Dishonored: Definitive Edition

Arkane Studios’ Dishonored debuted in 2012 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, and despite arriving near the end of their life-cycles, it made an impact. The stealth gameplay, multiple ways to approach missions, consequences that had far-reaching effects on the story and so on established it as an excellent game. And it was all the more impressive that Arkane could deliver such a great experience with anti-aliasing, screen space ambient occlusion and depth of field on essentially outdated hardware.

So you would think that Dishonored Definitive Edition, which launched in August 2015 for Xbox One and PS4, would be a decent step up. No one expected remade visuals or heavily revamped assets but 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second seemed a given. Unfortunately, despite launching two years after the initial game – which could hit 60 fps on more inferior PC hardware – Dishonored Definitive Edition was stuck at 30 frames per second. Image quality is better, for sure, but the large amount of FXAA blurred significant amounts of details. Texture streaming issues, the lack of anisotropic filtering and other missing visual flourishes from the PC version didn’t help.

Microsoft teased “exciting” news for Age of Empires at Inside Xbox and delivered…sort of. While nothing was showcased from Age of Empires 4, in development at Relic Entertainment, we did get a release date for Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition. It’s coming to Xbox Game Pass for PC, the Microsoft Store and Steam on November 14th.

The other big announcement was that Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is available now for Steam (along with releasing for Xbox Game Pass). Current owners of the game on the Microsoft Store can download a new client and carry over their campaign progress, saves and Achievements. Cross-play with Microsoft Store players is also possible with the Steam version.

As for Age of Empires 4, it was announced two years at Gamescom but no major update has been provided since. It’s still bound for Windows 10 PC and might come to Steam as well given Microsoft’s stance on the same. Stay tuned for more news and announcements from Gamescom as the week rolls on.

Among the many announcements at Inside Xbox was that Warhorse Studios’ Kingdom Come: Deliverance would be joining the Xbox Game Pass roster this month. It’s out on August 22nd but that’s not all. Capcom’s Devil May Cry 5 and Age of Empires: Definitive Edition are also available on the service as of yesterday.

Aside from previously announced games like The Bard’s Tale 4: Barrows Deep – Director’s Cut (August 27th) and Blair Witch (August 30th, with a new trailer revealed recently), we also have Stellaris: Console Edition. The space grand strategy title is also available today and will arrive for Game Pass on PC soon. Then there’s Ape Out, the puzzle brawler from Gabe Cuzzillo which sees players rampaging through environments as a giant ape.

If that wasn’t enough, players can expect Motion Twin’s critically acclaimed Dead Cells to release by September 5th for Game Pass. So far, a very solid line-up of titles coming to the service in the next few weeks. This, of course, doesn’t include the release of Gears 5, launching for Xbox Game Pass and worldwide on September 10th for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC.

We've received a lot of questions regarding Devil May Cry 5 in the last few weeks. the answer is yes + Stellaris: Console Edition + Age of Empires: DE pic.twitter.com/3CzeiQg97B

— Xbox Game Pass (@XboxGamePass) August 19, 2019

While Xbox is the face of Microsoft’s gaming initiatives today, their history in the gaming market goes back longer than that. Back in the day, Microsoft was a publisher of many beloved PC games, a few of which are considered to be among the greatest ever made. Chief among these is the Age of Empires series, the real time strategy phenomenon by the now defunct Ensemble Studios that changed the landscape of strategy games forever.

Eventually, Microsoft themselves would riff on the Age of Empires concept with Age of Mythology and Rise of Nations. All of these games have gone on to be re-released for modern PCs in the form of “Definitive Editions”. And now, it seems like they may be coming to Microsoft’s Xbox One.

As noticed by Reddit user 08spurlingD and ResetEra user Neural, both, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition and Rise of Nations: Definitive Edition were listed on the Xbox Store briefly. They have since been taken down, but you can see screenshots below.

