Metascore
70 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 44 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 44
  2. Negative: 0 out of 44
  1. Aug 22, 2011
    90
    While it may seem trivial to say, Age of Empires Online lives up to its title perfectly. It's a fully-featured Age of Empires game, while including all the Online trappings an MMO aficionado could want.
User Score

Mixed or average reviews- based on 158 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 70
  2. Negative: 33 out of 70
  1. 4
    Competitive player review incoming. First things first, let's get 'free' out of the way. This game is not free. The DEMO is free, that is, the two somewhat playable races are free, the two lowest level gear tiers are free (common/uncommon), and mind numbing PvE is free. This game does do what it sets out to do, however. It was designed to be casual, to be easy and thoughtless and to make a ton of money, and it will likely succeed in all areas. It's not a 'free' game for anyone who enjoys PvP or balance for that matter. It's not a game for anyone who LIKES MONEY, since each race costs what the price of the entire game should be, $20 dollars. Worse yet, unless I am missing something while I painstakingly searched all the controls and settings, they don't even provide hotkeys outside of opening up the settings and controls and digging around for them. No, that barracks you want to build, there is a hotkey but you're too stupid to be told what it is, just click on it. That is the tone of the entire game, a casual, boring, anti-competitive money sink. Cannot recommend this to like-minded tryhards like myself, or anyone who enjoys a challenge for that matter. Full Review »
  2. 5
    AoE online is an okay RTS. The problem is, it's the most expensive okay RTS out there. Be warned if you're playing on an internet connection that isn't 100% stable too - as this game will boot you to the menu screen as soon as you experience even the slightest drop out. Full Review »
  3. First off, I'm pretty sure the concept of Free to Play and Micro-transaction games have been lost. Free to Play means exactly what it sounds like. FREE. Full content available to you for the low price of $0. Micro-transaction means the full game is available, but different things are available to individuals for a dollar or two. Different models and skins are available to buy along with experience boosters and cash to in-game money transactions are allowed as well for the more casual gamer who wants to be on equal footing as the more hardcore gamer without putting in equal time. In no way should this give someone a competitive advantage who would normally be on equal footing with someone else. Age of Empires Online misses this. The game is incomplete unless you start handing your paycheck over to Microsoft.

    Now for the actual game (or at least what's available). There's nothing wrong with cartoony graphics on a "Free to Play" game. The missions are mind-numbingly repetitive and the MMO aspect is a far stretch. The idea to try to mix an RTS with the permanent aspect of an MMO is brilliant, but AoE:O only succeeds in adding items and a chat box.

    To sum up my feelings on this game: Brilliantly incomplete. I'll give half the score they could have had for half the game they gave me minus a point for lying about it being F2P/Micro-transaction. (8/2)-1= 3
    Full Review »