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Great fun- But be sure to have MSN Gaming Zone

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 16
Date: January 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I've had this game for a week. I finally picked it up, played it, and explored the game a bit. I'm still learning the game, but here's the story how it is so far.
The game is excellent. Plenty of depth, fun, and many different units and buildings. Each building has specific functions and people it can create, making the game all the more intricate and exciting. You can research "new" technologies and go from the Dark Age through the Imperial Age. The game is a non-stop blast.
But wait...it is much more fun to play on the MSN Gaming Zone. You can actually talk to your ally(allies) and chat and trade resources, make strategies, etc. You can't entirely do this with the computer. I love playing with other people, because it adds that much more excitement. Here's how to play with other people via the internet:
Go to zone.msn.com..... Click Sign In. If needed, get a free MSN passport. Next, in the games list, click Age of Empires II. It will ask to install the MSN Gaming Zone. Click yes. After it's done, click Age of Empires II. Select a game room (I preffer Hunt the Royal) and you'll see big icons for various games. Click Join on one game room. When the host is ready, the game will be launched, and you'll be ready for some fun. *Make sure you have Age Of Empires II in the CD-ROM drive when you go to the Game Zone! Happy conquering!

Great game, but not for addictive personalities...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 17 / 27
Date: November 24, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Someone once told me that AOE is the cocaine of computer games. It's true.

The game is fun, but I would prefer shorter playing time. Three hours a pop is a little much.

A very, very, VERY sweet game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: December 31, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Age of Empires II is excellent. This game has practically no flaws and is the current lord and master of the RTS genre. It is a lot easier to get into than some other RTS games (Starcraft, Total Annihilation, although those are also good). Overall, AOE II is the best RTS you can buy right now. Each civilization has different architecture and unique units, so seeing a squad of Japanese samurai rushing a French castle is a common (and beautiful) sight. The graphics are wonderful, very detailed. While the AI can be viciously tough, on the lower levels it is very playable and allows those new to the game and the genre to get into it easily. In short: the best RTS you can buy. So buy it!

Awesome game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: December 14, 1999
Author: Amazon User

AOE 2, The Age of Kings is the best game i have ever played. It is very user friendly, and easy to learn but it also has much depth and there's no limit to how good you could get (but it takes a long time to be an expert). if you get tired of playing computer AI go to zone website and play it online. This game is undoubtedly one of the bes Real-Time Strategy game ever made. It's worth the money

Taking RTS to a new level.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: February 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is an excellent game that takes the RTS game and really brings it to a new level.

A few people have said that this game doesn't introduce many new bells and whistles, and those people are mostly right. However, the game takes the standard RTS game and adds enough depth to make it the civiliazation of real time gaming. The various races have very real strengths and weaknesses that have a profound inmpact on the game play. Each races unique unit is representative of real history (viking berserkers, mounted Mongel archers, english longbowmen, need I say more). There is a hugfe research tree that makes it difficlut to research all of the options making it necessary to make real choices to how you will approach the game.

All of these options really open up how you can approach the game. You can sit back, play a defensive game, and go for a wonder win, or go on the offensive, either wearing your opponent down with nuisance atttacks on there economic areas, or marching in with the big win.

Defensive stances and formations add another levle to the game play. While battles generally settle into muddled affaris (which I think is representtative of the era, take a look at the movie Braveheart) the intial set pu of the units is critical in battle and can make make a huge difference in wiining battle and getting slaughtered (if you don't beleive me, look at the difference in how long your troops last between line and staggered formations when being attacked by onagers).

Overall, the enormous amount of depth that AOK adds to the standard RTS game makes this game a winner.

One of the greatest games out there!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: July 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is, quite simply, an addictive game. It's not one of those games where you stick your head around the corner and BAM you're dead because the enemy blasted your head off with an AK-47. It's one of those games where you start out about as weak as you can be without actually being dead and you have to build up to the point where the enemy cant get three steps into your city because they were hit by a cannonball from your strategically placed bombard tower.

You start out with three villagers, who do all the work, one guy on a horse who explores the map, and resources minimal to the point where you can create almost nothing with what you have to start with. You have to gather enough resources to get to the next age. Every age grants new buildings, units, and technologies to aid your civilization on its way to greatness. When you get to the castle age, you can build castles, which fire arrows at enemies near them and allow you to create unique units such Persian War Elephants, which have incredible HP and attack but move slower than your average dial-up connection, or my favorites, Gothic Huskarls, which are the bane of any archer that doesn't have a horse on which to run away. And then there is the Infantry-Cavalry-Archer triangle, in which archers are effective against infantry which are too slow to get to them without sustaining lots of damage, infantry are effective against cavalry, and cavalry are good at charging down archers without taking much damage due to high speed.