Maybe these are announcements that will be made at the upcoming X018? I personally would love nothing more than to play these games, which defined my childhood in such large part, once more on a big screen. And maybe this means that Age of Empires 2 and Age of Mythology could come to the Xbox One soon, too…

That Ensemble’s final game was a Halo title was fitting, but its closure was nothing short of shocking. Ensemble was one Microsoft’s best internal studios and one of the finest RTS developers of all time. Nearly everything they touched was a classic, from the original Age of Empires, to the sublime Age of Empires II, the epic Age of Mythology, and ultimately, Halo Wars, which did the impossible by making Halo work as an RTS, controlling well on a gamepad, and despite both of those things, offering depth and strategy as a multiplayer game. That Ensemble was shuttered before the game even hit shelves – allegedly for the studio’s propensity to go over budget, despite the fact that their games were always profitable – was inconceivable.

" Age of Empires: Definitive Edition succeeds, but it also reminds us why the original was overshadowed by its masterpiece of a sequel."

The RTS genre never recovered from Ensemble’s closure. With the exception of continued output by genre powerhouses Relic and Blizzard, the genre has largely gone dormant, replaced by MOBAs, hero shooters, and Real Time Tactics games – titles that value unit management and tactics over base building and strategy. When Ensemble went down, it looked all but certain that we would never see sequels to Age of Empires III, Age of Mythology, or Halo Wars. The golden age of the RTS was no more.

Then something strange happened: Microsoft started to resurrect Ensemble’s old franchises. Maybe they realized that closing the studio was a mistake. Maybe they understood that Ensemble’s properties were too good to sit on. Whatever the reason, the remasters and sequels came: Halo Wars 2, Age of Empires II: HD Edition and its new expansions, Age of Mythology: Extended Edition, Halo Wars: Definitive Edition, and on and on. Come hell or high water, Microsoft was bent on dragging Age of Empires, Age of Mythology, and Halo Wars into the future. But just sprucing up the past didn’t seem good enough for Microsoft. We also learned that an Age of Empires IV is coming, courtesy of Relic, but before that, the older games in the series would receive definitive editions that would update their visuals and push their gameplay into the modern era.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is the first step in that vision. Age of Empires itself is a strange title: it is neither loved as much as Age of Empires II nor disliked as much as III. Instead it simultaneously occupies a place of fanbase indifference and historical importance. Remakes and remasters are inherently tricky: you have to recreate the game in question, not as it existed, but as it’s remembered, nostalgia goggles and all. In that regard, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition succeeds, but it also reminds us why the original was overshadowed by its masterpiece of a sequel.

"The biggest change to Age of Empires is the visuals. The character models, art, and animation are all new and significantly upgraded, and you can fire up the 1997 version for fun in classic mode if you need convincing."

Forgotten Realms, the studio responsible for updating many of Ensemble’s older games, is at the reigns once again, and to their credit, they do an admirable job. The biggest change to Age of Empires is the visuals. The character models, art, and animation are all new and significantly upgraded, and you can fire up the 1997 version for fun in classic mode if you need convincing. The game is also cleaner and easier to navigate, as additions from later games, such as the idle villager button and the ability to queue up more than one unit at a time, have made the transition as well. The game doesn’t quite look new – the animations are a little stiff and the level of polish isn’t on par with a modern release – but it does look good, and the updates don’t sacrifice the game’s original style. They’ve also updated the original soundtrack and it sounds fantastic.

Things are largely the same on the gameplay front, too. You’ll build towns, advance through the ages, research new technologies, and forge armies, much like you did in the original release. The core gameplay loop remains as hypnotic as ever, and it’s easy to lose hours to a single scenario, but the lack of real gameplay changes come at a cost. The AI simply isn’t all that great, and unit pathing is a serious problem. You’re going to have to micromanage your units if you want to get anywhere. That’s fine, because that’s where most of the fun comes in. Yes, there’s diplomacy, trade, and research, but these systems lack both depth and complexity – you’re limited to one or two options at most.

The other issue is that the 19 empires on offer all share a small roster of the same buildings and many of the same units. In most cases, the differences are limited to certain unit and tech upgrades, and it’s hard to shake the feeling that you’re playing Egypt the same way that you’d play Rome, Greece, or Yamato. Worse, while the buildings look different depending on the empire you select, the units don’t. And it’s hard to believe you’re playing a Japanese or Egyptian empire when all of your characters look like they’re dressed up as Roman gladiators.

