Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is a historical real-time strategy game created by Ensemble Studios. It was published by Microsoft in 1999 for Windows and Macintosh.
As you can imagine, it's the sequel to the famous Age of Empires, released two years before (between the two, Ensemble released the expansion Rise of Rome for the original game). The Age of Kings is set during four "ages": the Dark Age, the Feudal Age, the High Middle Ages, and the Imperial Age. Players can unlock new ages when their civilizations, chosen from a list of 13, have built certain buildings and collected enough resources.
Age of Empires II uses the same game engine as the prequel but presents several improvements. First of all, the artificial intelligence algorithm has been improved, enemies are more intelligent (without cheating), and pathfinding is smarter. The graphics engine was improved, and even if it's still 2D isometric, it's much more visually pleasing than Age of Empires, where all the screens felt a bit "empty". Age of Kings not only has bigger worlds but there are also more objects and richer graphics.
Many other additions involve buildings, units, campaigns, and much more.
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings was a commercial hit and received outstanding magazine reviews. If you really want to enjoy it at its best, you should try the Definitive Edition on GOG or Steam. Follow the link on the right.
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