Game Review - Age of Empires Online

Age of Empires Online is the newest game in the Age of Empires franchise. This time around Microsoft Studios decided to try and turn this game into a MMO RTS (massively multiplayer online real time strategy). So, this leaves the question... What features did they include to make this a true MMO?

My first impressions of this game were positive. I like the graphics style, something “fun” about the cartoon like graphics. There are some nice comical animations with the units, for example I liked the camels being led around by a bucket of water.

The quest system is a nice addition to this game. I feel this added some role playing aspect to it, but still to me this didn't create the big “MMO” experience I was looking for. In fact I don't believe you even have an avatar to represent yourself in this game. Having some sort of avatar is a key piece of a MMO game and lacking that takes away from this game in my opinion.

The capital city is your main home. Depending on your style of play and the choices you make when developing this city you will be able to upgrade and develop new units as well as make new choices in what advancements are available.

The crafting system in this game deserves to be mentioned. I find the possibility of making more units and support items is a nice addition. But, on the other hand if you are not prepared for the battle beforehand you could get into trouble. One thing I do not like about the crafting system is how limiting it is. You can only have one crafting school at a time and to relearn a previously known school will cost you 1000 coin. So, be wary of that when you are playing.

I did try a few Co-op missions with a friend and was happy with how easy it was to play. Working together it was not much of a challenge to locate ad defeat the enemy. Granted we were playing lower level missions, perhaps there will be more challenge at the higher levels where coop will be more a requirement then a bonus. Coop mode worked very well for me in this game, I had no issues at all in this regard.

As a Microsoft game there is no surprise that it uses “Games for Windows LIVE”. I use it for a few different games I play and have had no issues with it at all. If you do choose to make any purchases to enhance this game, the Games for Windows LIVE is the place to do that. Be careful with this, as purchasing everything here can add up to a nice sum...

On Amazon right now I can buy the complete collection of Age of Empires III for $31.49 CAD. For my pocketbook this would be a much wiser investment if I wanted a complete Age of Empires RTS game.

So, back to the main question I have been searching for, what makes this a MMO game. You have to log in to play it, I know that much. You can play with friends and play Pvp with complete strangers... but I personally do not see the true MMO definition being met here in this game. I see a Multiplayer RTS game that you can Pvp with friends and strangers, but I don't think this is on the same scale as other mmo's such as Everquest, or WoW.

For my “official” rating of this game I find that it is a fun game to play, especially when playing with friends (Fun Factor: 7.5/10). The amount of content in this game is decent. There are several areas to play in. That said, you are limited to only 2 races and limited units. The strategy to get people hooked, and wanting to spend more leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and that seems to be the case with this game (Content 6/10).

The game play mechanics are just ok in my opinion. This is a typical RTS game with typical game play. I don't feel they “raised the bar” with this game (Gameplay 5.5/10). As for the Audio and Visual, I was pleased. They style of graphics was cartoon like with decent quality and style. The sound effects were very nice and I enjoyed the music as well (Audio/Visual 7.5/10). If you are a diehard fan of Age of Empires and RTS games in general then you could probalby sit and play this game for quite a while, for the average person though I think the replay value for this game drops over time. The addition of Quests and Missions definitely helps, and does keep people wanting to carry on, however with the lack of Races to choose from I can't see myself starting a new race and doing it all again (Replay 6/10).

The really good thing about this game is that it doesn't require a lot of time to get into and play. You can put in as little as 20 minutes, or get lost in a battle for an hour or more. I consider small to medium time investment required for Age of Empires Online. This really depends on you ultimately.

All in all I do consider this a fun game, but once you've exhausted the Free to Play features you will get bored and to relieve that boredom you must spend cash. Like I said, I can get AoE III Complete with expansions for $31.49! I'd much rather do that then put money into this game.

I give this game a 6.5 out of 10. This is a fun game to check out, and in the end you just waste a bit of time if it's not for you. You can choose to spend some extra cash to enhance this game, but really consider if it is worth it.