Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Reviews

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is ranked in the 93rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
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

9.5 / 10.0
Feb 11, 2023

It has been a long time coming, but to finally have Age Of Empires on console is exciting as a long-time fan. The amount of hard work that went into nailing down every detail from the art style to adaption to the controller is exactly what this title deserved. Age Of Empires 2 Definitive Edition is the best RTS game on Xbox consoles currently and whether you are a massive fan, or just getting into the series for the first time it is a great place to start.

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Gamersky
蒙蒙水雾
Top Critic
8.4 / 10.0
Feb 3, 2023

The Xbox version of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition retains all of the game's content while making huge changes to the operating system and user interface. These changes have greatly reduced the startup threshold and improved the game experience. It is not only a very successful version, but also an excellent answer to the "can console play RTS" question.

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7.5 / 10.0
Feb 3, 2023

This was a bold attempt by Microsoft. I applaud them trying to adapt the most mouse-friendly game in existence to a console, with a controller. It’s still fun, and it’s certainly very playable, but it’s off-putting. It’s far from being the ideal way to experience this classic, and to be fair, the PC version isn’t even THAT demanding, even on laptops. I really don’t know who this particular port of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is for.

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90 / 100
Feb 2, 2023

Age of Empires has been an institution and this definitive version comes to give it a new facelift, not only improving the audiovisual quality but also increasing the content to the point of madness in a title that was already replayable in its different modes and lasted hours. and hours of fun. Its inclusion in Game Pass, cross play and the option to use keyboard and reason round off this version. If you have not yet had the pleasure of enjoying the game in its previous versions, now you have no excuse.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

GAMES.CH
Top Critic
85%
Jan 31, 2023

One thing should be said right from the start: "Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition" is and remains an excellent strategy game with an incredible number of hours of play for strategy fans. We think it's great that a piece of video game history has made it to consoles, even if you have to make some compromises when it comes to controls. So, unsurprisingly, for hardcore purists, there's no reason to play the game on console instead of PC. But that's not necessary, because it is precisely through the availability in Gamepass that the game reaches a new audience, which now has a chance to experience a classic of video game history at its best.

Review in German | Read full review

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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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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9 / 10.0
Jan 30, 2023

Explore all the original campaigns like never before, as well as best-selling expansions, spanning over 200 hours of gameplay and 1000 years of human history. Go online to challenge other players with 35 different civilizations in your quest for world domination over the centuries. Choose your path to greatness with this ultimate remaster of one of the most beloved strategy games of all time.

Review in Spanish | 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

8 / 10.0
Jan 30, 2023

Age of Empires 2: The Definitive Edition has made the transition to console surprisingly well, giving a new range of people a chance to play one of RTS’s most beloved classics in a new way.

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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

Unscored
Jan 30, 2023

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on consoles proves to be as complete and satisfying an experience as the one made on PC. Opting for a revolutionary control mapping adapted to the needs of the controller was the fundamental decision to make the title fully accessible and enjoyable in all its facets.

Review in Italian | 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 / 10.0
Jan 30, 2023

Overall, Age of Empires II in Deluxe Definitive Edition is a very nice addition to the console that AOE fans can now enjoy on their TV. Via Game Pass streaming, they can also play the game on smartphone.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Mar 5, 2020

At the end of the day, I'm not sure what else you could expect from a remaster of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. It was a great game in 1999, and it's aged better than most in its class. If you're looking for some solid RTS gameplay, single-player or multiplayer, look no further than Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.

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9.2 / 10.0
Dec 17, 2019

Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition is an excellent effort at bringing back an absolutely classic genre defining title and preparing it for years to come.

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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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Zoomg
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Dec 6, 2019

Age of Empires II: DE have done a great job in making an improved version of one of the best strategy games in history.

Review in Persian | Read full review

8.6 / 10.0
Dec 3, 2019

The definitive edition of Age of Empires II has been made with a lot of love and care for the original – the nostalgia it creates in itself is almost a form of time travel. The passion Forgotten Empires and Microsoft have for this title really shines through. Though there are some performance issues, which hampers the experience a little bit, overall this is a remaster done the right way and fills me with hope for the eventual release of Age of Empires IV.

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