Age of Empires 2 has appeared on the Entertainment Software Ratings Board as a new Definitive Edition for PC. This leads us to believe that the game will be released on the platform for what sounds like the last time.
The official listing is for “Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition” on the Windows PC platform. It was given a T for Teen rating for “Mild Blood, Mild Language, Violence” and is listed to have user interactions (multiplayer).
The ESRB listing describes the game as the following.
This is a real-time strategy game in which players control empires from the Dark Age through the Imperial Age. From an overhead perspective, players complete campaigns, build structures, gather resources, and command/deploy military units (e.g., infantry, horsemen, war elephants) against nearby civilizations. Players can zoom in on military units, while they use swords, bows, and cannons to eliminate enemy forces and structures; battles are accompanied by weapon clashes, cries of pain, and explosions. Some battlefields depict impaled soldiers on spikes, and a handful of cutscenes depict images of soldiers impaled by arrows. One still-image sequence shows a large bloodstain on the ground along with blood splatter on parchment. The word “bastard” is heard in the game.
ESRB
It’s not clear what Definitive Edition means, exactly. Usually reserved for the final iteration of a game and not a remake, this implies that it’s a modern port of the original, which will include all content previously provided. It is possible it will also contain previously cut content, similar to a director’s cut.
Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that this will come with updated graphical quality. Greater resolution and HUD options are a good possibility but expect the same models and textures, at least from the HD Edition.
We’ll be keeping our eyes on this one, stay tuned.
