I spent the higher a part of my vacation break leaping from one real-time technique sport to a different: a They Are Billions failed run right here, a Command & Conquer: Pink Alert skirmish there. I even dug up my bodily copies of The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Center-earth and its sequel from my mother and father’ basement. The liminal area between 2023’s late releases and 2024’s January rush supplied the proper alternative to zoom out (actually and figuratively) and benefit from the act of telling tiny little folks the place to go and what to do.
At a sure level, my nostalgia morphed into curiosity. Age of Empires 2: Definitive Version’s Steam news feed has been extra lively than these of many more recent releases, and I lastly determined to take a more in-depth look. It seems, developer Forgotten Empires and Xbox Recreation Studios have been releasing new DLC, updates, patches, challenges, and seasonal aesthetics on an nearly weekly foundation because the remaster’s 2019 launch. This cadence, coupled with the truth that 26,000 people have been taking part in the almost 25-year-old RTS on Steam, satisfied me to take a detour. (I performed on Steam, but it surely’s additionally out there by way of Recreation Move.) And never solely is Age of Empires 2 nonetheless fairly rattling good — like many, I take into account it among the best RTS video games of all time — it feels extra very important than ever in 2024.
To begin, there at the moment are 37 complete campaigns. This rely ignores the dozen discrete historic battles, the tutorial missions revolving round William Wallace, and the eight remastered campaigns from the earlier sport. (Did I point out Forgotten Empires additionally remastered a lot of the primary Age of Empires and launched it as an growth for the sequel?) If, like me, you favor narrative campaigns and skirmishes towards the AI in RTS video games, then Age of Empires 2 is tantamount to a single-player gold mine.
Picture: Forgotten Empires/Xbox Recreation Studios
Whereas I at all times hesitate to think about a breadth of content material a high quality in and of itself, it’s each surreal and inspiring to see this many new missions, cutscenes, and distinctive models in Age of Empires 2 this lengthy after its preliminary launch. Forgotten Empires’ remaster performs like a dream, with a bevy of quality-of-life enhancements (I’m taking a look at you, farm queues) and enemy AI that truly is aware of learn how to exploit your weaknesses and bait you into susceptible conditions. Certain, pathfinding continues to be an albatross round Age of Empires 2’s neck — chasing one scout midway throughout the map with a complete battalion of cavalry won’t ever be enjoyable — but it surely’s a a lot smaller albatross today. I can really maneuver a complete military throughout a river ford with out half of it doubling again to seek out one other crossing.
Relating to a sport that feels this good to play, I’ll take all the missions I can get. I kicked off this specific stint with one Vlad Dracula (aka Vlad the Impaler) and his marketing campaign to guide the Turks, Magyars, and Slavs towards the Ottoman Empire. Every of the 5 missions in his storyline contain vastly totally different eventualities. The third, titled “The Breath of the Dragon,” is as difficult as it’s thrilling, tasking me with capturing the central Wallachian metropolis of Giurgiu earlier than defending it from assault in each path. Its placement on the banks of the Danube necessitates build up a naval presence and crusing to quite a few small settlements working to provide the principle Ottoman citadel of Darstor. When my Slavic forces lastly entered Darstor, destroyed its fortifications, and demolished its fort, I nearly needed to step away to catch my breath.
Picture: Forgotten Empires/Xbox Recreation Studios
My return to the 1999 basic begs the query: What about Age of Empires 4, the newest entry within the collection? I’ve been a fan of Relic Leisure’s sequel since its 2021 launch. That appreciation has solely grown because the group refines and builds upon an already spectacular basis; I particularly admire 4’s asymmetrical faction design, which makes taking part in the nomadic Mongols, for example, really feel vastly totally different than managing the advanced dynasty system of China. Age of Empires 2’s civilizations, by comparability, really feel far more uniform outdoors of their distinctive models.
However in its slick mechanics, its gorgeous artwork fashion, its wealth of inventive missions, and its robust content material cadence, Age of Empires 2 stays atop the pedestal it climbed nearly 25 years in the past. I haven’t even touched “The Mountain Royals” or “Return of Rome,” its latest expansions, as of this writing — however I completely plan to quickly. The sport’s ongoing well being is proof that, given correct time and funding, a group can revitalize a basic in a medium identified for its ephemeral works. I booted up Age of Empires 2: Definitive Version on the doorstep of 2024 to be able to replay a permanent basic; I additionally discovered a vibrant trendy sport.