Has it been worth the wait? The answer is very much yes. Nostalgia aside, Age 4 is a new title created by a new team of people, with 16 years between now and the release of Age of Empires 3. This is definitively a fan's review, examined in-depth across all of the game's systems and mechanics. I've done my best to leave my Age love at the door despite Age of Empires 2 being one of my favorite games of all time. From the moment I sat down to play through the four-part historic campaign with 35 missions, all the way through to testing out skirmishes and multiplayer matches, the game has been a treat. I would be lying if I said it's been a difficult task.

I'm one of the lucky few who received early access to Age 4, and as I'm sitting down to write this review I've been playing almost non-stop for just more than a week. Age of Empires 4 was announced on August 21, 2017, and ever since then, real-time strategy (RTS) fans have been eager to see where Microsoft, Xbox, and a talented cadre of developers would take the renowned series.