Month: March 2025

Booting up Age of Empires: Definitive Edition for the first time is immediately surprising. The original game launched more than two decades ago, but it’s been refined and revived for 2018, ready for modern audiences–or at least old players with new PCs and missing CD keys. It begins with pomp as a curt opening trailer plays, showing off the upgraded visuals and the new, orchestral score. As a returning player, that moment feels like coming home.

Starting with the launch of Age of Empires II: HD Edition, Microsoft Game Studios has been working to update the series, even add…