windows LIVE client will also try its best to prevent your play. This franchise deserved better, if you want to play Age of Empires stick to the original trilogy or Cossacks.
  16. Mmmmph
    Aug 28, 2012
    0
    Avoid this game, avoid this game at all costs. it requires games for windows live to work. its a free game that requires a cd key, so to get it working you have to go to "buy" it from xbox.com because games for windows live doesn't exist anymore and have to put in billing information to secure your 0$ purchase. This problem has been around since March 2012 and nobody(not least theAvoid this game, avoid this game at all costs. it requires games for windows live to work. its a free game that requires a cd key, so to get it working you have to go to "buy" it from xbox.com because games for windows live doesn't exist anymore and have to put in billing information to secure your 0$ purchase. This problem has been around since March 2012 and nobody(not least the developers or Microsoft) wants to fix it. so after you install the game you have to search through forums in order to make it work at all. and after all that if you bought dlc on steam you are fresh out of luck because nobody has an answer as to how to redeem that dlc.
    Nobody will help you with the fundamentally broken GFWL. They have your money they don't care what you think of them. I cannot comment on the game itself because after two hours of trying to get it working I've pretty much given up on any hope that it actually exists.    … Expand
  17. azadi
    Aug 18, 2011
    4
    The gameplay is somewhat fun and do not mind the nice,low-poly-so-it-runs-on-everything artstyle that is now featured in so many games. The price structure on the otherhand is not okay. The free is content is nothing more then a demo which would be okay. But the cost to buy content is very overpriced. This doesn't even deserve the name "micro"transactions anymore, what they're asking forThe gameplay is somewhat fun and do not mind the nice,low-poly-so-it-runs-on-everything artstyle that is now featured in so many games. The price structure on the otherhand is not okay. The free is content is nothing more then a demo which would be okay. But the cost to buy content is very overpriced. This doesn't even deserve the name "micro"transactions anymore, what they're asking for are macrotransactions. Yes, there's some free content, but to me personally, this feels like the biggest rip-off since the infamous horse armour, and I am not one to complain about game prices usually. If you want something that comes close in content to what an RTS gave you in the past, you'll pay a multiple. What's worse, they're testing the waters with this, obviously. It pains me to say so, but I hope this experiment - with its current pricing structure fails spectacularly.… Expand
  18. Roulette
    Oct 2, 2011
    0
    "Worst Age of Empires game in the franchise" is a bit of an understatement. "Worst RTS release of the past 5 years" is more suitable.

    I waited until after the first patch was released before posting any sort of review anywhere online, and wow, I'm glad I waited. The "Patch" that was supposed to fix major bugs and add new 'Legendary' content to the game didn't do much more than introduce    "Worst Age of Empires game in the franchise" is a bit of an understatement. "Worst RTS release of the past 5 years" is more suitable.

    I waited until after the first patch was released before posting any sort of review anywhere online, and wow, I'm glad I waited. The "Patch" that was supposed to fix major bugs and add new 'Legendary' content to the game didn't do much more than introduce game-crushing lag, 2 new Dupe exploits, and recycled end-game Quests with the difficulty dialed up to 11. No new content, just new bugs and new reasons to never play this game ever again.

    To make matters worse, the GPG/MS team has decided to take the ever-popular stance of banning players who are critical of the game on their forums.

    Adding to all of this is the ridiculous pricing model which has the stink of Microsoft all over it.

    Stay very far away from this game.    … Expand
  19. BlasterMan
    Oct 12, 2011
    2
    Lets start with the obvious. This game is not good. You can get a very small amount of enjoyment in a few missions, which is why I gave it a 2 instead of a 0.

    Okay now for the reasons for my score. 1. RTS = Real Time STRATEGY but there is no strategy in the missions. You simply attack some random target with a mass of troops. 2. The campaign is not really a true campaign but a bunch    Lets start with the obvious. This game is not good. You can get a very small amount of enjoyment in a few missions, which is why I gave it a 2 instead of a 0.

