PROUD TO BE A GAMER

Age of Mythology from Ensemble Studios is a rare example of a game that makes me very proud to be a gamer. I have spent the better part of a week finishing the very powerful and immersing 35 scenario campaign included in this strategy game. The designers, musicians, artists and all other departments are to be complimented for creating the masterpiece that is Age of Mythology. The story found within the single player campaign will have you at the edge of your seat in anticipation of what is coming next as it takes you through Atlantis, Greece, Egypt and the Norselands. It is the kind of story that will have you up into the late hours of the night playing just one more scenario until completion. Thanks to the 3D engine used for this game, you will be treated to a story that will envelop you until the climactic ending. As you play through the game, you will be treated to a campaign that is even better than the one in Warcraft 3 released earlier this year. The campaign, which can take you around 40 hours to complete, is at times humorous but mostly serious in the finely crafted story being told to you. The campaign is one that will demand your attention and time as you play through it. It is hoped that Ensemble Studios will continue to grace us with the talent and creativity shown with the impressive and memorable single player campaign. But you may wonder, what else does Age of Mythology do so well? Read on to find out what other elements makes this game so special.

Released at the end of October, Age of Mythology took the world by storm. Developed by well-known Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios, Age of Mythology is a game that should be on everyone's must buy list. Having previously released two games in the Age of Empire series, Ensemble Studios decided to do something different for the next strategy game they would produce. They had developed a brand new 3D graphics engine and wanted to create a game that was not the next Age of Empires, something similar, yet different in many ways. They wanted to see what other realms they could explore in their games. They decided on mythology and fortunately for me and many others they succeeded in producing one of the year's finest strategy games. Age of Mythology brings into play three diverse civilizations in the Egyptians, Norse and Greeks with their own unique gods, technologies and units. Utilizing many features from their previous strategy games, they were able to use what was good in those games plus add many additional features, such as god powers, heroes and myth units and a spectacular single player campaign.

THE ARTISTRY OF GRAPHICS/ STORY/ MUSIC

Ensemble knew that they needed a new graphics engine for their next strategy game, one that would astound you and do justice to the world of mythology. They succeeded with flying colors in this endeavor. Age of Mythology is a beautiful game and shows its power as you witness the many environments, creatures and god powers in the game. In the desert for example, you will notice little sand storms that appear at random throughout the terrain or how they show waves from the ocean crashing upon the terrain that you are on. In colder climates you will be treated to snow falling upon the land. The 3D engine allows for a quality of story design not previously seen in past games through cutscenes and impressive visuals, which allows for a story that sweeps you up and never lets go. In previous games, the story that was used for the single player campaigns lacked energy and immersion. Not so here, the single player campaign is one of the highlights of this masterful game. You begin the game as Arkantos, a Greek hero from Atlantis that must stop Gargarensis, a cyclops who plots the return of an imprisoned titan to the world. If this titan, which was imprisoned by the mighty Zeus, king of the Greek gods, is released, the world will fall into ruin and destruction. In one scenario you need to protect the remains of a vanquished Egyptian god. In another you must enter the famous city of Troy and another you must forge a new hammer for Thor, the mighty Norse god.

The story weaves itself gracefully and you will be in awe at the surprising twists and turns that it will take you through. Ensemble researched this game thoroughly as the quests you will be given are very appropriate to the culture you are playing as. I was impressed by the types of quests you were given throughout the campaign. I was never bored and was entertained throughout the entire single player campaign. You will care about the important figures that appear in the campaign from Greek heroes Arkantos, Ajax and Chiron, and others that move the story along. Be prepared for some surprising encounters, some sacrifices that will be made as well as a grand ending. To reveal any more would be to ruin the excellence that is the single player campaign. Music is not overlooked either and some of the music you will hear was conducted by the Northwest Sinfonia and adds a level of immersion that complements the story very well. Sound effects are equally impressive as you hear the sounds of waves crashing upon the shore to the sounds your different units make and to the pounding of meteors falling as you use this god power.

IMPRESSIVE AND MEMORABLE GAMEPLAY

You can take control of three different civilizations in the form of the Egyptians, Norse and Greeks. Each civilization advances through four different ages, Archaic Age, Classic Age, Heroic Age and Mythic Age. As you advance through each age you will gain more abilities, units and technologies to use. Each civilization has a major god that aids you during the game, such as Zeus, mighty god of the Greeks, Ra, mighty god of the Egyptians, to Odin, leader of the Norse Gods. In each scenario you will usually be under a major god such as these as well as being able to choose between two minor gods when you advance from one age to the next. The minor god that you choose will determine what technologies, and myth units are available to use within the scenario. This makes the game exciting and strategic as you decide which minor god will suit your own particular playing style. Myth units can only be summoned at a temple starting in the second age and only if you have enough favor. Favor is one of the new resources you must acquire in the game through the use of your villagers as well as food, wood and gold that is similar to other games in the past.

