Back before we had Starcraft II, Warcraft 3, Command and Conquer: Generals, and all the other RTS crazes that have kept gamers up many sleepless nights fiddling with their build order, there was Age of Empires II.

This was the iconic RTS which just about everyone played at some point, mostly because you would randomly find new Windows 95 machines bundled with the games. Well, Microsoft has decided to bring this classic back, updated for the modern age, with Age of Empires II HD Edition, developed by Hidden Path Entertainment.

Age of Empires II HD Edition will launch internationally on April 9th as a Steam exclusive. The game will feature all campaign scenarios from the original Age of Kings and its Conquerors expansion. The game will have fully implemented Steam based online play along with a brand new matchmaking service. It will also come with achievements, leaderboards and cloud saving support. However, the coolest new feature is the integration of the Steam Workshop, which will allow users to mod and add content to the game as they like. I plan on creating a gigantic robotic war elephant!

Of course, the HD in Age of Empires II HD does stand for something. The game will have completely remastered graphics, able to display in 1080p. The graphics engine itself has been updated with new terrains textures and lighting effects as well.

You can read the system requirements for Age of Empires II HD Edition below. They aren’t that hefty, so just about anyone with a Steam account can enjoy this remake of an age old classic. If you absolutely can’t wait to get your hands on a copy, Steam is offering pre-orders on the game. Pre-orderees will be able to load and play the game on April 5th, a few days earlier than everyone else.

Minimum System Requirements:
Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 Pro
Steam
900x600 minimum display resolution
Direct X 9.0c+ GPU
1.2GHz CPU
1GB RAM
2GB HDD

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