Age of Empires II
News, coverage and analysis tracking Age of Empires II across the outlets.
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From killer monkeys to minigun babies, the funniest cheat codes in gaming, ever
This 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 edition
The 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 vengeance
Greg 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 difficulty
Former 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.
Massively Overthinking: The nine games portrait of you
This article features Massively OP staff members sharing their personal lists of nine core video games that have shaped them. Contributors discuss foundational titles, franchise representations, and personal favorites across various genres, including MMOs, JRPGs, and action RPGs, reflecting on their impact on their gaming identities and creative work.