Age of Empires II
News, coverage and analysis tracking Age of Empires II across the outlets.- Xbox After The Layoffs: Studios Left And What They’re MakingXbox has undergone significant restructuring, including layoffs and the divestment of five studios, as it aims to increase profitability and focus on major intellectual properties. This shake-up impacts numerous development teams and projects across Xbox Game Studios, Activision, Blizzard, and Bethesda, with a renewed focus on core franchises and a shift in business strategies like the exclusion of Call of Duty from Xbox Game Pass day-one launches.
- WRUP: Things the cat tube produces editionThis week's "What Are You Playing" roundup features community members discussing their gaming plans, including Guild Wars 2, Star Wars Galaxies Legends, The Division 2, and Warframe. Several staff members also shared personal anecdotes about unique family traditions, ranging from elaborate fireworks displays to specific holiday meals and egg-cracking games.
Age Of Empires Mobile: PC Edition Is A Different Kind Of Empire BuilderAge of Empires Mobile: PC Edition, a free-to-play version of the mobile strategy game, is now available on PC via the Xbox Store and Steam. This version is rebuilt for mouse and keyboard controls, featuring a faster pace and enhanced visuals, but is not available on Xbox consoles. It supports cross-play and cross-progression with the mobile version.
Microsoft researcher builds goat-powered neural network in Age of Empires 2 to show why we should 'stop assuming that LLMs behave like humans just because they were trained with natural language'Microsoft researcher Adrian de Wynter created a neural network within Age of Empires 2 using goats and grass to represent binary data, demonstrating that complex systems can be built from simple components. This experiment aims to highlight how easily humans anthropomorphize large language models, arguing against assuming human-like behavior simply because they are trained on natural language.
Civilization is the most iconic turn-based series of all time, but Sid Meier considered making it an RTS: 'It could have easily gone in different directions'Sid Meier, the creator of the Civilization series, revealed that the iconic turn-based strategy game was initially considered as a real-time strategy title, similar to Age of Empires. Meier and Bruce Shelley explored this direction after the success of Railroad Tycoon, but ultimately decided that a turn-based approach would better suit the game's complexity and accessibility. Despite this, the exploration of RTS concepts influenced later games like Age of Empires and Rise of Nations.- WRUP: Every toy version of G1 Devastator from TransformersThis article examines the evolution of the G1 Devastator toy from Transformers across various iterations, including the original 1985 release, Universe (2003), Combiner Wars (2015), and Studio Series (2025). It also includes community members' thoughts on effective and ineffective advertising.
Age of Empires Mobile: PC Edition Launches June 23 - Wishlist Now! - Age of Empires - World's Edge StudioAge of Empires Mobile: PC Edition is set to launch on June 23 for PC via Steam, the Microsoft Store, and PC Game Pass. This version offers enhanced 4K visuals, mouse and keyboard controls, and seamless cross-play with the mobile version, allowing players to build empires across devices. The game aims to grow the Age of Empires franchise by attracting new players while providing existing mobile fans with more ways to play.
Wine 11.10 is out with vkd3d 2.0, VBScript compatibility improvements and moreThe latest development release of the Wine compatibility layer, version 11.10, is now available. This update includes an upgrade to vkd3d version 2.0, reimplemented XPath support, and further VBScript compatibility improvements. Several bugs were resolved, affecting games like Star Wars Racer, Age of Empires III, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.- 25 '90s Games That Hold Up Perfectly Today (And Where to Play Them) | TAGThis article identifies 25 video games from the 1990s that remain enjoyable for modern players, distinguishing between titles that hold up with no caveats and those that require specific versions or adjustments. It highlights how 2D pixel art generally ages better than early 3D graphics and provides information on where each game can be legally played today.
- Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Out Now for macOSAge of Empires II: Definitive Edition is now available for macOS, developed by Feral Interactive and World's Edge. This real-time strategy game allows players to lead various civilizations through historical campaigns and skirmish modes. The macOS version is Apple Silicon-native and includes 4K visuals, a remastered soundtrack, and three base game expansions, with additional DLC available for purchase.
The Best Android RTS Games – Updated!This guide highlights the best Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games available on Android, addressing the challenges of the genre on mobile platforms. It features titles like Company of Heroes, Rome: Total War, and Siege Up!, offering a variety of strategic experiences from historical battles to futuristic combat.
