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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Adrianor
    Nov 29, 2011
    7
    As others have said, I was rather skeptical with the cartoon style of AoEO. However, I gave it a try and it was decent. But the more I played, I noticed a lot of aspects of the game were missing. How to get them? Paying. Unless you were expecting to get the whole game for free, it'll satisfy any AoE fan out there for a while.
  2. jadeia
    Aug 20, 2011
    5
    AoE online is an okay RTS. The problem is, it's the most expensive okay RTS out there. Be warned if you're playing on an internet connection that isn't 100% stable too - as this game will boot you to the menu screen as soon as you experience even the slightest drop out.
  3. IhlinaFrost
    Aug 28, 2011
    5
    "Meh" is the word that best summarises my experience with Age of Empires Online. The game essentially feels as if the developers took Age of Mythology (minus the Norse), took out all of the interesting differences within the civilisations, chopped the tech tree up into segments that require levels and talent points to unlock and "updated" the graphics style. The quests consist of playing"Meh" is the word that best summarises my experience with Age of Empires Online. The game essentially feels as if the developers took Age of Mythology (minus the Norse), took out all of the interesting differences within the civilisations, chopped the tech tree up into segments that require levels and talent points to unlock and "updated" the graphics style. The quests consist of playing small mission-based maps in lieu of an actual campaign which tend to be fairly droll and repetitive; especially since you'll have all of your tech limited due to level constraints. I've not touched the PvP but I do know it's limited to 1v1 and 2v2; fairly restrictive for an RTS. The biggest positive is that this is all, of course, free, but be prepared for constant bombardments of reminders to visit their RMT store, and unless you spend at least $20 for a Premium Civ unlock ($20 per, mind you) you'll be fairly limited in what units you can build or items you can use.… Expand
  4. HighwayUK
    Sep 5, 2011
    5
    It seems like a nice update on the originals but having to folk out well over £70 to unlock all the tribes is beyond a joke... no thanks, can buy all the originals and save £50
  5. CivforBrains
    Oct 23, 2011
    7
    I have been playing for free so far and I admit it has been fun. I don't know whether paying for things will be worth it or not. Time will tell I guess. Looking forward to the Celts. :)
  6. Makavelis7days
    Aug 29, 2011
    6
    I have spent several hours with this game and find it to be a wonderful "free" game. The basics are all there for all to play and the game teaches you how to be competitive and shows you units through a forced story mode. The leveling system is interesting and reminds me of the Total War series research, but over a long period of time.
    Honestly the best part of this game is the pay    I have spent several hours with this game and find it to be a wonderful "free" game. The basics are all there for all to play and the game teaches you how to be competitive and shows you units through a forced story mode. The leveling system is interesting and reminds me of the Total War series research, but over a long period of time.
    Honestly the best part of this game is the pay system IMHO. It allows you to play for free vs other people in NON-ranked modes, but if you pay ~$20-$40 (in microsoft points... BLEH) you can play this game ranked against other people. As you play you get items you can equip onto your units that make them have bonus % to different areas of there game, this allows for variability other RTS games don't provide.
    Overall this game is fun, I mean lets be honest here, its Age of Empires! But personally I don't see myself dropping money into this game with competition like the super well made Starcraft 2 already bought.    … Expand
  7. jim109109
    Jun 4, 2012
    5
    This is a clone of AoE 2, adapted in a way to earn the developers tons of cash. You gain every upgrade, and by upgrade I mean the sames as AoE 2, and very few, for your civilization one by one through endless quests giving you endless missions which are all really easy and pointless. Through this you gain a sense of progression and get brainwashed to play more. when you get a good item,This is a clone of AoE 2, adapted in a way to earn the developers tons of cash. You gain every upgrade, and by upgrade I mean the sames as AoE 2, and very few, for your civilization one by one through endless quests giving you endless missions which are all really easy and pointless. Through this you gain a sense of progression and get brainwashed to play more. when you get a good item, you need to pay real cash to unlock the ability to use it. Despite the fact that the item is useless in a gameplay stand point if you want to play multiplayer you'll have to unlock it or else get raped by those who have it. To gain full access to most civilizations, you have to once again pay. Do yourself a favor and buy Age of Empires 2 for 5$, if it's even sold anymore, and get a better experience than this. The actual gameplay and game itself is equally good than AoE 2, so therefore it's good..I can't deny it. But it's still the same game adapted to be a money vortex.… Expand
  8. Seibab
    Aug 18, 2011
    5
