Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings Demo

Strategy games have evolved a lot over the course of the years, but their core mechanics stayed the same and you can still find bits and pieces that are inspired from classic titles that defined the genre. One of the series that was there when the RTS genre was merely an infant is Age of Empires, which introduced the world to a lot of new concepts and gimmicks that would last for decades to come.

These are the three main ideas behind a game like Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, which is the second installment in the immensely popular franchise devised by Microsoft Studios. Unlike its predecessor, this latest take on real-time strategy features a lot more refined gameplay, with extended options when it comes to trading and the units you can use to defeat your enemies.

As always, there are multiple ways a match can end, when you are playing in skirmish mode. Beside the usual method, in which you torch and kill everything your adversary has, you can also activate the wonder mode. Thus, whoever manages to erect one of the great wonders of the world wins the game, as long as the opponents do not stop him. As you might expect, building a wonder is no small task, since it requires a lot of resources and a long period of time to complete.

The new campaign features a multitude of new characters and units, as well as a brand new story line that follows the fate of a few great leaders throughout the history. Hence, you can take over Genghis Khan and his forces in an attempt to conquer most of the world, or play as Joan of Arc and witness her struggles in the brutal war she was part of.

There are many improvements of a more technical nature as well, which can be admired in the heavily improved graphics engine and the new models that depict the buildings and the units present in the game. As usually, the camera offers an isometric view of the map and you can easily move around it using the mouse, while the units have received a better path finding algorithm as well.

Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is definitely a worthy sequel, thanks to the vast array of new additions when it comes to buildings, units and gameplay mechanics. The campaign mode offers you countless hours of epic battles as well, together with a thorough history lesson.