age of empires 2 review

Test Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition - A legendary RTS still as addictive

Age of Empires is an RTS series that we no longer present: the first title was developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Games Studio in 1999 in Europe. This explores the ancient era while the second episode - behind this remaster - was devoted to the Middle Ages.

Before we talk about the improvements this Definitive Edition brings, let's take the time to properly present Age of Empires 2 and its gameplay. So this is an RTS, hear "Real-time strategy", that is to say a real-time strategy game.

Test conditions: This test was written after twenty hours of play, which allowed us to complete several campaigns and some challenges. The computer used has a GTX 950, 12GB of ram and an i5-6200U processor.

"Sir, Saracens! "

The player finds himself at the head of a civilization which he makes evolve from the dark age to the imperial age, by collecting various resources and by unlocking new technologies and weapons. Each civilization has economic and military particularities. Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition therefore incorporates the content of the second opus, its extensions and integrates four new new campaigns. So there is something to take care of!

Count thirty peoples, as many companions and several scenarios that allow players to relive the great battles of our history. The player can for example play Richard the Lionheart during the third crusade in Cyprus or Henri V during the battle of Agincourt.

Each part follows this pattern roughly: you have to explore the map in search of resources to collect (food, wood, stone, gold), then build buildings. There are different types: some have a military purpose - for example, to train fighters, such as the barracks - while others allow more efficient use of resources or unlocking research (improvements). It is of course necessary to carry out a certain number of researches in order to make evolve its civilization and pass to the following age. Once you've built a strong enough army, you can take on the enemy and try to defeat them.

The title offers various campaigns. Different civilizations have their own specificities, which avoids monotony. And the scenarios know how to renew themselves: the objective is sometimes to capture a fortress, sometimes to escort a caravan of provisions.

Many welcome news

We also find in this edition several challenges inspired by the famous book by Sun Tzu, The Art of War. The lifespan is further increased thanks to a system of mods allowing players to broadcast and exchange their creations: simple skins, maps and complete campaigns but also dialogues and music. The community already seems quite active. Thus, it is possible to find a Lord of the Rings mod and a Total War: Three Kingdoms scenario.

In addition to mods, the Definitive Edition brings several new features, including servers for online multi mode (which replace the old peer-to-peer system). The developers have had the good idea to allow cross-platform play. The online mode is made dynamic by a ranking of the best players but also the possibility of creating and joining clans.

While retaining its medieval graphic style, the title has undergone a small facelift. The result is very convincing: the whole is clearer, more readable, short, more pleasant. Although old-school, the animation of the fights is pleasant. The illustrations which introduce each of the campaigns are particularly attractive. An enhancement pack is available to push the resolution to ultra 4K quality. Attention, because it is very greedy and you will need at least 16GB of RAM to take full advantage of it.

Among the improvements, we can also cite some practical improvements. For example, you will have the option of automatically replanting fields or creating squads of units and assigning them to a keyboard key.

Few missteps

Special mention to the reworked OST which we particularly appreciated. Always sticking perfectly to the title, it really brings something to the immersion. We owe it to Stephen Rippy (Halo Wars) and Kevin McMullan (Age of Mythology). French dubbing has also been reworked for the better, although some will regret the Scottish accent of the tutor's narrator (William Wallace's campaign).

Finally, Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition makes few false notes. Despite some useful additions - like the appearance of a button allowing to locate the inactive villagers - the interface shows a little its age and could have been redesigned but the whole remains very correct. Note however that pathfinding can become tedious as long as there are obstacles in front of your units.

Indeed, it is not uncommon for a villager to get lost in the woods without succeeding in getting out of it or for a group of riders to make unnecessary detours to reach their goal. Generally speaking, AI is a bit painful and is certainly the weak point of the game.

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