Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings

"An abysmal translation to PS2 of a superb game"

Introduction-
As most people will know, this game was originally released on the PC and was, to put it bluntly, astounding. Remaking a game on a different platform than that which it was made for is always a risky move, and it's very rarely pulled off.

Gameplay-
The game begins with a brief tutorial campaign, in which you are taught the very basics of the game, followed by a couple of short missions involving simple tasks to get the player into the swing of things. The difficulty curve is slight to begin with, but soon picks up after a few missions, almost to the point when even the most determined gamers will get bored of the constant missions which only vary slightly in design and really don't require any tactical originality - just a hell of a lot of luck.

Story-
Although there is a supposed story which holds each campaign together, it's completely uninteresting and, for all intents and purposes, it might as well not exist.

Graphics & Sound-
The game is a complete failure in this respect. Although the graphics for the original PC game were fine, using the same quality graphics for this when it had so much more potential to look amazing was a foolish move. The units move like wooden figures and there's absolutely no fluidity in the movement. The sound is boring to say the least. There are some random out-of-sync noises whenever a fight is happening or heavy units are moving but there's absolutely nothing else to be said about the sound - random sound effects and a general lack of music don't exactly make for a good gaming environment.

Play Time/Replayability-
This game won't last you barely any time, mainly because of the complete lack of an incentive not to just give up and play something else. Even if you manage to make it all the way through Campaign mode, you'll find that there's nothing left to do anyway.

Final Recommendation-
Don't bother buying/renting/'acquiring' this game - it's just not worth it. If you have a gaming-quality PC, buy the PC version. If you don't, just leave it alone and don't even consider buying it.

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 12/08/04