Age of Empires II: HD Edition Review

Age of Empires II is beloved in the strategy community. It’s considered a classic, and one that withstands the test of time. To this day, 20 years after its original release, the game still has a dedicated following. There are entire communities and websites dedicated to mods and cheats.

Unlike many series, you don’t need to play Age of Empires I first before playing Age of Empires II. Each game stands alone, so don’t worry about picking them up in order. Age of Empires II is considered the best in the series. So if you’re only going to pick up one, this is it.

Gameplay

You start as either a random civilization or your choice of the 18 provided. Each civilization has its own perks, strengths and abilities. It’s a testament to the amount of work that went into the writing and development of this game. Development trees are available that let you see the advantages and disadvantages of each before you dedicate yourself. But they’re all balanced enough to make playing any choice an equally good time. Even the buildings as you evolve through the ages differ depending on which team you’ve chosen. It’s a history buff’s dream.

The goal of each round is simple: be the last civilization standing. Grow strong enough to wipe the other teams off the map, while ensuring the civilization of your own. The difficulty of each round is customizable so you can make this as simple or challenging as you like. You can also customize the number of competing civilizations that exist on your custom map. It’s a small part of what makes the Age of Empires series a steadfast classic in its genre.