Age of Empires 2: Age of Kings

Rating:
Summary: Great Game !
Review: After playing it for more than a year, It still make you spend more hours in front of your monitor. Play it against a human and all your evil strategies of war will come out for your best battle.

Hope to see soon an AOE III !!! Come on Microsoft...

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Ever(Thanks, Microsoft!)
Review: The category of startegy games is on the rise, just as first person had in the early nineties. Some of these games are fantastically unique, because usually, a developer doesn't go and make a strategy game with nothing new whatsoever, yet some are just clones. This, my friends, this is a game that will set the limbo bar for generations to come. And believe me, that limbo bar is LOW. You can choose from the main menu a large selection of game types and multiplayer links. They even managed to stick in a history book full of info on all the tribes in the game. You can, as in most strategy games, edit and create your own map to set up online or just fool around with on single player. The gameplay is quite simple, much of the same gameplay from the original Age of Empires. But so many improvements have been amde to the game overall that its just to hard to concentrate on the relativities. You make units to collect food and wood and stone and gold, all pretty standard, and then create an army of men and horses, as well as siege weapons, to make the enemy start singing "On top of Old Smokey" while either sitting in a jail cell or up in the clouds with a harp and halo. The graphics are plain, though some pretty impressive battle and damage renderings. The sound was very bland, and is the only flaw of the game. But this flaw can be dealt with. After all, "There is more than one way to kill a Town Center!"

Rating:
Summary: Still GREAT after a year and a half!
Review: I must say that this game is the best game I have ever played. I bought this game a year ago and I have been getting better and better ever since. For those of you who dont know, Age of Empires 2: Age of kings is a game where you choose from 13 diffrent ancient civilizations( Teutons, Celts, Byzantines, Persians, etc) and build a Powerful Empire, then you destroy other players empires. The diffrent civilizations have almost completely diffrent technologies so it is impossible to get bored. The best part of AOK is multiplayer. I have made so many friends and have had so much fun. The most popular types of play online are Random Map (RM) and Deathmatch (DM). Random Map is where you start with a limited supply of resources in a dark time or the Dark Ages and work your way up. Death Match is where you start in the Post-Imperial Age with a huge supply of resources and basically get straight to the battle. Of course there are Scenerios, and Regicide but those arent as popular. Another fun aspect of online play is the rating system. With this sytem you can see how you rank up to other players. In conclusion I would like to say one thing, BUY THIS GAME! YOU WONT REGRET IT!

Rating:
Summary: Great Game
Review: I have played "Age of Empires 2: Age of Kings" for about three weeks and I am already addicted to it. The game is life-like, with voices for the different types of people, and has a good basis of the different ages. As you build buildings, you will be able to "advance" to the next age. With the new age you get more buildings, and can upgrade old buildings. If you're the cheating type-- you can find cheats to use, to make the game more fun (for me at least). The game has different campaigns or levels you can play. Some campaigns you might have to save a person, or rescue someone. The game all together is great. There is rarely any gore, no offensive language, just some cartoon violence- that is why it is rated for teens. The stories in the game, and graphics are great.

BUY THE GAME- YOU WILL LOVE IT!!!

Rating:
Summary: The Empires strike again
Review: I played Age of Empires and it was the best game I had played at the Time. Then came Age of Empires 2 I could not stop playing it when I finnaly got it. The Muliplayer is awsome and there are always people to play against. In Age of Empires1 you can only make one guy at a time and it got annoyining after a while in this game you can make up to 15 people at one building at a time.

I dont care if you don't have a computer just get it!

Rating:
Summary: Quick, but missing some of the magic
Review: Personally, I am a HUGE fan of the Civilization type games. I was looking online and found, however, that the ratings for "Call To Power 2" were not so high. I was looking for a game somewhere up to the level of the old Civilization II, and when in the computer store, I was recommended "Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings". I bought it, and was not unhappy. It IS a very good game, and it goes quick enough to not get bored. Things happen without having to sit around and wait (or cheat) for them to happen. The villagers even have funny voices, and they make sounds when you click on them. I listed some of my own personal thoughts on Pros vs. Cons below.

