Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Reviews

25yrs later, still the best game. I really wanted to like AoE IV but it just doesn't quite cut it compared to old tried and true AoE II, it's close but not quite.

Not the first, but probably the best RTS of all time. Refreshed with better graphics and quality of life improvements. Just getting back into it after spending most of my AOE time playing AOEII Age of Kings expansion back in the day with the cousins. Picking it back up with the cousins again and enjoying watching the tournaments on various streaming platforms too.

This game cannot be played without internet connection even for single player mode. Very incovinient for those without stable connection. I do not reccomend.

Love playing this game but now that you can't play it offline it's off my list entirely. I don't understand how devs can't understand that not everyone has internet available 100% of the time. This was my go-to game for when I was away from home...but no more.

This is the only edition you’ll need, and if you can, grab it on sale. It's a bummer that the other versions are discontinued, but that’s just how it goes. Honestly, this version is a step up in many ways, especially with the graphics. Thanks to mods, the game is way more oversee-able from a bird's-eye view, and it has a less cartoony, more old-school aesthetic. The buildings snap into place smoothly, and hotkeys are essential—gotta love the auto-scout feature! Overall, this version is much better than the original Age of Empires 2 and works really well, running optimally. If you're after some nostalgia or want to dive into something more competitive with a clearer overview compared to Age of Empires 4, this game is definitely worth checking out.

Revitalize the old game. No bugs. Runs smoothly. Well done. Good job dev team.

This game is extremely fun, but the controls and mechanics are difficult to learn IMO. I really don’t like how long matches can get, and I dislike how you "lose" your progress when a game or campaign ends, as you can’t continue once it’s finished. Some campaign missions are, in my opinion, very difficult to beat. I spent over six hours trying to complete The Rising - Joan of Arc. If you're patient and don’t mind losing, this game is for you. If you don't want to sit down after a stressful day and add even more stress, this game is not for you. Overall, I don’t like it because I suck at it, and I guess I’m just impatient.

Best strategy game of all time!!!! Definitely pick up if you like strategy games, and actually isn't too expensive. I love all of the campaigns and graphics a lot. Only real complaint is price of DLC which averages about $10-15 for each one. Otherwise, it's a must buy!

After playing more than 2000 hours since the definite edition came out i might write a recommendation. I knew the AOE-Franchise from my childhood but i didnt touch the game in 15 years. THe new definitve edition and a friend of mine brought me back to the game and after a stresful learning curve i have to say its worth the time. im speaking mainly from a competitive player perspective in pvp. compared to other rts macro and strategy are more important than just microing the units. graphics are very nice, even better than aoe4 when you talk about visibility and clearnes for pvp-play. best thing is, the global community is really nice, nothing in comparison to LoL, cs or other big pvp-online-games. also you can find lot of content on twitch and youtube. i recommend t90official and spiritofthelaw for a start. one last note to the ranking-system: for beginners i highly recommend to play some pve first but then dont be afraid to start in the ranking-matches and skip the normal game-mod in pvp. yes you will lose the first 10-20 games, but the elo-system will give you fitting opponents after that. smurf-accounts may occur but should be a rarity in age. when you play normal-pvp "quickplay" the difference between players skill can vary alot. so as a beginner: just dont do that. if your not into competitive rts the game propably still is way worth the money. there is alot alot alot (!) of campaign-content when you buy the full game-package. with the difficulty on easy you can also enjoy the storylines and dont have to sweat to hard. :-) and just by the way you can play aoe1 within the aoe2-game. we love this game

Every RTS fun must have this game in the library its a AOE Positives + Gameplay is still very much the same as the original - there are no major overhauls of the core mechanics which made previous renditions great + Improved resource UI which makes villager management much easier during the crucial first minutes of the game + The ability to queue both units and technologies simultaneously + The ability to indefinitely re-seed farms and fish traps if you have the available resources + Several new units and technologies (such as the Steppe Lancer and Supplies) to balance existing civilisations and provide new ways to play + Multiple new single-player / multi-player lobby options, such as game speed, map pool, AI difficulty and type (such as the 'new' AI for Definitive Edition, or the HD and CD AI) + You can use the lobby browser for multi-player while waiting in a lobby + Your multi-player game stats are tracked, and you can earn player profile pictures from time played, number of victories etc. + Improved visual effects (such as collapsing structures, improved unit models and environmental / lighting effects) + Improved sound effects, whilst remaining true to the charm of classic Age of Empires II (units have their original voice lines and so on) + Massive update to AI commanding in single player games - you can now use the taunt/command system to tell your AI allies to train specific types of units, construct buildings on a flare marker, attack a specific target and so on + Several new civilisations with their own unique units + Several new historical campaigns + Massive improvement to the tutorial system, with new scenarios (Art of War) specifically catered to helping new players deal with managing economies, performing and defending from rushing, etc. + Tweaks to the scenario editor (such as copy-pasting event triggers) + In-house mod support (Steam workshop has been removed in favour, could be interpreted as a negative) + Xbox LIVE profile support and cross-play + A ton of different settings to customise your gameplay experience by tweaking controls, graphics, sound and so on (several of these settings also make the game more accessible for individuals experiencing difficulty from handicaps such as colour blindness etc.) + Dedicated servers, and private multi-player games appear to run much smoother than HD + Steam achievements and trading cards + Improved replays and save systems (you can save 'chapters' in a replay for players to watch specific events) Negatives - Performance can be a little taxing at times, especially in multi-player with lots of units and/or AI player