Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings
Sorti le 30 septembre 1999, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings est un jeu de stratégie en temps réel développé par Ensemble Studios et édité par Microsoft et Konami. Le titre propose de prendre le contrôle de l'une des treize civilisations disponibles pour la guider à travers mille ans d'histoire médiévale, depuis l'Âge des Ténèbres jusqu'à l'Âge Impérial en passant par l'Âge Féodal et l'Âge des Châteaux. La progression s'articule autour de la construction de villes, de la collecte de ressources et de la levée d'armées pour vaincre les adversaires, chaque passage à un âge supérieur débloquant nouvelles unités, structures et technologies moyennant un coût en nourriture et en or. Le joueur peut choisir d'imposer sa domination par la force militaire, le commerce et la diplomatie, ou encore la ruse et le complot.
Le jeu a été publié sur PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 2 et Dreamcast, s'appuyant sur le moteur Genie et utilisant la protection SafeDisc. Selon les données disponibles, terminer l'histoire principale demande environ 40 heures et demie, tandis qu'une complétion exhaustive peut en exiger 73.
La réception critique a été très favorable, le titre obtenant une note de 92 sur Metacritic et une note agrégée de 87,54. La presse de l'époque a salué la qualité de l'ensemble, Yahoo! le qualifiant de « meilleur jeu de stratégie en temps réel de l'année à ce jour » et GamePro le jugeant « extraordinaire ». Du côté des joueurs, les avis recueillis sur Metacritic soulignent qu'il s'agit de « l'un des plus grands jeux de stratégie en temps réel jamais réalisés », louant le caractère distinct de chaque civilisation et l'équilibre du gameplay, certains le considérant même comme « possiblement le meilleur jeu de stratégie de tous les temps », représentant une nette amélioration par rapport au premier opus de la franchise.
Médias
Avis des critiques et joueurs
Critiques de la Presse (Metacritic)
« While those of you with hypercritical eyes will argue there's room for improvement, AoE 2 is the best RTS game of the year to date, and as such is worthy of our GDR Gold Award. »
« Extraordinary. »
« An outstanding game. It looks great, is very well balanced, and is easy to get started with. The game has more strategy and fewer mouse gymnastics than the average RTS game. »
« I really haven't had a game get me so fired up in a while, and this one seems to be one that I couldn't go wrong with. If you were a fan of the original AoE, then you're probably going to love this sequel. »
« An engrossing and highly playable RTS game, Age of Empires II will even convert the people who didn't like the original. »
« The only reason I did not give this game 100 out of 100, as great as it is, is that it is a sequel. It is not a totally new idea with groundbreaking creativity and originality. Don’t get me wrong, I love this game and it already has my vote for Game of the Year. »
« Trivial shortcomings aside, Age of Empires II: Age of Kings is a good-looking and feature-full 2D RTS that manages to provide hours and hours of solo or multiplayer gaming enjoyment. The kicker? With its extremely lean system requirements, you don’t need the latest and greatest computer in order to get in on the fun. »
« A beauty to behold and play. The AI may prove to be too great a challenge for some beginning players, though. Otherwise, there is very little I can find to complain about. This is a genuinely well-designed, fun to play game that stands out from most of the other games out there. »
Avis des Joueurs (Metacritic)
« Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is one of the greatest real-time strategy games ever made. Every civilization feels distinct, the gameplay strikes the perfect balance between accessibility and depth, and the campaigns remain endlessly memorable. Decades later, it's still the gold standard for strategy games. »
« Possibly the best strategy game of all time. It was such an improvement over the first game in the franchise, which holds a special place in our game library in part because of nostalgia (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). AoE II takes you back to the middle ages as a ruler, you gather resources, you expand your empire, have a dozen civilisations to choose from, you know the gist. But no matter how many years have passed, whenever you go back to play a campaign, or just a "short" scenario, before you realise, you'll have spent most of your weekend playing. »
« çocuklugumda oynamaya çalıştıgım beni çok zorlayan strateji oyunu bu tarz oyunların zirvesi sayılsada ben 3 ve 4'ü geçirdiğim vakit dolayısıyla daha çok seviyorum. »
« The best game ever. Period. Okay, I'm a bit biased, since it was my first video game I have ever played and absolutely loved. For me, it became the gold standard for every other RTS game, and it defined my experience in this genre. I have played for several hundred hours and haven't regretted a minute. Nowadays, the Definitive Edition may provide a better experience, mostly visually, but this is the OG king. »
« Ho perso ore e giorni su questo videogioco, e ancora oggi amo passarci del tempo! Per me resta il miglior videogioco strategico di sempre! »
« O queridinho dos fãs. Para mim fica atrás do I e do III, mas é inegável que também se trata de um excelente jogo de estratégia, aprimorando as coisas em relação ao primeiro título »
« Nonostante non sia un fan dei giochi di strategia, questo capolavoro mi ha incollato al pc decine di ore. Ai tempi è stato un capolavoro, che ancho dopo decenni viene ancora ricordato e preso come punto di riferimento. »
« Super bon volet de jeu Age Of Empire, Vraiment bien quoi. Sur PC au top quoi »
