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A new trailer has dropped for the controller-friendly port of Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, before the iconic real-time strategy classic lands on Xbox consoles and Game Pass later this month.
This incarnation of Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition not only includes all the bells and whistles of the existing remaster, but also includes a control scheme optimized specifically for gamepads. This means you will soon be able to enjoy Age of Empires 2 on your Xbox Series X|S or Xbox One from the comfort of your living room. The latest iteration is also compatible with Games Pass’s up-and-coming, but nevertheless impressive, browser-based cloud gaming service.
Age of Empires 2 is a classic RTS in the true sense of the word. You take on the role of one of the game’s historical factions, waging war across isometric battlefields in real time. Players construct buildings and defenses as they develop and command increasingly larger and more complex armies.
If you went back in time to 1999 and told me that one day you could play Age of Empires 2 in a browser, I would have accused you of being the worst liar. Game Pass once again reminds us that we are, in fact, living in the future.
Head in the clouds
In addition to controller compatibility, Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition offers a range of extra features that are not to be sniffed at. In addition to a fully remastered soundtrack and graphical enhancements (including 4K fidelity), the final edition includes a full expansion featuring a range of new factions and campaigns.
The Last Khans expansion gives you access to four new civilizations: the Cumans, the Tatars, the Bulgarians and the Lithuanians. There are also three new campaigns for the Tatars, Cumans, and Bulgarians, as well as an expanded edit of all the operations in The Forgotten expansion.
In addition to this, the Game Pass version of Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition also includes all expansions for the game released since the initial launch of the Definitive Edition. These include Dawn of the Dukes, Lords of the West and Dynasties of India. As with The Last Khans, each of these expansions features new civilizations and single-player storylines, totaling eight new factions and nine new campaigns. In addition to the contents of the Vanilla Definitive Edition.
All in all, it’s an extremely generous package and well worth checking out if you’re an RTS aficionado looking for one of the titans of the genre. Age of Empires 2 was a staple of my childhood and helped me discover a lifelong love for RTS games. Without Age of Empires, I never would have come to love the cut-throat frenzy of Starcraft 2’s multiplayer ladder, or the merry bombast of Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3.
Age of Empires set the bar high for an entire genre, and there’s never been a better time to get to grips with one of the best RTS games ever made. Whether you’re streaming on PC, Xbox Series X or via the cloud, soon you’ll be able to experience the definitive version of this iconic experience for yourself.