Staff – December 3, 2019 at 9:35 AM
The sounds of Age of Empires II are arguably the most iconic thing about the game. Not its meticulously designed architecture, nor its slow and pensive pacing, nor the cheat codes that spawned overpowered monkeys and “cobra cars” — it was the sound a unit made when you commanded them to do something, whether it was spoken in French or Japanese or an archaic Nordic language.
Each and every civilization in 1999’s Age of Empires II is accompanied by a set of vocal samples that correspond to different units and commands. All samples are spoken in the civilization’s native language; dozens of soundbites populate the game.
It’s a small detail, but it illustrates just how much of a commitment the game has to its own imitation of real-world history and geography. In November, just over 20 years after the release of the original Age of Empires II, Forgotten Empires released Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, a remaster that brings increased depth and realism to the game.
For starters, the Definitive Edition expands on the pool of 13 civilizations available in the original game. “Given the civilizations we now feature (35!), almost anyone can find a civilization that they personally like or that contains some of their cultural history,” Forgotten Empires Creative Director Adam Isgreen said.
The Definitive Edition collects all of the content from every previous expansion, including the campaigns and civilizations included in the expansions of 2013’s HD edition of the game. An estimated 200 hours of content awaits anyone who picks up the Definitive Edition, which includes a brand new campaign — The Last Khans — and four new civilizations.
But the Definitive Edition mostly excels in giving 2019’s PC gamers the chance to experience what players must have felt while playing the original in 1999. Though the Definitive Edition retains the original’s isometric, 2D perspective, it also adds 4K graphics, revamped destruction physics, and new designs for units and in-game architecture. The Definitive Edition still sports the Times New Roman font used in the original, but a number of improvements have been made to the UI, including a universal queue display to watch over all your buildings at once and an improved scale for zooming in and out of the frame.
The balance between preserving and reworking elements allows the game to match the expectations players might have of a contemporary RTS title while remaining authentic and nostalgic. These changes don’t seek to rewrite Age of Empires II’s DNA; if anything, they offer a more accessible means of appreciating it.
Even the AI has been upgraded. Previously, Age of Empires II’s AI was designed to “cheat” as a way of matching the player’s ability and provide challenge. The Definitive Edition’s AI, however, is much more sophisticated. Forgotten Empires offers both AI in the Definitive Edition depending on whether you not you want to replicate the “original” experience, but it’s clear which AI is more capable.
“To see how much better the new AI is than the old one, try creating a multiplayer match with one new AI and seven old ones,” Isgreen said. “The new AI (which does not cheat at all) will mop up all seven of the old, cheating AIs. We consider that a win.”
Forgotten Empires stands by Age of Empires’ legacy as a series and believes that its appeal is inimitable, even for today’s RTS audience. “As genres get older, the games in them tend to become more and more complicated,” Isgreen said. “Age of Empires II isn’t a product from that time, so while the idea of having a less-than-frantic pace to a game isn’t something new for RTS, for today’s players that may have only experienced the faster, more APM [actions per minute]-driven versions of today’s RTS games, Age is something new.”
For newcomers, the Definitive Edition includes the original’s “William Wallace” campaign, which is intended as a tutorial for players who are completely new to the RTS genre. For players who are familiar with RTS mechanics, however, the campaign might retread old ground.
“While it can teach you the basics of RTS games and mouse control — remember, the original was out in a time that a two-button mouse may be a foreign concept to some players — it never taught strategy,” Isgreen said.
To combat this, Forgotten Empires added challenge missions that help teach advanced tactics and introduce common PVP scenarios. “These should allow players a much easier on-ramp into higher-level play and multiplayer,” Isgreen said.
True to its name, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is the most comprehensive version of the game — not just in terms of content, but in terms of look and feel. The vocal samples may have all been rerecorded for better audio quality and more clarity, but maybe they’ll have the chance to form the basis of new memories for a younger generation of RTS players.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is available on PC today.
Recommended specs:
- OS: Windows® 10 (64-bit) or newer
- CPU: Intel® Core™ i5 or higher
- RAM: 8GB of system memory
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 or AMD Radeon HD 5850
- Storage: 30GB of available space
- DirectX: Version 11
