A brand new trailer has dropped for Age of Empires 2: Definitive Version’s controller-friendly port, forward of the long-lasting real-time technique basic touchdown on Xbox consoles and Sport Cross later this month.

This incarnation of Age of Empires 2: Definitive Version not solely packs in all of the bells and whistles discovered within the current remaster, but in addition features a management scheme specifically optimized for gamepads. Because of this you’ll quickly have the ability to take pleasure in Age of Empires 2 in your Xbox Collection X|S or Xbox One from the consolation of your front room couch. The most recent iteration can also be suitable with Video games Cross’ rising, however nonetheless spectacular, browser-based cloud gaming service. 

Age of Empires 2 is a basic RTS within the truest sense. You tackle the position of one of many recreation’s historic factions and wage struggle throughout isometric battlefields in actual time. Gamers assemble buildings and defenses, whereas creating and commanding more and more huge and complicated armies.  

When you went again in time to 1999 and instructed me that, sooner or later, you’d have the ability to play Age of Empires 2 in a browser, I’d have accused you of being the very worst kind of liar. Sport Cross as soon as once more reminds us that we’re, actually, dwelling sooner or later. 

Head within the clouds

Along with controller compatibility, Age of Empires 2: Definitive Version boasts a spread of additional options that aren’t to be sniffed at. On high of a totally remastered soundtrack and graphical enhancements (together with 4K constancy), the definitive version consists of a whole enlargement with a spread of latest factions and campaigns. 

The Final Khans enlargement provides you entry to 4 new civilizations: the Cumans, the Tatars, the Bulgarians, and the Lithuanians. There are additionally three new campaigns for the Tatars, Cumans, and Bulgarians, in addition to an intensive rework of all of the operations in The Forgotten enlargement. 

Supplementing all this, the Sport Cross model of Age of Empires 2: Definitive Version additionally consists of each enlargement for the sport launched because the definitive version’s preliminary launch. These embrace Daybreak of the Dukes, Lords of the West, and Dynasties of India. As with The Final Khans, every of those expansions consists of new civilizations and single-player storylines totaling a whopping eight new factions and 9 new campaigns along with the content material discovered within the vanilla definitive version. 

All in all, it’s an especially beneficiant package deal and nicely price testing when you’re an RTS enjoyer trying to pattern one of many titans of the style. Age of Empires 2 was a staple of my childhood and helped me uncover a lifelong love of RTS video games. With out Age of Empires, I’d by no means have realized to like the cutthroat freneticism of Starcraft 2’s multiplayer ladder nor the joyful bombast of Command and Conquer: Crimson Alert 3. 

Age of Empires set the bar for a whole style, and there’s by no means been a greater time to familiarize yourself with one of many biggest RTS video games ever made. Whether or not you’re on PC, Xbox Collection X, or streaming by way of the cloud, quickly you’ll have the ability to expertise the definitive model of this iconic expertise for your self.  

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