Competitive Gaming Events Are Becoming Bigger Entertainment Productions In 2026Competitive gaming events in 2026 are evolving into large-scale entertainment productions, incorporating elements like live music, celebrity appearances, and festival-style programming to rival concerts and streaming premieres. This shift is driven by games becoming integral to broader entertainment lifestyles and publishers treating esports as a live product requiring robust production value. Events like Evo 2026 and the Esports World Cup exemplify this trend, aiming to attract diverse audiences beyond core esports fans.- WRUP: The context of this is that something very good happened to Guillaume but at Etienne’s expense editionThis article is a weekly roundup of what games the Massively OP community and staff are playing, featuring a bonus question about car preferences in video games. Contributors discuss their weekend gaming plans across various titles including Star Wars Galaxies Legends, Guild Wars 2, The Division 2, and Final Fantasy XIV, while also sharing their favorite types of cars in games, ranging from vintage to sports models.
Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings retrospective – The millennial medieval masterwork proves that there's…This retrospective on Age of Empires 2 highlights its accessible design and enduring appeal within the real-time strategy genre. Despite its age, the game's straightforward mechanics, focus on historical detail, and blend of strategic combat with city-building elements make it a timeless classic. The article also touches on its impactful soundtrack and the nuanced portrayal of conflict and environmental consequences.- From killer monkeys to minigun babies, the funniest cheat codes in gaming, everThis article discusses some of the funniest and most memorable cheat codes in gaming history, ranging from the chaotic angry pedestrian mode in Grand Theft Auto to explosive secrets in Tomb Raider 2. It also highlights unique cheat codes in Age of Empires, Turok, Sonic 3D Blast, Mortal Kombat, and Star Wars Jedi Knight 2, reminiscing about a golden age of harmless and humorous in-game modifications.
- WRUP: You gonna cry editionThe Massively OP staff discusses their weekend gaming plans, with mentions of Guild Wars Reforged, Lord of the Rings Online, Warframe, Final Fantasy XIV, Throne and Liberty, World of Warcraft, and New World. A bonus question prompts readers to share the dumbest thing they've done to win a low-stakes challenge.
The OG Xbox was meant to be a PC-console hybrid, and the console's co-creator says Project Helix is "very…Ed Fries, a co-creator of the original Xbox, believes Microsoft's current 'Project Helix' initiative to bridge consoles and PCs echoes the initial vision for the Xbox. He explains that technical limitations, particularly RAM constraints, prevented the original Xbox from being a true PC-console hybrid, forcing a more custom architecture. Fries suggests that current hardware capabilities and the narrowing gap between PC and console gaming make this hybrid approach feasible today.
Xalavier Nelson Jr, director of Space Baby Warlord Trading Simulator, will never uninstall Warframe and would love to see an Outriders 2: 'I think that game would have been really special'Xalavier Nelson Jr, director of Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator and founder of Strange Scaffold, discusses the games installed on his PC. He highlights Warframe as a live-service game he'll never uninstall due to its evolving nature and respect for player time, and expresses a desire for an Outriders 2, praising the original for its flawed charm. Nelson Jr also shares his appreciation for older titles like Cultic and Blood: Fresh Supply, emphasizing the importance of understanding game history.
'Early on in the 2000s, we got enamored with consoles and I think certain games didn't make the leap right:' Star Wars Zero Company's director has a theory about why old school PC gaming genres are back with a vengeanceGreg Foertsch, director of Star Wars Zero Company, theorizes that the resurgence of PC gaming genres like RTS and turn-based tactics is due to a difficult transition to consoles in the early 2000s. He believes that as more games successfully adapt to new platforms and embrace camera tools, innovation in these complex genres will continue to grow.
"As soon as it fired up, he'd get up and go to lunch": How Age of Empires' developers tested mission difficultyFormer Ensemble Studios designer Ian Fischer discusses the unique method studio head Tony Goodman used to test mission difficulty in the original Age of Empires: he would leave for lunch and only return if the scenario was not too difficult. This approach aimed to ensure game accessibility, a principle Fischer has carried to his later work, though he cautions against making games too vanilla.