Age of Empires: The Age of Kings (2006). Play online

Summary

Age of Empires: The Age of Kings brings the classic empire‑building feel to the DS by letting you guide one of five historic peoples—the Britons, Franks, Mongols, Saracens, or Japanese—through the Dark, Feudal, Castle and Imperial ages. Though it switches to turn‑based play on a grid, the game keeps the series’ hallmark tech upgrades, resource balancing and unit management, with each civilization boasting a distinct hero such as Joan of Arc or Genghis Khan whose abilities tip the scales. Roads speed your troops while forests or hills grant range or defensive bonuses, and the on‑screen adviser even forecasts combat odds before you click.

The single‑player campaign is split into five mini‑campaigns, each rewarding Empire Points that you can trade for extra maps or powerful bonus units. Multiplayer works locally—wirelessly with up to four DS consoles or in hot‑seat mode—making it a solid pick‑up‑and‑play strategy for road trips. Critics praised its solid implementation, earning an 80% average on GameRankings and nods like IGN’s Game of the Month and a Best Game Design award, though they wished for more civs and full online support.