Age Of Empires II: A Quick Lookback To The Old Game

During the period where Starcraft and Diablo are the games that we are playing, there is also one that we love to play for hours and that is Age of Empires II. The fun in the old Age of Empires is the voice cheer if you call it that. There are some preloaded voices that are either very insulting or very funny. One of my favorites is the chant “All Hail, King of The Losers” that is very insulting and funny at the same time. Age of Empires is something that is loved by me and friends because we all love history. Though it may not be accurate in the game in terms of specialty on the actual history accounts. The balance the game has on each civilization is what I really admire the most.

My friends have a specific civilization that we pick every time we play Age of Empires II. My 2 friends pick Briton and Celts and I pick Teutons. My first glance with the Teutonic Knights is like Batman with a sword. The old Age of Empires II they literally appear in Black suits with a cape.

The Teutons have a unique infantry unit called Teutonic Knights, as I said they are like Batman with a sword. In the old Age of Empires II we have this hero wherein mine was Charlemagne. For the Britons it was Robinhood, since the unique unit for them is the Longbowman. For the Celts, it was the Throwing Axeman, though I am not sure who was their “hero” then. The hero is not that much of an advantage to be honest, for me they are just decorations. They can attack though, but you are still more concerned with the research of your units to maximize damage.

Who Are The Teutons?

Quick history check, they are European tribes documented by Roman authors. Technically there is no evidence of them being German or speak Germanic language, though it was Julius Caesar who described it so, others followed him. The main war that the Teutons participated in was the Cimbric War, since the tribes of Cimbri, Teutons, Ambrones and Tigurini migrated to Roman controlled land. Though this part of the “Teuton’s” history was not the main basis of the game, rather the 1190 order called the Teutonic Order, where the Teutonic Knights was born. Founded in Israel, this German Order, is a small mercenary military membership where they guide the pilgrims to the holy land.  

Fast forward now in this age of Definitive Editions, the game has expanded more and more additional civilizations to choose from. In the first Downloadable content, they introduced the Sicilians and Burgundians, then on with the Dawn of the Dukes, where they introduced the Poles and Bohemians, and then now the Dynasties of India. The game has expanded at an amazing pace, as there is already Age of Empires IV. The classic feel of the game was maintained even on the Definitive Edition,and the crumbling of a destroyed building made it all satisfying. Like what they say, same old taste, brand new feeling. I am eternally grateful to the devs having the idea of the Definitive Editions of these classics. Made it popular to the old time gamers looking for old titles that they can play to their new machines.

Being a fan of the franchise is merely for the love of the rich real history of the game. Now that we are having this retro gaming event in the blog, I just can’t help to look back from where the game started as it came to be now. The mechanics are still the same, but the experience has some serious kick to it. Manifesting interests with strategy games like this is still the excitement it carries in every second you play the game. You don’t know what to expect in every unit, as the research is distributed in each civilization. As the fog of war unfolds your opponent's pieces, are you ready for its next attack?