Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Reviews
A polished, wide-ranging update that brings the classic RTS into the modern age.
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
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
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
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
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)
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
I can only hope that all remasters in the future will be as good as this.
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Age of Empires II Definitive Edition is a truly meticulous remaster, one of the best of its kind. Fans of classic RTS that are not afraid of the archaic, core gameplay solutions should be thrilled to try out this gem.
Review in Polish | Read full review
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.