Review #11 - 2019

The first PC game I ever experienced, and it all started with this release that included the base game, and the "Rise of Rome" expansion. I remember being captivated by the opening sequence, that gave you a scale of what you were about to get yourself into. Epic battles, taking place is a time long ago, when empires ruled, and many fell before them.

The Intro:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7LZLx_5pu0

The campaign is where I spent most of my time, for it wouldn't be until I was an adult that I would experience online multiplayer, but that was alright with me. Even though I desired to be able to play against my Dad and brothers, the campaign had a TON of interesting and challenging scenarios that kept me hooked. My favorite thing was the historical lore behind each scenario, basing each campaign around a specific empire, and telling the story of their rise and fall with each level. For the longest time I wanted to become a historian because of this game, and although that never came to fruition, I still find myself fascinated by this particular period of time enough to continue to study it.

Mind you, there are things that have kept this game from aging well, and lot of that has to do with the pathfinding, that would quickly be improved upon in the sequel, but those things never bothered me until I played multiplayer as an adult, and was quickly remedied with an HD patch made by the community, that keeps this game alive and well, even with the Definitive Edition on the market.

http://aoe.heavengames.com/

This is one of those games that has impacted me on such a deep level, that I carry it with me every where I go in my heart. Like, seriously, the soundtrack plays through my head nearly every day, and it has been that way since 1999, when I first saw my Dad playing this incredible RTS experience. I inspired my desire to learn about different cultures and their histories, all without realizing I was learning things, because I was having SO much fun.

Reviewed on Mar 07, 2022


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