When you think of the real-time strategy genre, Age of Empires 2 is probably the first game which springs to mind. Originally released way back in 1999, the legendary Ensemble outing served as a gateway into the world of strategy for many gamers.

After a brief dalliance with the PS2, courtesy of unexpected publisher Konami, Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition is once again returning to Sony's console, courtesy of Microsoft's multiformat push.

For those who haven’t been following Age of Empires for 25 years, this Definitive Edition originally came out on PC way back in 2019 and brought the classic game to the modern world with some huge improvements.

For starters, the graphics have been reworked in gorgeous high definition, but done so in such a way keep the charm of the original. The buildings, for example, have the same designs as their original sprites but now take dynamic damage when attacked, catching fire and eventually collapsing. The sound has likewise been remastered but keeps the old unit sound effects and legendary soundtrack which will hit those who grew up with the original with intense bouts of nostalgia.

The big question that springs to mind when imagining playing Age of Empires on console is the control scheme. Traditionally you would use a keyboard and mouse and rely on hotkeys and hundreds of clicks per minute for competitive play. How could this work on a gamepad? The answer is surprising well.

You use the analogue stick as a cursor and select units or buildings with Cross/X. Most objects then have an additional radial menu of commands available with R2 when selected. Meanwhile, your economy can be set to fully automated by choosing one of several presets which automatically assigns villagers to gather resources in various ratios. It takes some getting used to but works well when you put the time in to learn it. A reworked version of the classic William Wallace learning campaign goes through the gamepad controls as a fully narrated tutorial.

And there’s plenty of content to play through even with just the standard edition of the game, although you'll find even more courtesy of various expansion packs and DLC. There are single player story-driven campaigns to keep you busy as well as the classic "random map" mode where you play head-to-head matches against the AI or other players using different map scripts and factions. Crossplay multiplayer is also available but requires you to permanently link your PSN username to a Microsoft account.

Overall, Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition is a wonderful example of modernising a classic game, providing new quality of life features and a fresh coat of paint while retaining its original feel. For hardcore RTS fans who are itching to pick something new up this is a must buy, and an adaptable AI difficulty level means there’s something for everyone.