"Despite all of the content on offer, you probably won’t finish all of the campaigns. The empires are too similar and the sheer amount of maps and objectives can’t hide that. By the time you’ve reached the end of one campaign, you’ve seen them all."

Still, Age of Empires manages to do a lot with a little and both campaigns and scenarios are fun to play. The Definitive Edition comes with the Rise of Rome expansion, which gives you a whopping ten campaigns to play. Like most RTS titles, missions are varied. Some require you to gather resources and trade with your neighbors. Others task you with protecting a limited number of units as they navigate the map, assaulting a fortified position, or making the most of limited resources. Sometimes, hero units representing famous faces from mythology and history tag along, too.

The maps play a key role in how you play. On a coastal map, for instance, wood becomes a priority because you need it to build ships to fish, trade, attack your enemies, and transport your army. Because much of a coastal map is water, it also means wood is scarce, which means you’ll be forced into combat early and often for access to resources. Naturally, other maps pose their own challenges and will change how you build your empire and approach your enemy.

Despite all of the content on offer, you probably won’t finish all of the campaigns. The empires are too similar and the sheer amount of maps and objectives can’t hide that. By the time you’ve reached the end of one campaign, you’ve seen them all. But the missions hold up, provided they can keep your interest. Even if they can, you’ll have to deal with the terrible pathing and general lack of advanced tactics. After all, this is a game from 1997. Your best bet is to build up and a big army and steamroll everything. Combat just isn’t complex enough for anything else. This isn’t StarCraft.

" This is, without question, the definitive version of Age of Empires, but the original game isn’t the one people remember. Age of Empires II is."

If you do get bored of the campaigns, there’s variety to be found in custom games and the eight player online battles. Both are great, and alleviate many of the game’s AI problems, but the former works better than the latter. Getting into games can be a bit of an issue, and you’ll often see players getting disconnected before the game even starts. This was a problem in the beta, too, and while it’s better now, it’s still an issue that needs to be fixed.

Like most of the great empires of human history, Age of Empires’ biggest problem is time. Many of these issues were here 20 years ago; we just didn’t notice them, or they were par for the course. They aren’t now. In many ways, Age of Empires was a victim of its own success. The games that came after it followed the trail it blazed and simply did what it did better. This is, without question, the definitive version of Age of Empires, but the original game isn’t the one people remember. Age of Empires II is. This game doesn’t even let you build gates, just walls. Who wants to live in an empire that can’t even build a gate?

Since the definitive edition of Age of Empires II is coming, it’s likely that Age of Empires: Definitive Edition will soon be consigned to the dustbin of history, just as its predecessor was.  But that doesn’t mean that what’s here is without value. This is still a good game, whether you’re on your first trip through history or just here for the nostalgia. But as we know, all empires fall, and the legacies they leave behind are less important that what emerges from the ashes afterwards. That’s where the real excitement is.

This game was reviewed on the PC.

EA Sports UFC 3

EA Sports UFC 3 is coming and yes, Ultimate Team mode has microtransactions which let you enhance fighters for the best results. For the rest of the experience though, it’s all about submissions, your mat game and conserving your stamina. EA Sports UFC 3 changes its career mode up by implementing G.O.A.T. In this mode, you can make decisions to advance your fighter’s career, engage in social media feuds with others fighters to build your public image and much more. It releases for Xbox One and PS4 on February 2^nd.

Shadow of the Colossus

During the PlayStation 2 era, there was a game that stuck out among the various exclusives – Team ICO’s Shadow of the Colossus. The studio’s first game may have presented a unique artistic vision but Shadow of the Colossus did the same and was also an awesome game. Bluepoint Games is bringing that experience to the PS4 but in a brand new way, remaking the game’s visuals from the ground up with new textures, an enhanced draw distance and oodles more detail. This is still the same classic you remember though – hunt down enormous Colossi with your trusted horse Agro, find out how to defeat them and move on to the next. Shadow of the Colossus is out on February 6^th for PS4 and trust us when we say you won’t want to miss it.

