In a nice surprise, Microsoft revealed that AOE III will be getting a definitive edition this fall. Presumably the game will include all the content from AOEIII, and its two expansions, The Warchiefs and The Asian Dynasties, along with two new civilizations (The Inca and The Sweedes), and two new game modes (Historical Battles and the Art of War). The game will feature 4k graphics, remastered assets, cross-platform play between steam and xbox game store owners, and a remixed soundtrack. The game will be free on Xbox Game Pass and Steam owners who already have a version of the game cam buy it for %25 off.

Originally released in 2005, AOEIII focused on colonial American. With a new 3-d graphics engine and havok physics, AOE III pushed the boundaries in RTS graphics for its time. Although it doesn’t get as many props as AOE II, it’s still a great part of the series, and if you haven;t played it yet, you’ll want to check out the remastered version this fall. If AOE II’s remaster was anything to go by, this will be equally as awesome. If nothing else, it will tide players over until AOE 4 is released. I’ll be taking a look at this game later on my youtube channel.