Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Reviews

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is ranked in the 93rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
78 / 100
Nov 12, 2019

A polished, wide-ranging update that brings the classic RTS into the modern age.

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87 / 100
Jan 30, 2023

Although some facets denote that the "base game" is two decades old, the experience is still exciting and more accessible than ever.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Nov 14, 2019

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is a breath of fresh air to a genre somewhat diminished today of video games but that would certainly seem to have returned to remain the fans of the saga those who enjoyed this second edition the most.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

88 / 100
Nov 12, 2019

Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition is the update of a classic. It wasn't easy, but Forgotten Empires Studio has hit the nail on the head with lots of playable changes and lots of new content. The AI fails sometimes and the new voices won't please anyone, but overall it's a fantastic real-time strategy game.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Nov 12, 2019

A great classic returns to PC and it's still a great RTS experience. The Definitive Edition enrich the formula with a few quality of life improvements while maintaining its core gameplay overall intact, but at the same time there are some flaws, especially on the technical side. Still, the nostalgia operation works and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is the best way to enjoy the classic Microsoft RTS today.

Review in Italian | Read full review

4.5 / 5.0
Dec 12, 2019

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is the champion of the RTS genre we deserve.

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8 / 10.0
Jan 30, 2023

After a dozen or so hours in Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, I can safely say that it's the real McCoy. This is not a watered-down port to give Microsoft an easy first-party Xbox Game Pass release. It's the real deal and as feature complete as the PC edition, which is quite an accomplishment. A myriad of quality-of-life improvements makes the original game, while still a classic, very much redundant. The only reason to keep hold of the original is to preserve those big beautiful boxes PC games used to ship in. We're in a new age now, and Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition is the perfect example of taking an ancient game and giving it just enough love to make it feel almost new, something that many other remasters and re-releases so often miss the mark on.

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Unscored
Nov 14, 2019

Given the scarcity of successors, then, I see no reason why Microsoft shouldn’t just keep making this game bigger and bigger and bigger, lumping all the bits together every few years and slapping it down with nicer animations, until it’s got ten thousand missions and includes “Dudley” as a civilisation because they ran out of ideas. That would be fine by me. Long live the (Age of) King(s)

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Jan 30, 2023

Seriously, if you're the kind of person who loves to think strategically and is interested in history then you'll get sucked into this RTS game. See just why it's been seen as one of the best strategy games of all time.

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Nov 12, 2019

There is some wonky balancing and AI logic evident, but Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is an absolute joy to play. Just be sure your PC can handle the requirements in order to get the full experience.

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GameMAG
Top Critic
9 / 10
Mar 20, 2023

The Xbox version of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition managed to surprise us with the controller controls. After such a fun experience there is no doubt that Age of Empires IV port will turn out great.

Review in Russian | Read full review

90 / 100
Nov 23, 2019

I can only hope that all remasters in the future will be as good as this.

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6 / 10
Nov 12, 2019

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition has the content to keep you entertained for a time. Unfortunately, the visuals and core mechanics are woefully behind 20 years after its initial release. It's a nostalgia trip for fans given the low price, but it's lacking in this new age of strategy games.

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Chris Wray
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Nov 12, 2019

This is what the original Age of Empires: Definitive Edition could have been. As a standalone title, it's fantastic and one that I'd recommend to anybody and everybody.

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8.3 / 10.0
Nov 11, 2019

It is the best version of an epic game that has made the history of RTS and the worthy celebration of its twentieth anniversary.

Review in Italian | Read full review

92 / 100
Jan 30, 2023

Undoubtedly, Age of Empires II Definitive Edition is a great game, a better adaptation to consoles that will delight fans of the saga and will allow many to approach this proposal for the first time, discovering an immense world of strategy, alliances and crushing victories.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Unscored
Jan 30, 2023

The entry of the series into the world of Xbox family consoles (remember that AoE 2 also landed on PS2 with poor results) seemed more than positive and represents a useful experiment to correct the shot and propose any changes to the launch of the Xbox Series X|S version of Age of Empires 4. In other words, we are sure that the latter will treasure the work done with this Definitive Edition and the valuable feedback from users.

Review in Italian | Read full review

9.2 / 10.0
Nov 12, 2019

Age of Empire II: Definitive Edition is the perfect excuse to relive the title. A timeless game, which seems not to pass the years, in which any fan of the genre will find the most exposing and reference at its best.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

PCGamesN
Top Critic
8 / 10
Nov 12, 2019

With new official DLC, a glorious audiovisual overhaul and a touch of modern quality-of-life polish, this is now the best way to play Age 2 - though it'll take a while to match the HD edition's user content.Sam White

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Liked-a-lot
Nov 25, 2019

To see an RTS game with core mechanics still enjoyable more than a decade later is impressive and speaks to the timelessness of the game’s core premise.

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