Microsoft may be claiming that it's redoubled its efforts on PC, but it hasn't had much to show for it yet, Games For Windows Live is dying at an agonizing pace, and now Age of Empires Online is naught but ash and memories. Servers are now offline, never to be seen again. It's a shame because AOEO had potential despite a litany of flaws, and also look at that acronym. Say it out loud. Ayy-ohhh-eeee-ohhh. Fantastic. Teary eyed goodbye from the game's last dev team below.
]]>Update: Microsoft actually pulled the plug on AOEO's updates - not Gas Powered Games.
Original: This rather unfortunate bomb dropped last week while each member of the RPS team was still out colonizing a different region of space, but I think it certainly bears mentioning. Age of Empires Online, sadly, is history. Or at least, the part where it continues to actively grow and evolve is now another footnote in the series' lengthy legacy. The free-to-play revamp of the storied RTS series isn't headed for the more contemplative region of Valhalla just yet, but - from now on - what you see is what you get. No more new content.
]]>You might remember that our Brendy thought free-to-play strategy Age Of Empires Online was a bit of alright, but he was a bit uncomfortable with the general "having other people in it" sort of feel. Of course that's not stopped the seventy bajillion people who did sign up, and some of those probably even spent money on it. They're going to have a new option for spending money this month because there's a new bolt-on expansion called the "Skirmish Pack" (enthusiastically trailered below) which will, surprisingly, unlock all the races in the game (although not level you up to unlock all content) and allow you to customise all starting conditions for your game, allowing you to taste all the possible options for Empire-building.
I'm going to speculate that this is going to cost about £5, although there doesn't seem to be a price announced for it yet. Ooh, we should totally run a sweepstake on which RTS will go F2P next!
]]>A long, long time ago last Wednesday, I got a message from Jim. I enjoy Jim’s messages because they come with the promise of coin. [We call this the "the editor called me" intro in the business. War, eh? What's it good for. Don't RTS names sound the same? Is the adventure dead? Is the PC Dead? Etc. - Ed] And he is not one to waste his breath, like a lot of people. He simply asked, “Age of Empires Online: review?” I wrote him back 15,000 words on ‘How much I would like to review Age of Empires Online.’ He replied: “Sounds good.” And now here we are. I will now tell you what I thought about the game. Because that is how these things go.
]]>In case you weren't aware, Age of Empires Online is shaping up to be a deeply different kettle of papyrus from the original Age of Empires games. That should be made clear by the following dev diary, explaining how MMORPG-style loot and equipment work in the game, as well as where you'll be getting it from and how you can trade it with your lovely friends. Ooh, it's lovely and friendly, this online world of ours, when it's not busy being mercenary and horrible.
]]>In this week's Spotlight on Biscuit, inimitable UK games commenter Total Biscuit (inimitable unless you have a thick British accent and a pot of coffee that's more sugar than liquid, anyway) has taken a closer look at Age of Empires Online. A wise choice, seeing as it's a curious game that's better seen in motion than read about. Also, I put a rare biscuit to the test- the Boland's Jam Mallow.
]]>Just a morning quickie for you, dearie. Microsoft's free to play, levelling up-based resurrection of its mysteriously-killed RTS franchise Age of Empires now bears a more-or-less release date, and that is this Autumn, or Tumble, or whatever it is that the colonies insist on calling it. The Gas Powered Games co-developed Age of Empires Online is a free to play jobbie, funded by paid-for DLC - primarily in the form of extra playable civs, modes and willy-waving cosmetic upgrades for units.
]]>This is your "last chance" get on the Age Of Empires Online beta. You can do that, should you wish, by going to GFWM and hitting that "Add to Cart" button. Apparently it's pretty good. That said, I believe it's going to be free-to-play anyway, it's not as if there's any great rush to leap in for a free sample at this stage in proceedings.
]]>Here's something that slipped through the cracks last week. Which cracks? The ones in space and time which mean that even though RPS diligently covers every single piece of PC gaming news long before any other site, sometimes it appears as though we haven't. But we have. I actually wrote this post a week last Wednesday, for instance.
Anyway - Age of Empires Online. That's the project ex-Ensemble Guys Robot Entertainment were working on before turning their attentions to Orcs Must Die. Turns out, however, that they weren't the only studio working on it. You know how SupCom/Dungeon Siege studio Gas Powered Guys put Kings and Castles on hold? This, I'm guessing, is why.
]]>And this is the second of Microsoft's PC games, confirming the very Age-of-Empires-looking leak of "Spartan" is actually Age of Empires Online. It promises Co-op and player-versus-player multiplayer, plus persistent online empires, a jolly new look and will be due for 2011. The closed beta is already running, and you can sign up for future Beta stuff already, if you wish, here. There's quite a lot of stuff on the site, so worth nosing, but one thing on the FAQ did catch my eye. "Will there be a retail product, or will Age of Empires Online be available as a download only?" "It will be digitally distributed." Which strictly speaking doesn't say it won't be in shops, but by omission implies it's download only. There's a trailer on the site which doesn't appear to be embeddable anywhere else, so you can go and have a look at it there for now, along with grabs and concept stuff.
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