The Versions of Age of Empires 2
Age of Empires II, most commonly referred to as Age of Empires 2, is a real-time strategy (RTS) video game praised for its uniqueness and played by thousands of players around the world. The Age of Empires franchise has often been a fan-favorite franchise for players who enjoy strategy video games. Among the Age of Empires video games, one of the most popular is Age of Empires 2. Age of Empires 2 is widely known as a classic of the RTS video game subgenre.
Since its initial release in 1999, Age of Empires II has received expansions, updates and new versions. Fans who have not yet played Age of Empires II for the first time, and strategy video game fans often wonder the differences between each version of this video game. In this article, these versions will be listed and explained.
The Versions of Age of Empires 2
The versions of Age of Empires 2 are Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, Age of Empires II Gold Edition, Age of Empires II: HD Edition and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings or Age of Empires II (1999)
The original version of Age of Empires II, the video game that was released in 1999, is Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, sometimes also referred to as Age of Empires II (1999) to reflect the release date of the original video game. This is the original Age of Empires II video game, as it was released for the first time. This original version of the video game did not yet include its subsequent expansion, Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. Thus, this could be considered the Age of Empires II base game of the time, without the expansion The Conquerors and also without the further expansions that would become available for the HD Edition of Age of Empires II years later or for the Definitive Edition of Age of Empires II even later. In all regards, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, released in 1999, was the original and first version of Age of Empires II to be commercially released.
It must be noted to the reader that Age of Empires II: The Conquerors is not a version of the Age of Empires II (1999) base game, but rather, it is an expansion pack to the original Age of Empires II video game released in 1999. In this sense, I do not consider Age of Empires II: The Conquerors to be a different version of Age of Empires II, and instead, it is an expansion to the original video game of 1999. Age of Empires II: The Conquerors was released in the year 2000, and for many years until the release of Age of Empires II: HD Edition in 2013, this was the only expansion for Age of Empires II available. After the release of Age of Empires II: The Conquerors, another version was available, which was Age of Empires II Gold Edition, which included the original Age of Empires II video game of 1999 as well as its expansion The Conquerors.
Age of Empires II Gold Edition
The Age of Empires II Gold Edition is a version that includes the base game Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, as well as the expansion Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. Before the release of the HD edition of Age of Empires 2, this was the most complete version of the video game available. At the time the Age of Empires II Gold Edition was released, the expansion The Conquerors was the only expansion and DLC (downloadable content) available for Age of Empires 2.
Age of Empires II: HD Edition or Age of Empires II (2013)
Age of Empires II: HD Edition, sometimes referred to as Age of Empires II (2013), is a remaster of the original Age of Empires II video game of 1999, including its expansion The Conquerors, and features all of the content available in the original game, as well as the content available in the expansion The Conquerors, while at the same presenting several improvements, such as improvements to the AI (artificial intelligence) of the game as well as to the multiplayer systems.
After the release of the Age of Empires II: HD Edition, also referred to as Age of Empires (2013), this version also received new expansions, such as The Forgotten, The African Kingdoms and The Rise of Rajas, in addition to the original expansion The Conquerors which was already available for this version. In this sense, The Age of Empires II: HD Edition features the base Age of Empires II video game as well as four expansions in total (including the original The Conquerors expansion that was available as well in the earlier Age of Empires II Gold Edition). Each of the expansions released ater Age of Empires II: HD Edition, which are The Forgotten, The African Kingdoms and The Rise of Rajas, adds new civilizations to the video game.
While Age of Empires II: HD Edition remasters the original Age of Empires II video game, it also retains the classic gameplay experience and visual style of Age of Empires II. For this reason, even though there are more recent versions of Age of Empires 2, such as Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, some Age of Empires II veterans prefer this version because of its stronger visual resemblance to the original video game of 1999.
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition or Age of Empires II (2019)
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, also referred to as Age of Empires (2019), and sometimes also referred to as Age of Empires II: DE, is a new remaster of the original Age of Empires 2 video game, allowing players to experience the Age of Empires 2 campaigns in 4K Ultra HD, enhancements to the UI (user interface), and several improvements in comparison to previous versions of Age of Empires 2.
After the release of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, new expansions were also released to this version, including Lords of the West, Dawn of the Dukes and Dynasties of Indias. These first three expansions to Age of Empires II: Definnitive Edition, along with the three expansions to Age of Empires II: HD Edition, and along with the expansion to the original Age of Empires II video game, sum in total 7 expansions to the original Age of Empires II base video game of 1999, which was subsequently remastered and enhanced throughout the different versions. Each of the expansions released after Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, which are Lords of the Westk, Dawn of the Dukes and Dynasties of Indias, adds new civilizations to the video game.
The Best Version for New Players
The best version of Age of Empires 2 for new players and beginners who want to start playing is Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, because this is the most recent version of the video game. In principle, in the video games industry, the more recent a video game or a version of a video game is, the easier it is to learn that video game. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition features several improvements and enhancements in comparison to previous versions of Age of Empires II, and this is the reason why this is the best version for new players who want to start playing this video game. However, if you want to experience a more classic gameplay of Age of Empires II, similar to the original Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings video game released in 1999, then the Age of Empires II: HD Edition would be suggested.
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