Age of Empires 4 (PC - Windows, Steam) is a brand-new, big budget continuation of the classic RTS franchise. How is it? Let's talk. Subscribe for more: / gameranxtv ▼▼ Watch more 'Before You Buy': bit.ly/2kfdxI6
I remember I used to play the original Age of Empires Everytime I would come back from school, together with Warcraft 2. Lots of history and even though I was like 10 years old, it felt like a fun adventure. Couldn't beat none of the campaign lines though, the missions would get harder and harder, and I guess it was too difficult for a 10 year old lol
@@MishaElRusito When you're young you don't realize that you don't need to build like 10 extra houses and a bunch of extra production for no reason, you just wanna build a city and take over the map :P
While no doubt AoE2 is a great game, i would love to see the sequel of the AoM. Those myth creatures and attacking them or fighting alongside them is so fun that fighting with/against human soldiers. Campaign mode in AoM is absolutely the best story of 32 chapters with 3 different civilizations. I wish they will create a sequel for AoM with another good campaign mythological story
I like that this is one of the few times in games where a developer made a game and essentially did what worked, played it close to the vest, and people actually loved it. A great example of not fixing something that wasn't broken.
AoE 4 is actually what you refer to as "Fixing something that already works". AoE 2 DE is absolutely great. So good you wouldn't believe it. But AoE 4 is total shit.
@@kleash me too, the graphics that I experimented during the beta is way better than what i see in videos and streams, and most importantly it was really fun!
The "not your dad's war game" really hit home for me, I used to watch my dad play the second game all the time when I was a kid. I recently picked up the definitive edition on steam so I could play with him when he visits
been playing it a bunch, really enjoying everything it has to offer, feels like they updated everything you wanted while keeping true to the game and making good choices to keep it competitive
I enjoyed the history based cut scenes in AOE2 as well, Skirmish was brilliant and was super chill on easy and challenging on very hard. The kind of game where a skirmish could last 1 to 4 hours, certain game sequels only need tweaks as their original iterations are so good.
Is it just me or does AOE3 seem more advanced? Interesting additional small mechanisms with the tribes, scouts, and supply outposts and destructible buildings and units. This one seems kinds meh by comparison to me.
@@BoozhiOfficial Same! I regularly play AoE3 DE and the details on the water, the collapsing buildings and ships, the little wonky tails on animals, the portrsit for each unit, thr UI that fits the age you're in- I was raised on AoE snd this fourth game is not impressing me at all.
It really sounded like these guys didn't even know that AOE3 even existed while describing this sequel. A bit like explaining all the features Civ6 has that the 1991 original lacked...
AoE 3 was good tooo.... everyone I know pretends like it doesn't exist but it's my favorite one :( also just buy the game if you're remotely interested in the series.. very good worth your time absolutely fun.
I have such fond memories of Age of Empires II. I went on day trip to London with my mother to visit some museums and galleries, and afterwards she bought me AoEII because I told her it was educational. It turned out it actually was, and I learned all sorts about Byzantines and Goths. Oh and trebuchets. I learnt a LOT about trebuchets.
The game is still really popular. You can basically queue up in less than 3 mins and play 3v3 2v2 or 1v1 with good connection and servers, new civs are also being added and soundtrack AND design have also vastly improved
I loved the history they put in too. If not playing, I would spend an hour or two just reading the historical background of the civs/units/buildings/battles.
Indeed it was educational. My interest with history, geopolitics, and other countries culture and languages began with Age of Empires II. Back then, in 2001, there was no internet. So my fascination began with this game and Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia
Get it on a sale. The game isn't worth $60. Maybe 30 or 40. Even call of duty innovates more each series. Just stick with your AOE 2 definitive edition. EDIT: Unless you're a huge Mongols fan.
I have a recurrent thought about utilizing squads more in RTS games - where you are commanding the leader of the unit and the rest of the units are AI controlled to follow as they see fit. In this way we could cross the 200 limit quite quickly and have massive battles. The mongols shows really nice design (the prayer flags are not responding to wind though) and gives a taste for "modernized sollutions". I would personally be more enticed by a game which moves a little bit further in developing the genre in these ways. Used to play AoE and AoE 2 as a kid but don't think I will find my way to the 4th installment, it looks a bit too similiar.
I haven’t played Age of Empires since 2 back in high school with my dad! That was over 20 years ago lol I bought them on Steam a few years back but it’s just not the same. My sister used to come be his spy and then he’d suddenly be outside my town with trebuchets haha. Good times. This new one looks nice tho!
Age of Empires, Age of Mythology, and Rise of Nations were some of the first games I played in my youth (like 4 years old) and man do I remember every moment.