In order to acquire favor, your villagers must pray to a local temple and when you have enough, the minor gods that you have chosen will grant you the specific myth units that you have requested. If you choose the Greek minor god Athena, Greek goddess of warfare, she will aid the defense of your infantry units and allow you to use Minotaurs or if you choose the minor god Hermes, god of messengers, he will aid your cavalry units and allow you to use the Centaur myth unit. Major gods will also grant your civilization certain bonuses, such as Zeus, which grants your civilization with faster favor generation and other benefits. Just wait until you witness the last scenario in the campaign and the awesome courage displayed by our hero Arkantos as he is aided by the blessing of Zeus. Both major and minor gods can grant you the use of a specific god power for a one time use during each scenario. One god power involves the use of huge and destructive meteors raining down upon your enemies to another that encases your units in bronze for a limited amount of time. When you see the use of these god powers, such as the meteor or tornado god power you will see how impressive the graphics engine is to display these powers in stunning and artistic detail. Of course each civilization has the standard infantry, cavalry and naval units but when you witness myth units such as the Hydra or the giants you will forget about the regular units instantly.

THE BEAUTY OF MYTH AND HERO UNITS/ GOD POWERS

What makes this game so fun to play is the use of myth and hero units as well as using the many god powers. For all of these elements are an important aspect with Age of Mythology and along with the impressive story, the elements will also engage and entertain you. As you advance through the ages, your myth units will become even stronger and more impressive. In your journey you will use the Hydra and Colossus from the Greeks, to the Phoenix and Petsuchos from the Egyptians to the Fenris Wolf Brood and Frost Giant in the Norse culture. The Hydra is a unique myth unit that grows heads as you continue to attack your enemies. The more heads that the Hydra grows by attacking in battle the more powerful it becomes. The Colossus is a gigantic and strong myth unit made out of stone that can heal itself by consuming trees or gold mines. The Phoenix is an aerial unit that can only be attacked by ranged units. As in the legend, a Phoenix can be reborn from the ashes of its death into a new Phoenix. In the game when a Phoenix is defeated an egg will be left in its death, and given time may result in the birth of a new Phoenix. The Petsuchos units are crocodiles that have mirrors upon their back that create a powerful laser beam from sunlight that can destroy almost anything it touches. In large groups, these units can cause widespread destruction as their impressive beam allows for expansive ranged attacks. The Fenris Wolf Brood is unique as well, as their strength is determined by the number of wolves you have. Each wolf that you have in a group will cause their attack power to increase. The more wolves that you have in a group the more powerful they will become. The Frost Giant is another impressive myth unit that will freeze enemy units for a limited time. All of the units in this game were created with stunning and artistic detail which is apparent when you see them in action.

Heroes are also important within the game and are often the only ones powerful enough to go up against the myth units alone. Arkantos, for example will unleash a war cry that will temporarily increase the attack power of all the units around him. Arkantos can regenerate his lost hit points as well as being resurrected when he falls in battle. Another diverse hero unit you will come across is the Centaur Chiron who can unleash three arrows at once and also regenerate lost hit points. Other cultures have impressive hero units like the Egyptians who have the Pharaoh, a unit that can heal wounded units as well as being able to increase the production of buildings that it is sent to. You will come across many other heroes that you have heard in legends such as Hercules, son of Zeus, king of the Greek Gods, to Odysseus, famous hero from Homer's epic in Greek mythology. Hero units are also the only ones that can pick up relics that you find along the way. Relics are special artifacts that grant special benefits such as lowering the cost of myth units to increasing the attack of specific units. The power you receive will depend on the type of relic acquired and must be placed inside your temple to use it. Almost all of the god powers are impressive to look at as well as use in the game. One Norse god power will summon the powerful Nidhogg dragon that will aid you in defeating your enemies. Another god power that was very helpful is the vault of plenty, granted in the mythic age by Hephaestus, which will allow for a steady amount of gold, wood and lumber to continually flow into your stash of resources. Be careful as each god power that has been granted to you can only be used once during each game. You must plan when the best and wisest time will be to unleash a god power to serve you well. There are many more god powers, myth and hero units, but the joy in this game will come from you discovering them for yourself.

A SHINING JEWEL STANDS FORTH

We are fortunate to have a developer such as Ensemble Studios that has graced us with Age of Mythology. Their impressive 3D engine has brought the world of mythology to vibrant and stunning life. Everything that I was expecting to find in a strategy game based on mythology is here and has surpassed all of my expectations. It was so much fun to go through the single player campaign and use all of the diverse myth creatures, heroes and exciting god powers from each culture, to caring about Arkantos and the rest of the heroes in their fight to save their world. The single player campaign was so remarkable that future strategy games should use it as a model of how to incorporate a compelling and engaging story. Even after you have finished the campaign you will be able to play against the computer in 20 impressive random maps each designed with specific objectives. The only flaw that I can think of is that the single player campaign eventually ends as with all good things, but will be remembered for the great experiences it offered. As you view the credits you will also be treated to many pictures from the team at Ensemble as well as hilarious outtakes from voice acting sessions. I look with great anticipation to the expansion pack which is being planned for Age of Mythology and enjoying another exciting gaming experience when it is released. Age of Mythology is a shining jewel in the crowd of strategy games released this year with its intriguing single player campaign and engaging gameplay through god powers, heroes and myth units!

Official Age of Mythology Website

Final Grade: A+ (97%)
Just RPG Award of Excellence!