Age of Empires II: Gold Edition

2001

point-and-click
real time strategy (rts)
strategy
historical
warfare
single player
multiplayer
co-operative

The story

Age of Empires II Gold Edition unites the exciting game play of both Microsoft Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings and Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion - plus additional content - for one compelling gaming experience. Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings spans 1,000 years, from the fall of Rome through the Middle Ages, in which players control the destiny of one of thirteen civilizations. Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion will challenge veterans and novices to wage war on an epic scale with all-new civilizations, unique units and technologies, and campaigns based on infamous conquerors such as Attila the Hun, El Cid and Montezuma. Age of Empires 2 Gold Edition unites the exciting game play of both Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings and Age of Empires2: The Conquerors Expansion plus additional content for one compelling gaming experience. Experience real-time evolution as you build your civilization into a flourishing empire, from the Dark Age to the Imperial Age. Decide whether to conquer the world through military might, commerce and diplomacy, or intrigue and regicide. There are many paths to power but only one will reign supreme. Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings spans 1,000 years, from the fall of Rome through the Middle Ages. Players control the destiny of one of 13 civilizations. The game keeps the epic scope of Age of Empires' gameplay while evolving the combat and economic features. Developed by Ensemble Studios, Age of Empires 2features the expertise of Bruce Shelley, co designer of Age of Empires and the hit strategy game Civilization. Age of Empires 2: The Conquerors Expansion adds five new civilizations, four new campaigns, 11 new units, 26 new technologies, real world maps, and much more. Experience the adventure of the Spanish Conquistadors as they enter the exotic lands of the Aztecs, or relive the destructive force of Attila's pillaging Huns. This add-on pack focuses on the armies and military thinking of a handful of history's

What it’s like

Top-down isometric maps painted in warm earth tones, with green fields, grey stone keeps and the dusky blue of mountain shadow, and a camera you pan and zoom yourself across villages that slowly fill with tiny moving figures. The mood is busy but unhurried: a steady hum of woodcutters, bells, marching drums and clashing swords, with period-flavoured choral and lute-like music that swells when a battle breaks out and settles back into pastoral calm between skirmishes. Its vibe is industrious, sun-warmed and quietly tense, the kind of play that suits a long weekend afternoon, a laptop session with a cup of tea, or an evening when you want to lose track of time while things grow. Pacing is set by the player, with long stretches of gathering and building broken by sharp, sometimes brutal clashes; violence is cartoonish and bloodless, with fallen units simply vanishing from the field, so it stays mild in tone despite the warfare. Emotionally it rewards patience and planning rather than dread, and the arcs of its historical campaigns follow famous conquerors across rising and falling empires. Made for strategy fans who enjoy watching a civilization take shape, and for history-minded players who like the Middle Ages rendered as a living map.

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