Civilization 6: Rise and Fall

When Firaxis releases expansion packs, it doesn’t mess around. Civilization 6’s first expansion Rise and Fall is the latest example. Releasing on February 8^th, it brings Golden and Dark Ages which occur by meeting or failing certain milestones. The Dark Age implications are intriguing due to the challenges present – overcoming these will bring about a Heroic Age, which offers bonuses far beyond a typical Golden Age. Then there are Loyalty ratings, which can result in Free Cities uncontrolled by any civilization if they drop far enough; alliances between civilizations; Emergencies which involve numerous civilizations taking sides; new units and a new District type; and of course, new civilizations. If that sounds like the rest of your year, then best to wrap up everything right now.

Dynasty Warriors 9

With a new generation comes change. You wouldn’t expect Omega Force’s Dynasty Warriors to follow that path but the Musou developer is going all out to revamp the experience with Dynasty Warriors 9. It introduces an open world rife with main story missions and side quests, a day/night cycle with dynamic weather, weapon crafting and the ability to customize your own hideout. There more than 83 characters to play with revised movesets along with the same large scale battles that fans love. Dynasty Warriors 9 is out on February 13^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC so we’ll see just how far it changes the formula.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Warhorse’s long-in-development and crowd-funded open world action RPG is finally out in February. Kingdom Come: Deliverance takes place in medieval Bohemia and players will essentially lay siege to castles, survive in the open world while performing various deeds and combat different foes using realistic weaponry. It may all sound a bit Witcher-esque but Kingdom Come: Deliverance promises an entirely unique experience with all the grit, grime and guts befitting a medieval war epic. It releases on February 13^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Bayonetta 1 and 2

The bullet witch finally comes to the Nintendo Switch. Bayonetta 3 is still a ways out but in the meantime, we’re getting double-game package Bayonetta 1 and 2. We’ve already seen the graphical enhancements provided by Bayonetta 1 when it released for PC last year – it’s Bayonetta 2 on the Switch which should prove more interesting. If, like many people, you didn’t pick up a Wii U and happened to miss the critically acclaimed sequel, this is the best way to experience it. Plus you receive a portable version of the first game as well. Bayonetta 1 and 2 arrive for the Nintendo Switch on February 16^th.

Fe

Make music, scale giant beasts (without administering the coup de grace a la Shadow of the Colossus) or simply sing to animals in Zoink Studios’ platformer Fe. Published under the EA Originals label, Fe will feature a main quest that’s 7 to 8 hours long but promises a huge world with plenty of secrets. The art direction and unique gameplay mechanics have us interested but will it stand out in this season of excellent indie platformers like Celeste and Iconoclasts? We’ll find out when Fe releases on February 16^th for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Secret of Mana

You’ve probably heard of Secret of Mana and what an influence it had on the hack and slash action RPG genre. If you’ve yet to find a game to scratch that itch – and CrossCode’s updates are too slow – then Secret of Mana is worth revisiting for PS4, PS Vita and PC. This version is a full remake with 3D graphics and features full voice work, new arrangements for classic tracks, more AI options for your teammates, mini-maps and an auto save function. Secret of Mana is out on February 15^th and we can’t wait to see how it plays.

Metal Gear Survive

We’ll be perfectly honest – Metal Gear Survive’s open world survival and stealth mechanics combined with zombie crystal things has us bizarrely intrigued. Maybe it’s because this is unlike anything we’ve ever seen from the MGS series. Or maybe there’s something deeper that’s worth looking forward to. It may also be like watching a train wreck in slow motion complete with microtransactions. Would that be a money train wreck then? Either way, Metal Gear Survive releases on February 20^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Check it out if you happen to pick up the other nine games on this list, finish them and don’t have the good sense to play anything else.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition

If you grew up in the 90s, then real time strategy gaming on the PC was consistently amazing. Command and Conquer: Red Alert, StarCraft, Warcraft 2 – there was no shortage of awesome games to play and Age of Empires was among them. The classic returns on February 20^th as Age of Empires: Definite Edition. Revamped graphics with 4K resolution support, numerous improvements and quality of life features, full online support and a completely redone soundtrack – what more could you want? Aside from remakes of the other games, which are also thankfully in development.

