Games

Experiencing Age of Empires Online

By Sean Booker
September 3, 2011 - 00:00

With a series as strong and old as the Age of Empires games, it was quite interesting to see the latest installment in this lineage take a great leap in innovation. Age of Empires Online embraces the digital download era that computer gaming has fully moved into and, along with that, moves into a completely free-to-play and micro-transaction based system. No more is the standard $50 boxed copy we had come to known with the previous core Age of Empires games (Age of Empires 3 released six years ago being the most recent) and adapts to a more social game aspect that online games seem to be competing with these days. What was once a single purchase (that may include some additional downloadable content in the coming months) has moved into a completely revamped scale in which the player can purchase exactly which parts of the game they want, and which adds on they think will be best suited for their play style.

Personally, I chose not to look at this game as something to review, and more as something to experience. This was mainly due to the free-to-play format of the game. I am finding it difficult to give a score to something that you can get access to for nothing other than hard drive space. There is no way I can say “skip it” because no matter how you look at the product, you’ll be getting your monies worth. In terms of free to play games, this is a great deal of content - I can tell you that up front. So instead, I decided to dive into the game and relay my experiences and general thoughts in a several-post long article. I figured over the next few weeks I would put in a good amount of time and make several different articles explaining the new mechanics I come across and what exactly you get from a standard (free) and premium (paid) account; and whether or not you should even invest any money in expanding the game’s primary experience.

I should point out that I have little experience with the Age of Empires series, having last played the game around ten years ago and only briefly at that. Along with this, not being a big PC gamer means I don’t dabble in real time strategy games that often so it will be a relatively first experience look overall. The copy I received was the “Age of Empires Online: The Greeks” add on pack. It comes with a code for both the Premium Greek Civilization as well as an Exclusive In-Game Store.

With that said, expect my first real article to come in a few days where I’ll outline the starting points of the game and some of the first parts you’ll experience when jumping into Age of Empires Online.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12