For as long as I can remember, it feels like Age of Empires 2 has been around. Since its initial release in 1999, the game has added numerous expansions, continuing to build upon a title that is still played to this day. The Definitive Edition marks a significant corner for the game to turn, as it is a massive overall upgrade. Every bit of the art has been redone, the UI has been modernized, and this title will contain the last 20 years' worth of Age of Empires 2 content. It's a nearly overwhelming amount of content, and I sat with members of the development team to dive into it at E3 2019.

Playing the original game in current times is a bit frustrating for players who are used to modern RTS design. The Definitive Edition aims to alleviate that by making the player spend less time fighting the UI to achieve what they want and adds some modern conveniences. You can now queue up command orders, and you can set up farms to automatically reseed. The idea is to streamline the fun, but that's not to say you are forced to use them. If you like the way the original game's UI was set up, you can simply avoid the new convenience features.

The AI has also been overhauled dramatically and no longer "cheats." Instead, the new AI is based on the competitive meta. The new AI is one of the areas that the team is most proud of, but it is also optional if players really want to experience the game as it originally was. For AI players that are on your team, you can now issue them one of 105 AI orders, so it'll be easier to coordinate your gameplay with the AI.

All of the game's 27 campaigns have been fully voiced and are included in the Definitive Edition. There are also four new civilizations and three new campaigns in the game. Much of the sound effects have been redone (some favored villager voice lines remain untouched), and the game now sports an orchestral soundtrack. On the multiplayer side, the title supports matchmaking and has built-in anti-cheat as well as Mixer integration. The spectator mode has its own lobby and front-end as well.

The game will keep growing, but all of the developers were mum about what those plans might entail. One small nugget of info was that more languages will be added, but beyond that, it is up to what the fans want. On the community side, the Definitive Edition will support mods, including the old ones. Older mods can be converted to work in the new game, and old scenarios will work as well. I got the sense that in every way that the Definitive Edition improved upon the original game, it is doing so in a way that respects its own past.

What floored me was that Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition will only cost $20 upon release, or a mere $15 if you already own 2013's HD remake. It's such a massive amount of content for one of the genre's longest-running games. With its new improvements, Definitive Edition is easily the best opportunity for newcomers to check out the game when it releases this fall.