    I was very impressed with Age of Empires Online. I was skeptical when I first saw its visually cartoony style, but I'm glad to say that the core Age of Empires formula that I love dearly is still there. Seeing that it's for free at the start, I thought it was a deal too good to be true, and unfortunately it is. You only get two civilizations (Greece, Egypt) without paying, which is fine,I was very impressed with Age of Empires Online. I was skeptical when I first saw its visually cartoony style, but I'm glad to say that the core Age of Empires formula that I love dearly is still there. Seeing that it's for free at the start, I thought it was a deal too good to be true, and unfortunately it is. You only get two civilizations (Greece, Egypt) without paying, which is fine, but only a fraction of them is given if you choose not to pay (units, missions, buildings are missing). Again, fine, I wouldn't mind paying a little for the full experience, BUT, it's $20 a piece! Just to complete the other half of a civilization. That means to get both Egypt and Greece fully would be $40! That's almost the price of a full retail game, but only with 2 civilizations! Nothing compared to past AoE games. That's not including the Crete Booster Pack or the upcoming civilizations. There is an option to buy a full season1 pass, that includes all features and those upcoming for 30% off, but again, it's $99! Seriously, I could buy two brand new PC games for that price, and, only for 4 civilizations (Greece, Egypt, Persia, Celts). I would still recommend this game if the free version was outstanding, and while the mechanics of the game are great, the free part of the game is only a glorified 'demo', which doesn't allow one to initiate online matches or advance past a certain part of the main game. I'm highly disappointed, the Age of Empires series is my favorite on the PC.… Expand
  9. lukasdavidbray
    Sep 26, 2011
    5
    série age of empires mÄ
  10. Flamaster
    Apr 19, 2012
    6
    This game is an interesting blend of MMO and RTS. The graphics are cartoony without being too silly, the RTS part of the game is solid (which can be expected of a game that comes from a rich RTS background). However, the pieces that make it an MMO don't necessarily add to the experience. And the fact that the 'levelling' still takes quite a bit of time makes the game become a bit boringThis game is an interesting blend of MMO and RTS. The graphics are cartoony without being too silly, the RTS part of the game is solid (which can be expected of a game that comes from a rich RTS background). However, the pieces that make it an MMO don't necessarily add to the experience. And the fact that the 'levelling' still takes quite a bit of time makes the game become a bit boring quickly. The missions try to be varied, but due to how slow you progress between the ages it's a bit redundant: how many times can we go and build boats to destroy the other side's fishing vessels? On the flip side, when you do get to the next age, you get a boatload of new features that you may or may not use; perhaps introducing them gradually would have been a better approach. It's an interesting concept, but perhaps one that isn't as good in practice. I wound up playing for about 10 hours, and buying the whole version due to the sale. I didn't experience a big difference and quit shortly thereafter - I should have stayed free-to-play.… Expand
  11. sinadoom
    Nov 26, 2012
    5
    Graphics are OK and gameplay is very straightforward, but unless you're prepared to either grind or pay up there's nothing you can really do here. You can only get around 5 achievements at most without paying in a reasonable amount of time and the rest you have to pay. It's not a bad idea but there's no real motive to play the game. Sure, there are a lot of quests, trading to be done,Graphics are OK and gameplay is very straightforward, but unless you're prepared to either grind or pay up there's nothing you can really do here. You can only get around 5 achievements at most without paying in a reasonable amount of time and the rest you have to pay. It's not a bad idea but there's no real motive to play the game. Sure, there are a lot of quests, trading to be done, ranking up, building stuff, getting achivements etc. and the co-op is pretty good. However, the lack of anything innovative and the unpolished nature of the game mean it's not something which is worth playing unless you're prepared to pay something. It may be free to play but there's nothing to do. It's pretty much pointless this game but at least it's free to download and try out and if you're still interested you can start buying stuff. Otherwise there's nothing to see here.Just an MMORTS which most certainly IS NOT FREE.… Expand
  12. bobapplepie
    Mar 23, 2013
    5
    From what I've played of it, I find that Age of Empires Online has 3 huge flaws. Number 1 is that buildings are incredibly weak. In previous age of empires games, you could wall of your villagers/economy so it doesn't get decimated. In this game, walls and buildings are destroyed really fast by pretty much any unit. Number two on my list is that siege is very overpowered. CatapultsFrom what I've played of it, I find that Age of Empires Online has 3 huge flaws. Number 1 is that buildings are incredibly weak. In previous age of empires games, you could wall of your villagers/economy so it doesn't get decimated. In this game, walls and buildings are destroyed really fast by pretty much any unit. Number two on my list is that siege is very overpowered. Catapults and ballistas do no friendly fire, but they do massive damage to enemy units. You can just spam cavalry or infantry to defend them, and they'll tear through foes. Also, they'll demolish buildings in practically seconds, so any attempt to build defensive towers and fortresses is useless. Finally, there are way too many microtransactions. Do you want to play a different civilization? That will be $10 more dollars if you want to do anything with it. Do you want to give yourself free resources instantly in quests and unranked matches? More cash down the drain. Besides these flaws, it is a solid game if you don't mind the cartoon graphics, which is why I'm giving it a 5/10.… 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.
    Read full review
  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]
See all critic reviews »