A lot of people complain that the game gets monotonous after a long time, but that's why Microsoft gives you thirteen civs to play as (eighteen with the expansion), each very different from the rest. For example, the Teutons get the best of everything defensively, from fortified walls to bombard towers, but their unique unit, the teutonic knight, is a lot like the elephants. The Goths have the worst defense in the game, but pack an incredible offense due to huskarls and a great economy lets them advance to the next age faster than the rest, meaning that they can strike before stricken.

One thing I like about unique units is that they really distinguish one civilization from another. In AOE, one civilization might get faster chariots but no centurions while another gets no legions but extra armor for the elite infantry, but it's still hard to prefer one civ over the rest due to lack of differences.

Multiplayer is LOADS better than single player, because you can formulate strategies with your teammate to use against the computer (I'll blow open the left wall with petards, then you flood the gate right there (insert notification signal) with your champions to get their army to that side, then I'll send in the trebuchets through the gap in the wall to destroy the wonder). You can also tell your allies when you are under great distress (I could use some help over here!!!) or if you need resources (I need 200 more stone for murder holes, can you send me some?).

There are also historically accurate campaigns, like Joan of Arc and Frederick Barbarrosa, along with single scenarios in the expansion such as The Battle of Hastings. All campaigns and scenarios are historically accurate, meaning that you mom can't yell at you for learning nothing because you're sitting in front of the computer all day. There's also a library with loads of historical stuff about all the civs along with info about the rennaissance, feudalism, the fall of rome, etc.

There is also a scenario builder in which you can create your own campaigns and historical scenarios,or just amuse yourself for hours watching a huge army throw themselves against the walls of a heavily fortified city.

Despite the fact that the graphics are outdated and multiplayer saving is a bit shaky, this game is infinitely worth buying.

Cool down the Computer after this one!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: July 11, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Man this game is breath-taking.You start it and then you get going and you don't want to turn it off.The graphics are top of the line.The game play is real strategic and time consuming.It isn't some bang'em up blow'em up game.This actually takes thought and time.There many diffrent ways to play the game.Plus there many diffrent people to use and to go through their role.Buy it you wont be disapointed and if you are then say this review didn't help.

A classic!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: November 23, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is by far one of the best real-time strategy games available. The game style is superbly unique, and even shames the classic "Warcraft II". The many different types of units, buildings, and technologies makes the game very interesting for a long period of time, and the difficulty of the missions makes this a game that will remain on your hard drive for at least several months are you purchase it. Even the experienced gamer will find "Age of Empires II" difficult, and the newbie will probably be at it for quite some time. I played most of the missions on the "easiest" setting, and they were still quite challenging and addictive.

You have several various options within the game. First, you can play tour of duty campaigns in which you play as various civilizations (The Celts and Franks to name a few) against different kind of enemies. These missions are generally the most difficult part of the game, and most have you at them for hours before you finally come out the victor. The other two sections of the game are multiplayer (which you can play over a network or on the internet) and custom campaigns which let you play against the computer in a multiplayer style gaming environment. In this type of game, you get to pick any one of the 14 different civilizations to be, all of which have unique strengths and weaknesses. It's quite fun to go through each civilization researching new weapons and upgrades to see which fits you the best.

Even though "Age of Empires II" is beginning to be dated, the game is still excellent and worth the money. This will be one to go down as a "classic", very similar to "Warcraft II". A definite buy.

Age of empires

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: June 02, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Age of Empires is one of the best games off all time. You can be one of 13 civilizations all with diffrent advanges and disadvanges. There are many diffrent units and with diffrent civs you can get diffrent units. The game has many advantages over age of empires one the biggest being that your population limit is now 200.

As an added bounus the playing online is great. This game in increadable and a must have

Age of Empires II

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: October 30, 1999
Author: Amazon User

This game is the greatest game I have ever played. My favorite part is the campaigns- you are William Wallace, Joan of Arc, Saladin, Frederick Barbarossa, or Ghengis Khan and you play a series of scenarios based on their real life exploits (for example, in the first Joan of Arc scenario you must escort her to Chinon without her being killed by the British or the Burgundians). Another great feature is the gate, which you can build into a wall. The gate automatically opens for you and your allies, but enemies must knock it down with their battering rams.

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