Age of Empires 2, a game officially made back in 1999(Practically ancient), is a game which many enjoy as one of their first and favorite computer games. To give a sample of what it includes: Age of Empires 2 or AOE2, at the time of its release revolved around 13 civilizations, each with their own benefits and downfalls. As may be guessed, this added a large amount of playstyles and diversity to the game which made every game different. AOE2 is set in the middle ages after the fall of Rome, and takes civilizations ranging from the Franks(French) all the way to the Japanese. In addition to having a large "replayability"(Video/Board gamers use this term to describe how well someone may keep playing the game and enjoying it each time) from all of the civilizations and various units, the game is also what is called an RTS( Real Time Strategy) Game which basically means everything you do is in "real time" but there is also the element of strategy to be considered. This means that unlike the turned based games from its time like the multiple entries into the "Civilization" franchise, each game has an element of speed to it. For example, when you start a game you have to get you villagers(workers) to work as soon as possible, else you may put yourself behind your opponent. All of these things put the game ahead of its time as far as game design goes, however, the graphics were very terrible, it suffered from game mechanics, and sub par unit balance. Despite these things, it was a very well designed game and was well thought out, thus people still enjoyed it, encouraging the developers to upgrade the game.
Even though AOE2 was officially made back in ancient times before the discovery of fire(as far as video games are concerned anyway), it was remastered in 2013 and this remaster was called "Age of Empires 2 HD edition." This version added multiple extra civilizations, improved mechanics and balance, and maybe most importantly, added better graphics. However, a major problem occurred for this game, it wasn't as easy and visually pleasant as most other games of its time. This version had most of its players from those who enjoyed the original and those who had nostalgia from it and thus it was not growing. Thus the growth of the game's community was practically stagnant. This leads us to "Age of Empires II: The Definitive Edition" which came out in 2019. This version knocked the still terrible HD editions graphic's to something that was visually pleasant to look at. It also offered all of the previous DLCs from the previous editions to the base games Civilization roster as a courtesy to those who had bought them in HD edition. In addition to this they added three new civilizations to the game. Since AOE2 DE's release it has received much in the way of further updates and DLCs.
Current day "Age of Empires II Definitive Edition" still has many of the same mechanics it had 25 years ago but has changed in such a way as to not harm what people know and love about the game. They did this by increasing the civilizations from the original game's 13 civilizations to almost three and a half times that with the current 45 civilizations. They also made the game a lot more beginner friendly with built in guides and campaigns to improve the players' gaming experience. It also now offers excellent online play for people who are more competitive and want a better challenge than just and AI. Some people, myself included, also play online just for the diplomacy element. Diplomacy games allow you to betray your allies, hide your true plans, and can many times even become allies with who your enemy was 5 minutes ago. Online games can last between 30( 1 vs 1 ) mins to 3 hours(Diplomacy 8 players). This longer investment of time leads people to use the offline gaming features like campaigns(not the learning the game ones). AOE2 DE's campaigns are very enjoyable and immersive whether you are playing the fan favorite "Ghengis Khan" featuring the Mongols expansion into Europe or the close runner up "Jadwiga"(Pronounced Yah-d-vi-ga) one of leaders of Poland in the middle ages who was in very difficult diplomatic situations. Finally, Age of Empires adds an option for people to make their own maps and customize that map's balance. Overall, AOE2 DE has become a much more enjoyable over the years and is now a game with something for everyone which is very hard to say about most modern video games.
AOE2 DE community page:
https://forums.ageofempires.com/c/age-of-empires-ii/aoe2-de/101
Funny video from one of my favorite Youtubers about AOE2 DE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SoTWiFT2-g
Picture from a Lord of the Rings themed map me and my friend play:(I am Gondor and my friend is Isengard)
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