It does looks a little like a mobile game, you can't watch those beaming homing arrows getting stuck on infantry group models and say it looks better than AoE2. Interface is worse. It sure focuses more on how it's played than the aesthetics, the units on the wall has been a big dream for me in AoE. I just wouldn't go as far as saying better visuals. Furthermore, AoE1 actually had way better models and animations than AoE2 units, just compare it.
Age of Empires 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. Honorable mention to the original, rise of nations (which I guess was a different developer, but still have almost the same exact gameplay), and Star wars galactic battlegrounds. All games using the same exact engine and gameplay mechanics. But 2 was fittingly the King 👑
They're using documentary footage in order to tell their stories now? That's actually really cool and something I would have never thought they would have done but it makes a lot of sense
I love this series so much and I really did learn a lot about different time periods and events. I've been excited about this for years and I've been extremely impressed and appreciative of the remasters developed so far.
This reminds me of all four players fighting out for the control of the only 6 sheeps in the map. I think most people cared more about the sheep than the relics.
Great video! First "Age of..." was Age of Mythology way back when and it was great. Quickly got into Age of Empires II and III. Glad to see this one looks just as good if not better.
I downloaded the Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition on my PC on the first day that it was released. I'm still not complete with the European campaigns due to the sheer number of missions. Best RTS game that I have played since Command and Conquer Red Alert 2
Yeah crazy there's like 20ish campaigns if you have all the dlc. Each one should give you between 2-6 hours of play time. Except maybe the William Wallace one 😂 I've got over 900 hours in this game. Custom scenarios with friends are such a vibe.
When playing the beta version I found myself very immersed. I remember one online game I played was 90 minutes but it felt like only 45 minutes. Already pre-ordered standard edition.
Ah, that was my first RTS game. Seeing that Age of Empires title brings along back many childhood memories. AOE has always been a special, legendary game for strategy fans. And, I bet every history enthusiast like me spent so much time on this game in the past. By the way, a great review. I'm looking forward to adding this game to my steam library.
For those of you that don't know, AoE2 received a 4k remaster recently. If AoE4 doesn't look like your cup of tea, the age 2 community is bigger now than it ever has been and we'd love to have you :)
i played it it is good, but i still prefer gameplay and believe or not less complicated upgrades and units from AGE 3 and Age 3 Wars of Liberty mod. Plus that cheaty AI from Age 1 and 2 is not how i like it. In Age 3 when you increase difficulty AI gets bonus trickle of resources, but there is an option to boost yourself, so players can get on same lvl as AI with resources, but still need to rely on strengths on chosen nation, which can be difficult, not every nation is good against other nation.
The Age 2 AI doesn't cheat anymore in the DE edition. I don't remember if it was a release day thing or a patch, but at some point they fixed that issue.
@@jerd2947 honestly i dont remember, what i did remember is AI was using that maximum range to shoot your units from unexplored range(where you cant see it) and whenever you move units to attack it immediately moves back in the dark area so it was impossible to fight it with slower or low range units, that is if cavalry was not built, it also uses catapults from unexplored space and moves them at exact time to not be able to see or shiot it. I hated that stupid mechanic developers did.
I dont follow much gaming news, and AOE4 I've been excited since it was announced and had no idea when it was being released, this is why I love this channel. Thanks guys! Time for me to go pick up a copy
I'd wait for them to patch it , but yeah, I had no idea this was coming. Unfortunately , I have so many recent game purchases, I probably won't play this until late next year, even if I bought it today.
@@majorgear1021 what problems that makes me wait for patches? I tried the stress test when announced and believe me I would pay the 60 dollars just for that limited experience with only 4 civs! I assume the patches you talking about are about the competitive state of the game? Which is not gonna affect me since im just a casual
Same, i totally forgot when it should be released, i was thinking 'some time' next year, but booom, got me pleasantly surprised :D I still have AGE 3 DE and AGE 3 wars of liberty mod, super content to play when i feel i want to :D
It's fun watching a before you buy video after pre ordering the game. Got the digital deluxe on steam because I wanted to get everything they had to offer. AOE 2 and AOE 3 were gifted to me by my dad and they were a huge part of my childhood. This time I could buy the game with my own money and that feels really good. 😁
I was 3 when AOE3 was released and I remember always sitting up on my older brother’s desk as he played. I’m honestly really looking forward to buying this for myself and as a gift for him so we can enjoy some 1v1’s. I hope that this game comes with a Co-oP mode similar to the one in StarCraft 2 where we get to play together to complete objectives
As a graduate of Uni of Lincoln it was very cool to see my city in the game especially after exploring the ancient castle myself and learning it's history.
