A good story line embed in a strategy game with real facts about history...
A good thing about aoe is each nation is it each has its own uniqe feel exept for a few, what i mean is say that you picked the romans and in the next game of aoe you play if you are the macedonians creating a villager will cost 50 food if you are the romens but if you are the maces it will cost 75 food a villager so you probably dont want a civ that cost so much stuff.