It has been a long time since I’ve played an Age of Empires game. So when Microsoft invited me to preview the new Age of Empires: Online, I was eager to see what has changed since. As it turns out, Age of Empires has expanded in scope immensely since I last played it, something fans of the franchise will be pleased to hear.

Age of Empires: Online is a very different game to the previous titles. While I haven’t played all of the AoE games, the look, feel and game mechanics of AoE: Online have expanded and improved. The first thing I noticed was the change in appearance. Alot of work has gone into the animation, which is now more fluid and vibrant than ever. The cities appear even more detailed than before. When you zoom in, you can view all the buildings and added environmental effects such as water flowing from city fountains and heated coals on a household brazier.

In terms of game mechanics, the previous foundation of the Age of Empires franchise still exists. In its most simplistic form, Age of Empires: Online is still an RTS at heart, where you can build your city from the ground up. But there’s a lot more to the game now such as questing, co-operative game play and PvP elements that didn’t exist previously.

The game feels a lot more like an MMO than an RTS and in fact, comes across as a perfect blend of both of these genres. For those gamers who may not have been previously attracted to AoE’s RTS elements, there’s a whole new game to be experienced now and it’s definitely worth looking into if you’re a fan of MMOs.

While the game is free-to-play, Age of Empires: Online relies on micro-transactions which can be purchased from within the game. Content such as add-on nations to play (you begin with the option of playing either the Greeks or the Egyptians in the beta) and other content will be constantly added to expand the game.

The other nice thing about Age of Empires: Online is how its linked through Windows Live. This will give you access to everyone on your friend’s list on Xbox Live so you can organise to party-up for coop through the online system. At first, it does seem a little tricky when you’re not sure how to do this. I found myself foundering around trying to figure out how to get through coop play so I haven’t been able to play through a coop quest yet.

Levelling up your city (through questing) will unlock a skill tree where you can upgrade every facet of your city from its technology to its military units. There are other added incentives to quest your way through the levels such as discovering treasure (which is usually guarded by opposing forces on the map). Once you’ve discovered a treasure chest, you can find some very nice goodies to unlock such as building materials not easily found in the beginning stages. Completing quests also rewards you with blue prints to build everything from obelisks to upgraded buildings. As well as blue prints, you can also be rewarded with “power ups” for your buildings, troops and vehicles.

While I have yet to work through the cooperative game play and the PvP element (two aspects of gameplay I’m sure fans will thoroughly enjoy), the questing in itself is fun, especially if you’re new to the game. Age of Empires: Online is especially kind to newcomers, and it’s very easy to familiarise yourself with the basic elements of gameplay. This will be an added advantage for gamers who are not familiar with the franchise or with the elements of RTS games in general.

Age of Empires: Online has rejuvenated my interest in the franchise and I highly recommend it to fans of the franchise and to anyone remotely interested in a city-builder with expanded, fun and detailed MMO game mechanics. If you’re interested in checking out AoE: Online, you can do so here.

See you online!