    Okay now for the reasons for my score.
    1. RTS = Real Time STRATEGY but there is no strategy in the missions. You simply attack some random target with a mass of troops.
    2. The campaign is not really a true campaign but a bunch of random missions where you do unimportant attacks in order to gain levels (in a killing boars in WoW kind of way).
    3. The story is quite bad. In previous AOE games, the stories were great, for instance I remember the Ghengis Kahn mission being excellent. The story in this game is quite thin.
    4. The PvP (unranked) is quite bad. You can be level 8 or 10 and play someone that's any level at all. They have no level comparison. This means that you could potentially have 3 or 4 units TOTAL and you're playing against folks that have everything. Why bother doing PvP? The previous AOE games were significantly better with multiplayer.
    5. I understand that they are trying to sell premium civs but seriously, do they have to mention it every 10 seconds?

    I could go on but I've probably already lost 75% of the readers. Suffice it to say, this game is pretty bad but the single player campaign is (believe it or not) more boring than bad. This game literally makes me want to go to bed in the middle of a mission. The only actual good thing about AOEO is that if you care about achievements, you can get some in this game after just a few short hours of gameplay and not pay for the game to get them.    … Expand
  20. Bruce9000
    Oct 15, 2011
    0
    I gave AoE:O a try, but sadly technical glitches stopped me getting over the first hurdle. I can start the game, sign into GFWL, but after choosing my civ the game dies with a BND022 error. No help from the forums. Epic fail. There's hundreds of games on Steam that work - go there instead.
  21. Gabbo
    Oct 10, 2011
    2
    Terrible. complete waste of time. Quests are repetitive, and usually amount to "go here and destroy a Hut" I got to level five and cant say anything has been the least bit satisfying. Almost no strategy like in previous AOE.The game actually wont let you build certain unit types unless you purchase premium content. This was marketed as a FREE GAME, the premium content should have someTerrible. complete waste of time. Quests are repetitive, and usually amount to "go here and destroy a Hut" I got to level five and cant say anything has been the least bit satisfying. Almost no strategy like in previous AOE.The game actually wont let you build certain unit types unless you purchase premium content. This was marketed as a FREE GAME, the premium content should have some perks yes, but PERKS, not core game play elements. Its like giving a FPS away for free but you have to pay 60$ to use anything bigger than a pistol. It even goes as far as to "reward" you with gear that you cannot utilize unless you pay Microsoft real money. This game is a pure Cash-grab, they don't care how fun it is. but i guess there are those who will actually pay.… Expand
  22. TheGrindeR
    Jul 5, 2012
    2
    This is an Age of Empires MMO in 2D graphics. Not really good game. You can't do a lot of things, without paying for it. I hate that game, where u need to pay to be much better. I know that this is a F2P game, but its not cool.
  23. Mivix
    Jan 14, 2012
    1
    I do not know where to start. I love Age of Empires series, I have played all of them for countless hours, because they were and still are, one of the best series of real time strategy. But THIS game is not Age of Empires! Developers just took the name of the famous series to make more money. I am writing this review in January 2012. The game has been released 6 months age. Majority of theI do not know where to start. I love Age of Empires series, I have played all of them for countless hours, because they were and still are, one of the best series of real time strategy. But THIS game is not Age of Empires! Developers just took the name of the famous series to make more money. I am writing this review in January 2012. The game has been released 6 months age. Majority of the features that every AoE had in day 1, AoEO does not have, they just now released option to play a skirmish. Which is still incomplete. You cannot play ranked 2v2 with your friend, there is no campaign, only the same boring missions again and again, every new civilization is priced 20 dollars, and actually the skirmish will be paid too.....I could continue, but I think you got the picture. I give this game 1/10. You may ask why? Well, I do not know, maybe it is a spark of hope, that after one year, we will get a proper AoE game, but not this, not this.… Expand
  24. wagfeliz
    Sep 4, 2012
    4
