Snag an Age of Empires Online beta key!

@Danteeeee

In big blue letters on the beta-key claim site "Curse Premium Only until 4/20"

@rhorle
So i guess that means that the rest of us should be able to get one on 4/21 :)

but probably not.

Distributing keys via websites is bad enough (reeks of marketing beta), distributing them via websites that require a subscription is just horrible. No excuse for it.

@Dumac

Though, It certainly makes us pine for them, doesn't it? :P

@Kurremkarmerruk I need not of these sites. Mine was delivered via the mail o' E.

@RedWolf
Build #5164. (4/13/2011)
The NDA is lifted!

The new build is here! We’ve completely overhauled the Greek campaign with new tutorials and brand new exciting missions in the early game. We’ve made big gains with cleaning up the UI plus better balanced items and stores. Also, we have greatly improved server stability for PvP!
In fact, there’s so much…we can’t fit it all here!

For more info, check out
http://forums.ageofempiresonline.com/forums/1/41175/ShowThread.aspx

@SlasherZet

Oh right, I missed that. On the forums I found:

"As of today, April 19th, we are lifting the NDA!"

Anyway, I was very pleasantly surprised by this game. Basically, it is a reincarnation of Age of Empires 1 with cartoony graphics, RPG elements (think WarCraft III) and a solid multiplayer focus.

I just hope Microsoft won't scuttle this by calling it an MMO. It's no more an MMO than any BattleNet RTS. It's actually a reboot of the Age of Empires RTS franchise with some very clever meta-RPG and character progression elements added in.

When I spoke to friends what I heard was "oh is it going to be a flash base Facebook game?" This couldn't be further from the truth, and although the game will feature micro transactions, it's about as far away from FarmVille as StarCraft II is.

To any RTS fan I highly recommend giving this game a try. While the single player content consists mostly of tutorials and intro missions, the co-op and PvP aspects will keep you entertained indefinitely.

The only negative I will mention is that the cartoony cell-shaded animation graphics will be difficult for some people to relate to, but they tend to grow on you.

@ActiveNick I just checked again and the keys for non-premium Curse members are now available!