Have you tried SC2?
It requires some getting into, but the dynamics of the game and the relationships between different races and the tech tree is very well thought out (a well timed upgrade allows you to kill a given unit in 2 shots instead of 3, changing the balance dramatically).
In many ways, as an AoE1&2 fan, I find SC2 a good continuation of some of the best aspects of the RTS genre that requires both a tactical and strategic mind.
But the RTS genre has literally not changed at all since AoE. The big question in my mind is: is AoE a universal truth, or are RTS developers lazy?