    An RTS game with elements of RGP, and I must admit its a great idea and could be put to good use, however, its not what happens. They build a mode called pvp champion where pure RTS players can play against another players without any element of RPG, it means all civs and players should have the same chance to win, but unfortunately it doesn't happen because the new civs (Pros) are muchAn RTS game with elements of RGP, and I must admit its a great idea and could be put to good use, however, its not what happens. They build a mode called pvp champion where pure RTS players can play against another players without any element of RPG, it means all civs and players should have the same chance to win, but unfortunately it doesn't happen because the new civs (Pros) are much stronger than the free civs, which makes the game totally unbalanced to play. The funy thing here is that they have a entire "balance team" working to make this game balanced, but the game is becoming to be the opposed of it... About the RPG elements, it also is exploited poorly, there is not a ranked or reward for players that wants to play against another players in this mode making it borring, the only think that can be done here is to play against computers. To get it worse, the game appears to be in development, and all new updates make the game less fun. Its a shame they have only bad ideas, and the only thing that works is what they copy from another games...… Expand
  25. Vercinger
    Jan 1, 2013
    0
    Obligatory 0 for using Games for Windows Live. An unforgivable offence, as GfWL is Microsoft's attempt to kill PC gaming in favor of the Xbox. And this being an MMO-style game, I can't even pirate it, so I have no way of playing it at all. Then again, looking at the other reviews, that's probably a good thing.
  26. IG44
    Aug 21, 2012
    4
    This game was really bad! It didn't look like an Age of Empires game at all! Bad cartoony graphics, pay to win system and only 2 civilizations which were basically the same. They wanted to make a casual game,but a good Age of Empires will never be a casual game! The game was, in one word-CRAP!! Then Gas Powered Games took over and game started to become better but it was too late. TheyThis game was really bad! It didn't look like an Age of Empires game at all! Bad cartoony graphics, pay to win system and only 2 civilizations which were basically the same. They wanted to make a casual game,but a good Age of Empires will never be a casual game! The game was, in one word-CRAP!! Then Gas Powered Games took over and game started to become better but it was too late. They can't change the graphics from cartoony and crappy (like other kids and indie games) to amazing and realistic (like every other Age of Empires and every other good game with high budget), they can't change the whole game!! The best thing to do is to throw this game in the trash and start a new project like Age of Empires 1 HD or Age of Empires 4 but not in the next age (world wars) because we all know what happened to Age of Empires III with rifles, they need to make a game in Medieval times like Age of Empires II , or like Age of Empires I in Ancient times.… Expand
  27. Shalashalska
    Sep 4, 2012
    0
    One of the worst games I have ever seen. It claims to be free to play, yet is incredibly difficult to even start, and then once you start it you find out that it's just a demo, and then a game that costs upwards of 200$. The "micro"transactions range from 7.50 all the way to 100$, and if you don't buy anything, then the main element of the game (PvP) is just you getting beaten by everyoneOne of the worst games I have ever seen. It claims to be free to play, yet is incredibly difficult to even start, and then once you start it you find out that it's just a demo, and then a game that costs upwards of 200$. The "micro"transactions range from 7.50 all the way to 100$, and if you don't buy anything, then the main element of the game (PvP) is just you getting beaten by everyone who pays for the game. Even if it was the best RTS player in the world playing against one of the worst, if the worst paid for everything and the best paid for nothing, the worst player would easily be able to win, as the game is pay-to-win rather than pay-to-have-nicer-looking-things like normal f2p games.… Expand
  28. Cronic
    May 21, 2013
    0
    OMFG This is NOT a free game. I was looking for a good construction game in the category "don't hustle me for my money", this wasn't it. If you want a half descent game you will have to buy the "starter pack" and the "booster bundle" which comes to 37,98 EURO!!!
  29. LordKelvin
    Mar 6, 2013
    3
    I played it 2 years ago and it was not a F2P game at all. It was totally a Pay 2 Win game, playing free unbalanced game. So disappointing game, made me lose a lot of time to give him a chance (did like 15 first missions). I would give it a 3 in case someone enjoys playing a game with 0 chances as a free player.
  30. Larmeau
    Feb 23, 2013
    1
    Don't know what the point of the game is, as I was unable to create units, power up, do anything. Even though it's 'free', it's still a ripoff because it cost me time to figure out that this is a total dud. If you're a fan of the Age of Empires franchise, you'll be deeply disappointed
  31. Isengrim
    May 9, 2013
    3
    I'll keep this short as I really do not have much to talk about here...

