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'Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition' arrives this fall
Microsoft revealed at its E3 event that Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition will arrive this fall. As with the updated Age of Empires, this version of the classic RTS includes 4K support and remastered audio, as well as a brand-new campaign called The Last Khans. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition will be available on Xbox Game Pass for PC, while signups for the beta are now open.
Microsoft delays its 'Age of Empires' remaster to 2018
Were you planning your gaming calendar around Age of Empires: Definitive Edition's release on October 19th? You'll... need to find an alternative. Microsoft has pushed back the launch of the remastered real-time strategy collection at the last minute, anticipating a launch sometime in early 2018. The developers pin the sudden delay to a desire to tweak the game as much as possible. They want to invite "thousands" more people into the closed beta to adjust everything from the multiplayer balance to the lobby system.
The first new ‘Age of Empires’ game in over a decade is in the works
It's been over a decade since Age of Empires III came out in 2005, but fans of the lauded RTS franchise, take note: Age of Empires IV is officially in development. At Gamescom today, Microsoft announced the next title in the much-loved series -- and that we'd be getting remastered versions of each of the previous games.
'Age of Empires' is getting a 4K upgrade
Hey, Blizzard: you're not the only developer that can remaster a classic real-time strategy game. Microsoft has unveiled Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, a rework of Ensemble Studio's history-based conquer-the-map title. Graphics and sound get the obvious improvements with 4K resolution support, higher-detail visuals and a remastered soundtrack, but there are some functional improvements, too. There's a new narrative, Xbox Live multiplayer, new zoom levels (no more panning around to see a large-scale fight) and other unspecified gameplay improvements.
Age of Empires marches on mobile devices this summer
Even if we wanted to, we can't (rather, shouldn't) play Age of Empires all day. This summer it'll become a time-sinking possibility, however, with an AoE spin-off headed to iOS, Android and Windows Phone. The teaser video dropped by Microsoft doesn't reveal much outside the broad release date. Age of Empires: World Domination only gets mere seconds of gameplay teased so it's hard to derive exactly how much depth the mobile iteration will go into. Fortunately, horses, spears and Huns, at least, have already made the transition. Update: We've edited this article to reflect the fact that the game will come to Android and WinPho, as well as iOS.
What Age of Empires Online says about Steam's impact on free-to-play games
Microsoft's attempt to reinvigorate its aging Age of Empires game franchise most recently resulted in a free-to-play game distributed on the company's (now shuttered) Games for Windows Live service. The game, Age of Empires Online, launched as a free title with two civilizations available to play as; any additional civilizations (initially) cost $20 apiece, a hefty price despite the amount of content therein (30ish hours per civilization). Longtime AOE fans, understandably, reacted negatively to the game's business model, which took the content previously offered in full from older AOE games and broke it up into an a la carte, F2P title. As Microsoft AOEO executive producer Kevin Perry told a crowd of GDC Europe attendees this morning in a panel titled "F2P the Wrong Way: Age of Empires Online," the game outright "wasn't ready for launch" when it arrived in Summer 2011. Though Perry ran through a variety of ways that his team helped to fix AOEO's course, he brought up one particularly interesting factor: Valve's Steam game service. When the game hit Steam in March 2012, the game's DAU (daily active users) spiked by more than three times -- a larger bump than any other change by far, including new content (as seen in the above image).
Nikkei: Microsoft porting first-party game franchises to Android and iOS (update: not quite)
Microsoft is selective about where its first-party game franchises appear -- outside of lightweight releases like Kinectimals and Wordament, it prefers to use games as technology showcases and system sellers. It may not be picky for much longer, though, as Nikkei claims that Microsoft has reached a deal with Japan's KLab to develop Android and iOS versions of its first-party titles. The deal reportedly includes adaptations of both PC and Xbox games, and would start with a free-to-play variant of Age of Empires that could launch before the end of the 2013 fiscal year. We've reached out to Microsoft to verify the rumor, but it's clear that the arrangement could be a breakthrough for gamers who aren't wedded to Microsoft's existing mobile strategy. Update: Microsoft's Phil Spencer says that the report wasn't completely right -- the company isn't bringing Xbox games to non-Microsoft devices, Kinectimals and Wordament notwithstanding.
DS Fanboy Favorites: Dave's top five
All this week, the DS Fanboy staff is letting you in on a few of their favorite titles. Each day, a different member of the staff will present their personal top five DS games along with a snapshot of their gaming paraphernalia and habits, in an effort to provide our readers with a little more information on the tastes and personalities of our writers.I own a total of 19 DS games. Yes, just 19 games. I've never been too crazy about handheld systems, mostly because I'm the type of gamer that enjoys the escape of playing something more immersive, like console games. That's not to say the DS isn't capable of presenting games that allow me to escape, even some of which are in my collection, but gaming lends itself a bit more to pick-up-and-play, quicker gaming sessions on a handheld when compared with a console.With that in mind, let me show you my top five DS games.
