At the PC Gaming Show today, Microsoft Studios presented a trailer for a fully remastered version of the original Age of Empires, dubbed the Definitive Edition.
The new version boasts updated graphics scaling up to 4K resolution, additional zoom levels and gameplay improvements, as well as a remastered soundtrack. You’ll also be able to play multiplayer over Xbox Live, reliving some of your best LAN party glory days over long-distance. Pathfinding has been improved, attack-move, control groups and idle villager buttons have been added as well.
No release date has been set beyond “later this year”, but beta sign-ups will go live here. (At the time of writing the link directed to a staging website, but that should be fixed by the time you read this.) There’ll also be another announcement about the franchise at Gamescom this year, which could either be a new Age of Empires or something else entirely. We’ll find out more in August.
Comments
14 responses to “Age Of Empires: Definitive Edition Remasters The Classic”
Here’s a crazy thought, why don’t they make a new AoE instead…They obviously realise the traditional RTS formula works in AoE so well….and it’s not like we’re out of historical scenarios…
I’m usually the same when it comes to remakes/updated versions, but I do love AoE, and I think this is what AoE2 HD should have been in the first place, but also, a good friend of mine worked on this, so I’m pretty keen to give it a go!
I would completely devour a new one.
Just you watch, they’ll announce a FTP age of empires:heroes moba
other than the Free2play, I’m pretty sure an AoE Heroes MOBA was already a fan made game scenario in AoE 2 a decade ago (or something very close to it anyways)…
were you oh so wrong my friend
The music during the announcement was both exciting and disappointing. Hoping for a new one was probably wishful thinking I guess.
If we’re lucky, perhaps this is just them laying the groundwork on the engine for a new one. Given it appears to be a very capable modern engine, it’s possible they have a team working on assets for a whole new game as well. Fingers crossed anyway!
I dunno I really liked the music myself
Oh I loved the music. My point was that upon hearing it plus the art in the trailer, I was getting excited for a new game in the series. Cue disappointment when it was an AoE remake.
AoE was the weakest of the series though, and had some balancing issues that mean a straight visual overhaul probably won’t be all that fun. Hopefully they’ve rebalanced it instead of just visually overhauled it.
Maybe it’s just me, but when I hear AoE, I think AoE and AoE2. 3 I just pretend never happened, not because it was bad, but the historical setting was just really off compared to its predecessors.
AoE 1 was my favourite. Enjoyed the simplicity of it. Played quite of lot of AoE2 HD and looking forward to seeing how this turns out.
POW POW POW POW POW POW PHOTON MAN PHOTON MAN POW POW
greedisgood