Pros:

1. Great graphics for a strategy game--very up close to the action.

2. Goes quickly

3. There are various ways of winning, not just by destroying the enemy. (Although if you are the bloodshed-loving type, have no fear...it's still an option)

4. You can fight battles from the standpoint of famous leaders, such as Joan of Arc.

5. It's easy to build structures if you have villagers, and it is quite easy to move from Age to Age.

6. Many options to enhance gameplay

Cons:

1. There should be more ages to make it more interesting, and for that matter more civilizations.

2. Though it is shorter than say Civilization I and II, gameplay is not quite as engaging. There are more options in the previously mentioned games.

So overall, I feel that the pros outweigh the cons, and this is a very good game. Even for those of you who don't enjoy strategy games very much, I believe you will get a kick out of this one. It's worth what you need to pay for it. These kind of games are a dime a dozen, but this one certainly stands out in the crowd.

Rating:
Summary: Top 20 game
Review: This is the best game ever. Every one should get it. The maps and stratagies are fun, and somewhat hard to beat.

Rating:
Summary: In like a lion, out like a lamb
Review: If you want a game that you will play for years, once a day everyday, look somewhere else. If you get this game you will play it for about a month, then decide its terrible and stow it away on your shelf. If you can get a good deal on this game, get it. Although not exciting it is a fun strategic game. And you can always make your own levels with scenario builder, so the game only half dies.

Rating:
Summary: Onward to Adventure!
Review: What would have happened if the Mongols under Genghis Khan faced Alexander the Great, both at their peak strength? Or, what would have happened to the English if they invaded Turkey at the height of the Ottoman Empire? If you play this game, you will learn and learn and learn again. History isn't fixed. The same armies can win or loss, depending on their commander.

Age of Empire II is a real time game which continues and improves on the original. Thirteen societies with different strengths and weaknesses compete for dominance of the world. Victory can be achieved in three of the four ways found in the older version - genocide, construction and holding of a "wonder of the world" or capturing all the world's religious artifacts.

The key to any victory will be to exploit your enemies' weaknesses while capitalizing on your strengths. The English archers can fire further and faster, the Turks have gunpowder which is devastating at close range. The Vikings have stronger ships and the "Bezerkers" who heal on their own. This is one game where you really should read the instruction book.

The pluses to this game, and there are many, include, (1) new army formations (which I rarely use) (2) new buildings including the "castle" where you can make a special unit unique to your society (3) and an adjustment to the "hit points" of the earlier units. Gone are the days when you can send one calvary to a new society and wipe it out. Now they will flee to the town center and shoot you down from relative safety.

There are, of course, some negative things. My pet peeve is that as the game progresses you citizens seem to get dumber. They will stand next to your men who are being killed and do nothing, waiting for their turn to be slaughtered. A better program would allow them to fight or flee automatically at the sign of enemies. I also despise the diplomacy (read bribery) options. Pay or die is how this game works. You need to pay off your enemies, or they will destroy you. I think this could be better designed. As it is all the computer armies attack me right away without mercy. I kill them of course. But it would be nice if they didn't focus on me first, every game.

Still, all in all, this game is fun! I have played for many hours and, except for Civilization, this has been my most used computer program. Fun, fun to play and, right now, its price has been reduced, so there isn't much to pay. Enjoy it and have fun.

Rating:
Summary: Hear Ye, Hear Ye, This Game Rules!
Review: 900 AD. Rome has been sacked by barabarians. With no centralized government, the world is up for grabs. Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is one of the best RTS Games I've ever played. Great graphics complement a wide variety of strategies. Will you rush your opponent in the Feudal Age and destroy his base early on? Or will you survive until a late-game Imperial Age battle with knights and cannon?

Resource management is fun, conquest is challenging, and strategies are advanced in this historical simulator of Middle Ages Combat. Armies are easy to raise, providing you have the right resources. You can trade resources and pay tribute to other players. Technologies are there to research that improve your soldiers and villagers. Allies are actually helpful, keeping up the pressure on your opponents while you build up for an all-out assault.

While this may seem familiar to many Age of Empires players, Age of Kings has many important differences. The first is the graphics, which have been highly improved. Along with the civilization attributes, each team has it's own special unique unit. This gives the game a more diverse feel. There are also more subtle differences, the most important being the fact that not all villagers are male anymore. Some are female. It's a randomly determined thing, and it makes it feel more real, but it doesn't affect game play.

If you like real time strategy games, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is a must have. If you really like it, you should buy Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion. If you've never played an RTS, try this. Age of Empires II is a great game.