| Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings | |
|---|---|
 PC box cover | |
| Developer(s) | Ensemble Studios |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Designer(s) | Bruce Shelley[9] |
| Programmer(s) | Angelo Laudon |
| Artist(s) |
|
| Composer(s) | Stephen Rippy |
| Series | Age of Empires |
| Engine | Genie Engine |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is a real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft. Released in 1999 for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh in 2001,[citation needed] it is the second game in the Age of Empires series. The Age of Kings is set in the Middle Ages and contains 13 playable civilizations. Players aim to gather resources, which they use to build towns, create armies, and defeat their enemies. There are 5 historically based campaigns, which conscript the player to specialized and story-backed conditions, and 3 additional single-player game modes; multiplayer is also supported.
Despite using the same game engine and code similar to its predecessor's, development of The Age of Kings took a year longer than expected, forcing Ensemble Studios to release Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome in 1998 instead. The design team focused on resolving significant issues in Age of Empires, but noted on release that some problems remained.
Reception of Age of Empires II was highly positive. The significant number of new features was praised, as were the gameplay improvements. 3 months after its release, two million copies of Age of Empires II had been shipped, and it topped sales charts in seven countries. The game won multiple awards and is today considered a classic of its type, having had a significant impact on future games in its genre. The original Age of Empires II and its 2000 expansion pack, The Conquerors, were later released as The Gold Edition. Age of Empires II is often considered one of the greatest games ever made.
An updated high-definition graphics version of the game, Age of Empires II: HD Edition, was released in 2013. The HD Edition includes the original game and the expansion The Conquerors, as well as new campaigns, civilizations, and updated graphics for high-resolution displays. A remaster, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, was released in November 2019.
- ^ "Gone Gold : EuroGold". February 10, 2001. Archived from the original on February 10, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Archives October 1999: 28/10/1999". Games Market. October 28, 1999. Archived from the original on May 21, 2002. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ^ "Age of Kings Heaven - Main". September 27, 1999. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
AOK RELEASED!...AoE II has begun to hit the shelves, and should be in somewhat wide distribution tomorrow. The official word from MS regarding the Zone is that it will be fully up and running for AoE II play on October 1st (this Friday)...- Brian Moon (ES_Moonster)
- ^ "Age of Empires II: Gold Edition Technical Support". Bold by Destineer. Archived from the original on August 6, 2002. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
- ^ "Age of Empires 2". Atari. Archived from the original on September 12, 2003. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ "Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings". Chipsworld. Archived from the original on January 5, 2002. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ "AGE OF EMPIRES II THE AGE OF KINGS". プレイステーション® オフィシャルサイト. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Mob-MGwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "57. Bruce Shelley". IGN. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2017.