Age of Empires made me love and get interested about history, especialy western European !! Over 20 years later, I learned so much, started to speak old norse, a bit mittelhochdeutsch, and will learn old english. I just love it, and it all started with AoE 1 but even more AoE2. Changed my life literaly( though sometimes I forget how to write 😭😭😭. English, German ...). It made a little girl, a history and old languages fanatic!!!! Thanks for the video, by the way !!😄😄😄😄
Damn I can't wait to get this. When I was in middle school every class room had like 3 computers and age of empires. So at lunch there would be a ton of lobby of just flat worlds and max resources and everyone would just strait fight
Cossacks games from the early 2000s had a limit to max 8.000 soldiers on the map, and even that was lifted. Several years ago I managed to achieve around 28.000 soldiers before the game started crashing all the time. It felt incredible
Been missing RTS since I last play Stronghold 3. Hopefully building here is as peaceful as the old time. I like building, both for defensive and economy purpose, and then actually make a nation conquering army out of them. I preferred Stronghold 2 more than 3 and I also prefer AOE 3 more than 2 because of it as I like building more than the army stuff.
My main issue with this game, from what I've seen so far, is that the graphics are too cartoonish. I wish it had AoE2 dynamics and AoE3 style graphics. I also don't really understand why they didn't go a little further in history again, as they did with the previous 3 games (antiquity --> middle ages ---> industrial revolution)
Because this era is more interesting for many people and if a game was about the industrial revolution than it would be a completely different game than what it is right now. its really not that hard to understand in my opinion.
Good, I prefer stylized graphics over wannabe realistic graphics that are an eyesore and just require beefier GPUs. I wanna see more games focus on actual gameplay and story rather than ultra realistic graphics, I swear at some point it's like people can't use any imagination with their games, they're supposed to feel real now. I don't like these trends.
You're talking about the art, not the graphics and I REALLY wish people would learn the difference. Seriously. Graphics are things like shading and volumetric lighting and not what the units look like. Personally the graphics are my biggest complaint with the game but I LOVE the art. My wife and I downloaded AoE4 while it was free to play so we could play it together like we've been doing with AoE2 for over 10 years now. But, she couldn't turn her texture quality up without also turning up a dozen other video settings that make her game run at like 12 fps. But playing on minimum settings makes it look like a friggin N64 game.
use to play these back when dialup and satellite internet was the thing in rural areas, loved messing around with the console commands when I was younger.
AoE2 was the first game I ever played, on my step-dad's PC in 2000, at the age of 4. I've played it at least once a month ever since. I'm so glad they haven't strayed too far from the basic formula (like they did in 3) that made 2 so so great. I'll definitely be buying this.
I like AoE2DE more as well, but I think AoE4 is off to a really good start. I'm eager to see more civs and QoL updates. There were enough changes to justify a new title, but it kept the core AoE experience intact. The campaign style is honestly awesome and I like it over AoE 2's style. Even though I like the layout of AoE2's campaign missions on a world map/book setting.
My 6th grade teacher got me into AOE2, I used to play co-op with him after school. If November wasn't so bloated with games I would have picked this up right away.
That’s cool. My teacher back in the Day was into Diablo, Warcraft, C&C and Age of Empires. Also I remember the days when doing that wasn’t suspect. Pretty sure if I was a teacher and I told someone I was playing games with a school student it would be questioned.
I'm 27 now but I've been playing AOE since I was 3 when my uncle introduced it to me and my older sister. I've been around for every Age release and enjoy them all in their own ways. This one looks like it'll be fun in its own right, best played in phases (seshing it hard for a few weeks every few months or so)
I bought AoE2 in high school when it came out and loved it. AoE3 came out when I was overseas and I was able to eventually get my hands on it and play when I could. I've been waiting and hoping this new addition would come out and I'm so glad it finally did. Hopefully I won't have to wait another 15-20 years for a new one. I'll be buying it for my kid by then, not me.
@I am a PERSON Can't go wrong with classic StarCraft. These days Wargames Red Dragon is a lot of fun but that game takes out the base building part and replaced with reinforcement points. I'd suggest checking out gameplay first and make sure it's something up your alley.
My favorite part of AoE2 was the ability for two players to play the same empire. You could have one in charge of military while the other runs the economy. It was a lot of fun being the same empire, and is very different than just being "on the same team". Few games allow this, another honorable mention that does it is Tzar: The Burden of The Crown (you can choose on unit share for allies). @gameranx, do they allow two players to be the same empire? (Literally, not just playing the same empire as each other).
@@NewChangersFiis no it was something I did in the original version of the game. On the multiplayer screen you could pick the same color and it would let you play as the same team. I don't know if it works on the new edition
@@NewChangersFiis Same player. The game allows you both to use the same empire, so you can both control the units, use the same resources, see the same line of sight. Etc.
Back when i was kid my first game i played was Empire Earth. Very simmilar to AoE. It was a solid strategy game , but also educational , full of historical moments, battles , events. Thanks for the review , i m 100% going to pick up this game.
