After 16 years (yes that long!) since the release of Age of Empires 3 we finally have a new Age of Empires game releasing this year.
You can try out the game yourself this weekend in the stress test. Easiest way to do it is to go to the AoE 4 page on Steam and register for the test. You’ll then have the game added to your library (14.7GB download, 20+ GB install)
I played the tutorial and the first impressions are good. The UI and theme style look great, the building animations are wonderful to behold (see the trailer) and one of the most noticeable things is how good the unit pathing is. You can easily manoeuvre decent size armies. This is AoE in the modern age!
Will report back some more after I sink some time into the PvP and Coop vs AI modes.
Maybe this is a good time to try out the first games then. I think there are remastered editions on all the first games and I’ve never touched any of it.
Yep, sign up for Game Pass and you can play all the definitive editions. I’d skip 1 maybe and just play Age II and III. Of the lot Age 2 is regarded by most as the best (for good reason).
I’m busy downloading it as we speak… Should be ready in about 15-20 minutes. Gonna have a shower quickly and then get cracking. I’ve been eagerly awaiting the game and will definitely play it on Game Pass!
I gave it a good run last night. Played the tutorial and then a skirmish against AI. I thoroughly got my behind handed to me against Easy AI - at least not Easiest! I agree that it’s Age of Empires for the modern ages. Subtle tweaks to production queues and a very intuitive UI. I just need to get a grasp on the new mechanics and civilization traits so I can actually stand a chance at completing a match.
The graphics are surprisingly good, despite how much the gaming community complained about it from the trailers. I played it in HDR and it is simply stunning. It ran buttery smooth as well at UWFHD resolution.
