Age of Empires
"Age of Empires", released on October 26, 1997, was the first game in the series, as well as the first major release from Ensemble Studios. It was one of the first history-based real-time strategy games made, utilizing the Genie game engine. GameSpot described it as a mix of "Civilization" and "". The game gives players a choice of 12 civilizations to develop from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. The expansion pack, "The Rise of Rome", published by Microsoft on October 31, 1998, introduced new features and four new civilizations, including the Romans. Although the two games had contained many software bugs, patches resolved many of the problems.
Real-time strategy
"Total Annihilation", released by Cavedog Entertainment in 1997, introduced 3D units and terrain and focused on huge battles that emphasized macromanagement over micromanagement. It featured a streamlined interface that would influence many RTS games in later years. "Age of Empires", released by Ensemble Studios in 1997 tried to put a game in a slower pace, combining elements of "Civilization" with the real-time strategy concept by introducing ages of technologies. In 1998, Blizzard released the game "StarCraft", which became an international phenomenon and is still played in large professional leagues to this day. Collectively, all of these games defined the genre, providing the "de facto" benchmark against which new real-time strategy games are measured.