![]() ![]() Starting with why did it take so long?Īge of Empires II has a huge legacy as an RTS game, and the Definitive Edition has been around for a number of years now. Having played through a near-final build of the game and marveling at some of the design decisions made to bring this heady RTS game to an Xbox console - and make it work - I got the chance to sit down with Earnest Yuen, Executive Producer at World's Edge, and Alex Liu, Design Director, at World's Edge, to talk about bringing this iconic game to console. It’s also coming to Xbox Cloud Gaming with touch controls.Īnd much like Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on PC, it will pave the way for the release of Age of Empires 4 on Xbox consoles later this year. With full controller support, cross-play, cross-save, and full keyboard and mouse integration - it’s almost like the best of all worlds. And now, with the game coming to Xbox, it feels like the next step for the iconic RTS experience. With many out there still playing for others, it was an excuse to dive back in or check it out for the very first time.Īnd it was an immediate success, led to Definitive Editions for other Age of Empires games, and even saw new content in the form of new civilization packs and campaigns. As part of the game’s 20th anniversary in 2019, Microsoft released Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, which took the classic RTS game and modernised it with fancy 4K visuals, several updates, and fixes. Nic Reuben spoke to both Bridle and creative director Adam Isgreen about how the series has evolved over the last quarter century, and it's chock full of fascinating insights.Īge Of Empires II: Definitive Edition is available now on PC over on Steam and Game Pass, as is Age Of Empires IV, which you can find here on Steam and here on Game Pass.Originally released in 1999, Age of Empires II quickly became one of the most iconic real-time strategy (RTS) games of all time, thanks to its epic blend of history, realism, engaging gameplay, and strategic momentum. ![]() ![]() ![]() These new additions have all been highly-requested features from players themselves, according to Bridle, who she called "the beating heart of the franchise" in our new 25th anniversary interview with the World's Edge development team. Plus, if you're an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber and fancy squeezing in some more AOE on your phone or laptop via your web browser, then it will also be able to play through Xbox Cloud Gaming, too. We’ve also added a new game AI which helps make resource management in a strategy game efficient and intuitive."Īs mentioned above, Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition will also be getting optional crossplay support between all platforms when the console edition arrives, allowing PC peeps to play with Xbox-ers. A new tutorial designed specifically for controller input paired with a new user experience for console will help players get started. "The team has been working hard to bring an experience that not only feels great using a controller, but also teaches players how to play on Xbox. "We knew that bringing the complexity of RTS to Xbox consoles was a massive task and one we had to approach carefully and thoughtfully," director of customer voice at World's Edge Emma Bridle wrote on the Xbox News Wire. It also sounds like Xbox have put a decent amount of thought into making them a viable option, too. While I'm sure many PC AOE-ers will continue to use a mouse and keyboard to play these real-time strategy games, it's always nice to see more input options become available. Technically, the main bit of news from tonight's anniversary stream is that both Age Of Empires II: DE and Age Of Empires IV will be arriving on Xbox consoles in 2023 (that, and Age Of Mythology is coming back), but the upshot of all that is that the PC versions will be getting the very same benefits, including controller support, crossplay with consoles and cloud gaming support.Īge Of Empires II: Definitive Edition will be arriving on Xbox consoles on January 31st 2023, with Age Of Empires IV following "later" that year. Today marks the 25th anniversary of strategy classic Age Of Empires, and to celebrate Xbox Game Studios have announced a ream of updates coming to Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition next year. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |