posted 04-27-23 10:53 AM ET (US)
Rome returns in style with the new Return of Rome DLC for Age of Empires II Definitive Edition. If you have been living under a rock, this DLC is a port of AoEDE to AoE2DE, bringing a host of AoE2 features to the game that started it all and merges both games into one.
Trailer:
Quoted from theofficial page:
- 3 new campaigns created specifically for Return of Rome. Sargon of Akkad (Sumerians), Pyrrhus of Epirus (Macedonians) and Trajan (Romans). With new missions to tackle and stories told through the familiar AoE II: DE style, you'll be able to live more moments from history.
- All 16 original Age of Empires civilizations from the Assyrians to the Yamato. Get to grips with the civilizations that started the Age of Empires journey.
- One new civilization, the Lac Viet. In honor and recognition of Rise of Rome's phenomenal popularity in Vietnam, we've added a new civilization with Return of Rome. Adding something new for established and beginner players.
- New D3 Game Mode. D3 is an homage to a fan favorite rule set that is now fully integrated into the game. This rule set reduces rush tactics and allows players to start their early game more robustly, only allowing fighting with a single unit until entering the Bronze Age, ensuring players reach later Ages for equal battles. This rule set also bans walls and towers, making for exciting match ups later in the game.
- The Roman civilization will be playable in the main AoE II: DE title. If you've ever wondered how the Romans might fare against the Aztecs, now's your opportunity to find out.
You canpre-order here on Steam, which I just did. Just a reminder on the price: it's gone up (not so surprising maybe - everything is becoming steadily more unaffordable) from previous DLC's, retailing at $15. However there is a discount of 15% off if you pre-order and an additional discount of 17% off if you already own AoE2DE, bringing the price down to $10,57. Unfortunately, and this is quite insulting, there is no discount to players who already own AoEDE and want to migrate to RoR, and an expensive DLC for AoE2DE players who only want the Rome civ and don't care for AoE1 - the greedy disconnected from reality sales division at Microsoft is doing a fantastic job at turning players away from buying.
As I mentioned in a previous news post about Return of Rome, I want to show renewed support to the devs, as Return of Rome is something I've been wanting to see and play for years and in my opinion a logical move going forward. Gameplay wise it should feel much more in line with AoE2, which is quite an improvement I think. While some may feel like not buying the same game again (I don't blame you!), I expect to see more content in the near future which has already been hinted at, which means new civs*cough* Indians *cough* and units, terrains, campaigns and more features!
The Heavenly Escort • Night of the Dragon • Corlis (DE) • Dark Forest 2v2 (DE) • New Random Maps • Night Mode • Lengthen Combat Mode • The Big Hill • 512x512, 768x768, 1024x1024 map sizes • All Map Sizes • All Map Sizes (AoK) • BTI Soundtrack
Quoted from the
- 3 new campaigns created specifically for Return of Rome. Sargon of Akkad (Sumerians), Pyrrhus of Epirus (Macedonians) and Trajan (Romans). With new missions to tackle and stories told through the familiar AoE II: DE style, you'll be able to live more moments from history.
- All 16 original Age of Empires civilizations from the Assyrians to the Yamato. Get to grips with the civilizations that started the Age of Empires journey.
- One new civilization, the Lac Viet. In honor and recognition of Rise of Rome's phenomenal popularity in Vietnam, we've added a new civilization with Return of Rome. Adding something new for established and beginner players.
- New D3 Game Mode. D3 is an homage to a fan favorite rule set that is now fully integrated into the game. This rule set reduces rush tactics and allows players to start their early game more robustly, only allowing fighting with a single unit until entering the Bronze Age, ensuring players reach later Ages for equal battles. This rule set also bans walls and towers, making for exciting match ups later in the game.
- The Roman civilization will be playable in the main AoE II: DE title. If you've ever wondered how the Romans might fare against the Aztecs, now's your opportunity to find out.
You can
As I mentioned in a previous news post about Return of Rome, I want to show renewed support to the devs, as Return of Rome is something I've been wanting to see and play for years and in my opinion a logical move going forward. Gameplay wise it should feel much more in line with AoE2, which is quite an improvement I think. While some may feel like not buying the same game again (I don't blame you!), I expect to see more content in the near future which has already been hinted at, which means new civs
The Heavenly Escort • Night of the Dragon • Corlis (DE) • Dark Forest 2v2 (DE) • New Random Maps • Night Mode • Lengthen Combat Mode • The Big Hill • 512x512, 768x768, 1024x1024 map sizes • All Map Sizes • All Map Sizes (AoK) • BTI Soundtrack
[This message has been edited by PhatFish (edited 04-27-2023 @ 10:54 AM).]