Exactly... I really think a lot of people are prainsing it because it does exactly the same things as AoE2, with very minors differences. And AoE2 being such an estimed game, this one plays it veeeeeery safe. Too safe for me. I better play AoE2 remastered...
I love this game it focuses on understanding tactics not build order and muscle memory. I love how obvious the weapons are to identify. I can't wait to see what this game becomes. I like how the hot keys are for units and formations not on building buildings. Also best campaign on a rts since northgard.
Well as AOE old fan, I still remember those days when me and my father use to play AOE 1 game, then AOE 2 and then I played AOE 3 myself, now AOE 4... Man time flies, AOE 3 came in 2005 when I was what, 10 something man time flies
A few noob questions, are you always blue team by default? And when you train upgrades for buildings are they always there if you build a new building of the same kind? For exp you upgrade wheel barrel at a mill then build another mill across town does that mill have it as well?
AOE 2 got me into PC gaming when I seen my younger brother play it , what a legendary game ... I am 44 years old now , have not PC gamed for a few years now , but I want to play this ... I wonder if this would run on my M1 MacBook Air I use for work on the road ...
I've bought AoE II three (maybe four) times in my life. I love that game. So I am excited this bought into the spirit of that game! My biggest disappointment of BGIII (maybe second biggest after it being incomplete) was that they modernized it to the point it feels like a whole new game stealing the title. Where this looks like the same game. I want the same game, that's just new. Still probably won't buy until it goes on sale. Haha
AOE was the first computer game I ever played aside from moonlander on my dads oblong mac. I was visiting my friend in another part of the country, so everything around me was new and mysterious, my friend started a game without telling or showing me nothing beforehand, poped me down in front of the computer, turned off the lights and left the room. After building my first clubman I was hooked! :)
I've got a bit over 100 hours on the game, mostly custom game skirmishes against A.I I'll offer a few observations: 1. Don't expect a lot of initial peace to build and advance. Expect enemy scouts poking and harassing your villagers right away. 2. Concentrate on food production first. It is the key to adding villagers and everything else. 3. Monitor and avoid idle villagers and uneven resource gathering. When a resource is depleted, the villagers will just stand there until you move them. 4. Evening out your resources by buying and selling at the market is expensive and inefficient. 5. Don't buy every upgrade that becomes available. Some are more useful and / or a better value than others. 6. You don't need to "control" an area to take its' resources. If there is a huge gold vein on the other side of the map, I'll harvest that instead of what is near my town center. Send enough villagers, build a mining camp next to it, and guard them with a few cavalry. Sometimes you will deplete it before the enemy even knows you're there. Otherwise, you still have all that gold, even if the camp gets discovered and overran. 7. Your military formations should include religious units for healing, and a handful of villagers to repair siege weapons. 8. All siege weapons are costly and powerful, but very easy to destroy if left unguarded by infantry or cavalry. 9. Your assets will behave stupidly and march blindly into annihilation if you don't pay attention and command them what to do. 10. The 200 population cap is awful. You can reach that very quick and then have to start killing off villagers to allow your queued military units to spawn.
AoE II was my childhood. This though... I don't know. Feels more like a remake than anything else. If this was big budget I got no idea where it went. AoE II came around the same time as Starcraft, which got its own sequel ten years after. This came a DECADE later yet if I didn't know any better I'd think this came at the same time as Starcraft II.
I’ve played this early and it’s so much fun. I’m just stoked I get to play this from day 1 and learn it with everyone and have a chance at being good at it. Starting fresh on AOe2 now is horrid. You just swamped by good players even in casual Mp. 100% pick this game up. It’s awesome
@@JohnnyThe_G haha I understand you totally but you shouldn't be afraid. Play 20 games and you will start to have confidence to win. Also the tutorial actually shows how you should play for the first 15 min and that is the base start to be better and everyone does that base start tutorial in every game
Ayye a long time coming for this one! Does anyone remember that cover art from the days of AOE 3 that showed games 1 through 5?? That was dope, and the envisioned AOE 4 and 5 in that looked incredible. Wish it could of been true…
yeah i remember. I think it showed the next age of empires games in a world war era not the one we are getting here. Well a world war AOE would be pretty good, but i'll take whatever i can get.
Good points Gameranx, I am curious if this has all of the races or countries as AOE 2 did, or is it just the bigger countries. Also, the sheer amount of single player campaigns in AOE 2 when you have all the DLC is almost overwhelming lol. I'm wondering about that same thing here in AOE 4.
bro just took me back to when i was 5 years old and the world was still a blur. "its not your dads strategy war game anymore" man i cant even describe the feeling that those words just gave me.
The surely will. AOE2 added new civs recently, if this game hits like that one did, my son will play the new civs before I arrive from work and tell me all about it hahaha
I was part of the closed Beta and the biggest issue I had was the inability to zoom really far out. You were stuck with an extremely zoomed in view. I hope they fixed it.
