In 1997, the real-time strategy genre was still finding its foothold in PC gaming. The early ‘90s gave rise to games like Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty and the first two entries in the Warcraft and Command and Conquer series, but it still had plenty of room to grow. When Ensemble Studios released Age of Empires in the latter half of the decade, it hoped to accomplish something that intertwined the best of the turn-based strategy game Civilization and the staples of real-time strategy.
Age of Empires went on to earn praise and success, eventually leading to expansions and sequels. On Feb. 20, 2018, Microsoft Studios paid tribute to Ensemble’s game-changing Age of Empires with the Age of Empires: Definitive Edition. A re-release of the original Age of Empires, the Definitive Edition celebrates the 20th anniversary of the game’s United Kingdom release with improved visuals and remastered audio. Along with improved visuals and audios, the Definitive Edition also features a completely new user-interface.
With regard to content, the game will feature:
- Newly recorded narration
- Single player and multiplayer modes
- Classic mode that plays as originally designed
- All Rise of Rome expansion content
- A full list of achievements
A day prior to the game’s release, a news post on the official website claimed that there would be future updates to the game that would further enhance graphics optimization, add a spectator mode to multiplayer matches, and fix bugs that came up during the prior beta test.
According to the official website, the minimum system requirements to run Age of Empires: Definitive Edition are as follows:
- OS: Windows 10 version 14393.0 or higher required
- Architecture: X64 required
- Processor: 1.8 Ghz+ Dual Core or greater i3, i5, or i7, or AMD equivalent
- Graphics: Intel HD 4000 or Greater (16 or more Execution Units), AMD or nVidia GPU scoring 500 or more on Passmark G3D Mark
- Memory: 4GB
- Storage: 17-20GB
The release of the Definitive Edition is a fine means of holding fans over as they wait for the release of Age of Empires IV.
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