Age of Empires 2 is possibly the best strategy game ever made. It is one of my favourite games and I have spent many hours playing it. I remember first playing it in the early 2000’s and I still have my original cd in its square case, with the 3 kings staring angrily outward. AoE2 remains a massively popular and beloved title today, and below are some reasons I think it is so great and has remained so.
- Single player features – The single player aspect of the game is excellent as there are numerous things to do. There are loads of campaigns that look at civilizations from many continents and eras, but El-Cid was probably my favourite campaign from the original. There are also historical battles and custom scenarios, or you can just skirmish versus ai which are also lots of fun.
2. Replayability – It is easy to play again and again because every map and scenario is different and the layout of resources and terrain always changes. For almost 20 years I have been able to keep playing without it feeling repetitive or boring, and this is testament to the quality of the game.
3. Multiplayer – The multiplayer community is still strong and it is always possible to find a match. There is also a great competitive scene which demonstrates the love that people still have for a more than 20 year old game. A recent tournament I watched topped 50k viewers on Twitch during the final match.
4. Support – Development support for the game is ongoing. New dlc, patches and tweaks still occur quite regularly and this keeps the game feeling fresh. The release of the Definitive Edition also gave the game even more depth, both graphically and game-play wise.
5. Unit variety – The number of troop types and unique civilisation units is fantastic spanning from the early medieval period to the Renaissance, from the Mongols to the Aztecs. Woad Raiders, Tuetonic Knights, Flaming Camels, Archers, Bombards to name but a few.
Overall, AoE2 is simply a fantastic game that has stood the test of time and keeps me thoroughly entertained every time I play it.
DMD and Me 