Like the catwalks of Milan and London, PC gaming is a seasonal beast. The sequence varies but for a few months every year, gamers are spoilt for choice in the first-person shooter market. As the greenery outside fades to brown, the market changes and we have role-playing games by the dozen. Winter sees us cuddle up to our joysticks and to a healthy dose of flight simulators while summer (well here in SA at least) has been the season of real-time strategy.
Bar a few notable exceptions like Unreal 2, No One Lives Forever 2 and Neverwinter Nights, the market has been inundated with strategy titles. These titles include the classic Warcraft 3, the slightly disappointing Empire Earth add-on Art of Conquest, newcomers Impossible Creatures, Command & Conquer Generals and American Conquest, with Rise of Nations rounding off a productive season. However, another strategy title hit the market just before Christmas last year and proved to be an instant hit - Age of Mythology.
Many pundits view Age of Mythology as the top of its class, but with Command & Conquer Generals having just shipped in SA, we will have to see whether this view can still be justified.
This Microsoft offering (one of three this season - Impossible Creatures and Rise of Nations being the other two) puts the player in control of one of nine civilisations. Essentially there are three civilisations, the Greek, Norse and Egyptian. The player can then choose to follow one of three gods in each civilisation. As with any "Age" title, the game is also divided into several epochs. In this case it is the Archaic, Classical, Heroic and Mythic ages. Each epoch allows you to follow one of two minor deities. These deities, like the main gods, allow for different unit benefits, research, military and myth units. They also bestow unique god powers on your civilisation that can be used at any one time during a game.
Apart from the standard resources that can be gathered, i.e. food, wood and gold, Age of Mythology introduces favour. Favour can be used to build myth units and to research certain unit improvements. Each civilisation gathers favour differently. The Greeks need to build a temple where civilians worship, the Egyptians require certain statues to be built and the Norse need to send units to combat to garner favour from their gods. This necessitates different strategies to be developed by the player and adds longevity to the title.
The campaign mode is perhaps one of the best aspects of Age of Mythology. It recreates the tale of the battle of Troy and succeeds in drawing the gamer in from almost the very start.
If there is a flaw in the game then it lies in its repetitive nature. While there are several civilisations to choose from and different strategies to be employed, you only need to play each civilisation a couple of times to know the right strategy to adopt. Also, if you have played any of the Age of Empires titles, things still seem very familiar.
However, kudos must go to Microsoft and developer Ensemble Studios for finally introducing a 3D mode into the "Age" franchise. If you are still one of those die-hard 2D fans then you can leave the camera in a fixed position.
While Age of Mythology has its flaws, it has gained many followers in the short time it has been available. However, the debate of what is the better title, Age of Mythology or Warcraft III, will rage on. Throw Command & Conquer Generals into the equation and you have the signs of a very healthy strategy game market. For a change, it seems that the gamers will be the winners this season.
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