The options screen is loaded with choices for in-game graphics as well as customizing the way your game plays and controls. Watching a few online skirmishes is a great way to get a feel for what to expect in your matches. Perhaps in the age of online streaming, this feature isn't necessary, but as a guy who spent a lot of time downloading replays in these older games, it seemed long overdue. My favorite addition for the online component is the ability to drop in and spectate any multiplayer game. They even saw fit to include a rating system and ladder (I'm looking at you, WC3: Reforged).

You have the option to create custom lobbies for other players to join in the old-school way, or you can queue up in the match maker for 1v1, free-for-alls, or team games. It's probably a good place to start for anyone looking to move into the online arena, and that's where the real challenge and replayability lies. Of course, you can start up random skirmishes against the AI with a plethora of options to customize the experience.Ī handful of challenge missions teach you some of the essentials in multiplayer RTS, including getting a powerful economy, fast teching, rushing your opponent, and defending against rushes. There's also a score of historical battles, which are single-map missions attempting to re-create - you guessed it - historical battles like the Battle of Hastings. The DE includes all of the campaigns from the original and its expansions, as well as three extra 'Last Khans' campaigns with four new civilizations. The original likely won't even launch on modern systems, so DE has some value straight out of the gate, but from there, it gets even better.

I did, however, play the original Age of Empires II a good amount, and I had a blast with DE.

Age of empires 1 remaster