    While it may seem colourful and good-looking and "oh, it's the age of empires"...
    This game in uninspiring and straight-forward boring.
  32. Kanopus
    Jun 5, 2013
    2
    I will try and make this short and sweet this game will lure you in with very easy starting missions and tries to show it is actually playable for free. After you play for a couple hours however you realize THIS IS THE MOST SATANIC FTP GAME EVER! i have never seen a game be so cruel to the FTP player in my life. Heres a quick rundown of why. After those first couple hours the enemies willI will try and make this short and sweet this game will lure you in with very easy starting missions and tries to show it is actually playable for free. After you play for a couple hours however you realize THIS IS THE MOST SATANIC FTP GAME EVER! i have never seen a game be so cruel to the FTP player in my life. Heres a quick rundown of why. After those first couple hours the enemies will greatly outpower your own with gear you cannot beat because you cannot get any gear better than common/uncommon which is absolutely and instead of having to pay once to get the premium civilizations you HAVE to buy them all separate and if you dont you have the choice of 3 civilizations which are free, instead of 6 which you have to pay for. Even after all of that and you get the premium unless your absolutely amazing at strategy games and i mean REALLY REALLY amazing your gonna have to buy instant spawn units from the real money shop to stop your base from being immediately zurg rushed by enemy units. i unfortunately cannot tell you how the pvp is you'll have to look at another review to see that but if your not a hardcore pvp player and want a nice cheap good strategy game just buy the others in the age of empires franchise.… Expand
  33. ComBrandon
    Sep 26, 2013
    2
    First of all I would like to state that this game does not live up to the standards that the original series laid out. The graphics are not up to par with any strategy game of 2011; the smooth cartoon theme is to blame for this. Additionally after extensive play, and conversing with several long time AoE fans, along with other RTS/MMO communities, I've discovered that the MMORPGFirst of all I would like to state that this game does not live up to the standards that the original series laid out. The graphics are not up to par with any strategy game of 2011; the smooth cartoon theme is to blame for this. Additionally after extensive play, and conversing with several long time AoE fans, along with other RTS/MMO communities, I've discovered that the MMORPG communities look down on this games repetitious quests, while the RTS communities look down on the lack of detail, realism, and strategy involved in this childrens game. Additionally the free to play aspect of this game is a complete lie, it is not free to play, it is similar to a demo because of the LIMITED CONTENT PROVIDED TO ADVERTISE AND INFLUENCE THE SALE OF THE FULL PRODUCT. Hence the meaning of "Demo". I would not recommend this game to serious RTS or MMORPG players, however I would recommend this game for younger individuals, or non-serious gamers.… Expand
  34. Nicolas-SW
    Oct 5, 2013
    2
    I actually expected Microsoft to do things right, but I was wrong. They turned the AOE franchise into a Pay2Win game with confusing mechanics, bugs and lots of problems....
  35. DominikCZE
    Nov 9, 2013
    4
    Way to ruin a fantastic RTS series Microsoft! Coming from an Age of Empires 3 competitive player and a great fan of the series, this game was garbage. Cartoon graphics, micro transaction, buying civs? Half mmo/half rts, what kind of a concept is that? And now that Games for Windows Live is shutting down in 2014. the game will end anyway, great way to treat loyal fans, if the game had any.Way to ruin a fantastic RTS series Microsoft! Coming from an Age of Empires 3 competitive player and a great fan of the series, this game was garbage. Cartoon graphics, micro transaction, buying civs? Half mmo/half rts, what kind of a concept is that? And now that Games for Windows Live is shutting down in 2014. the game will end anyway, great way to treat loyal fans, if the game had any. I still hope that some day, someone will make a true successor to the series, a real Age of Empires IV, the kind that we all love. We can only hope.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

69
#69 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 44
  3. Negative: 0 out of 44
  1. MMORPG.com
    Mar 9, 2012
    67
    In the end, Age of Empires Online works well as a demo rather than a F2P game. There just doesn't seem to have been enough thought about what each element from the MMO and RTS genres bring to the party. Instead, they've just been thrown together.
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  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 20, 2012
    70
    Online sequel to the legendary strategic series focuses on a different target group than its predecessors and promises to become a global phenomenon. [Dec 2011]
  3. CD-Action
    Nov 9, 2011
    60
    To use its whole potential you have to dig deep into your pockets to unlock premium content. The only thing left for the fans of the series is to hope for Age of Empires IV. [November 2011, p.80]
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