#Age of empires ii hd review update#
#Age of empires ii hd review Pc#

Not only have graphics been updated, but the soundtrack has been remastered for clear quality along with remastered voice-overs. When my armies would tear down buildings, I could see every little brick used to create the structures. After taking a decade long hiatus on the game, seeing it in such high graphical quality was impressive. Turning on these effects may not be in everyone’s best interest, however, as they can compromise gameplay. I run with a GTX 1070 video card with appropriate CPU processing, so turning on these settings didn’t affect gameplay at all. While it may not be in every user’s best interest, I also turned on particle graphics, ocean waves and other smaller details that are usually turned off as the default setting. For example, I sharpened the image almost to the max while changing the output to 1440 so that I could make the most of my own set-up.

#Age of empires ii hd review Pc#

To note, that may not be the only thing PC users should do, as messing with the graphical settings even more will yield the best results. There is an Enhanced Graphics DLC available for the game that allows it to be played in its maximum graphical capacity. With so much to revisit and even more to experience for the first time, let’s unpack all the goodies that make Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition the best Age of Empires.Īfter immediately booting up the game, the first step was to activate the enhanced graphics. Players looking to play online can even do cross-play with those playing on Xbox One. Features like in-depth tutorials, new factions and even new campaigns grace this edition of Age of Empires II. Not only does the title look better than its ever looked before - even surpassing its HD release from 2013 - but also boasts new features never released before. This edition is “ the” edition for fans, veterans, newcomers and strategy buffs alike.

#Age of empires ii hd review update#

With Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, there’s more than just a graphical update and better UI, though. I haven’t touched the game in over a decade, with my last Age of Empires being the Age of Mythology, but it still felt familiar despite the gap in play time. I truly am my father’s daughter as I found myself building civilizations until the wee hours of the morning with Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. I would play that until 4AM and your mom would get mad about it.”

Funnily enough, I told my father about this review and he responded with an almost nostalgic look in his eye, “Oh man, that was my favorite game.

Yet, above everything, Age of Empires was the one game we played the most. We had everything on our Macintosh PC from Starcraft to Command and Conquer. Growing up with a history buff and military officer father meant that I was usually exposed to RTS from a young age. I didn’t realize it back then that it would grow to be one of the most highly-regarded RTS titles of its time - I was just more concerned with watching my father play out all of his strategic fantasies. Age of Empires is one such title that has made its mark in gaming history as a major title of the RTS genre. While RTS does have an extensive history, there are some titles that helped define the genre into what it is today. Back in the 1990s, Real-Time Strategy (RTS) was still a developing genre that had gained foothold in the early 1980s.