Me and a buddy of mine used to play Age of Empires II Age of Kings, all the time online. We was addicted...it was one of the funnest games Ive ever played...We played through MSN Zone for free. Now apparently the game is old and no longer available for free I guess? The graphics wasnt, so I think the gameplay and strategy is what was some fun along with the the teams and different clans or groups you could join.

Is there any games like this out there now?
Preferably free, me and a buddy is going to be playing out of the same house.
Preferably strategy like Age of Kings.
Preferably somewhat realistic, no futuristic stuff like dragons and stuff.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!