A new interview courtesy of German site GameStar reveals why the upcoming remaster of classic RTS title, Age of Empires Definitive Edition, is staying exclusive to the Windows Store – It’s so you can play with your friends.

GameStar interviewed Microsoft’s head of production for global publishing, Jorg Neumann about the title and its exclusivity to the Microsoft Store platform, instead of bringing it to the far more popular Steam platform. Microsoft has been more open to publishing on Valve’s client in recent years. But in the interview, seen below, Neumann speaks about how the big concern was keeping the player base together on Xbox Live.

“This may be a misunderstanding, the platform is where people play, and people play in the social spaces of Xbox Live, which means that if Xbox Live exists somewhere, we can get a game out there.” Unfortunately, there is no solution to doing this on Steam, but it depends less on us than on other people,“ Neumann stated.

“There are certain things that are important to us, and in multiplayer games, we want to make sure our fans can play together, which is not okay if one man buys the game in one store and another in the other, and then two friends For some strange reason, we can not play together, we’re totally against it, and our only way to make sure of that is Xbox Live,“ Neumann  further explained.

Neumann did offer some glimmer of hope, though he does wash his hands of the situation by saying that it depends less on them than on Valve working with them to get Xbox Live linked to the service. Age of Empires Definitive Edition will release on Windows 10 PC on February 20.

Microsoft has announced that Age of Empires: Definitive Edition will be releasing on February 20^th worldwide for Windows 10 PC. Retailing for $20 at launch, the remaster will also host its multiplayer beta for more players on January 29^th.

Originally due to release on October 19^th 2017, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition was subsequently pushed back for further polish. Along with completely revamped visuals that offer support for 4K resolution, numerous quality of life improvements have also been added to the game. Players can expect an improved campaign and scenario editor, a fully orchestrated score for the soundtrack and online play through Xbox Live and LAN.

Age of Empires 4 is also in development courtesy of Relic Entertainment. In case the studio burned you with Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 3, then there are still Definitive Editions for Age of Empires 2 and 3 in development. Head here to sign up for the multiplayer beta.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, the remaster of the much-beloved PC strategy classic, has been delayed. Set to originally release on October 19th, it will now be coming in early 2018 according to an update by the development team.

“When we set out to re-release the original Age of Empires, we had many debates over the extent of restoration that we should undertake. The challenge of re-releasing a classic is just that: it’s a classic and it deserves to be treated with careful reverence.

“At the same time, in a living, thriving genre, norms continually evolve, technology advances, and player expectations change. This is as true for RTS as for any other genre. So, the challenge is to recreate the experience not as it *actually* was but as we all remember it. How can we modernize the game while preserving the fun, discovery and magic of that first experience?”

The closed beta for the game has actually been on-going since August with thousands providing feedback for various aspects. The developer noted that more players would be invited from now till launch to facilitate testing for the campaign, multiplayer balance and “fine-tuning the lobby.” Those interested in signing up for the beta can do so at this link.

It should also be noted that while the developer is targeting early 2018, it’s yet to pin down an actual release date. So better to wait patiently and try to get into the open beta. Along with Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, there will also be remasters for the second and third games. To top it off, Relic Entertainment of Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War fame is currently developing Age of Empires 4, which has no release date.

Battle Chasers: Nightwar

Based on the comic book series, Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a JRPG-style game funded by Kickstarter and developed by Airship Syndicate. Featuring a mix of turn-based combat and isometric dungeon exploration with animated cutscenes for the narrative, Battle Chasers: Nightwar comes across as one of the more unorthodox RPGs this year. There’s a ton to experience though like randomly generated dungeons, bosses, six heroes to create a party of three with, crafting and so much more. The fact that it looks cool doesn’t hurt either. Battle Chasers: Nightwar is out on October 3^rd for Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC.