Age of Mythology: Your views

Age of Mythology pits you against mythical monsters

PC gamers have been anticipating the arrival of Age of Mythology, a strategy game created by the Microsoft/Ensemble team that made the successful Age of Empires series.

The game allows you to play one of three different civilisations - the Greeks, the Norse and the Egyptians, each of which has its own unique characteristics, benefits and disadvantages

"If you have never tried real-time strategy, this would be the prefect introduction," wrote BBC News Online's Damian O'Neil.

But what did you think?

Is the gameplay absorbing? Is it too similar to earlier real-time strategy games?

I really liked Age of Empires 2, and invested/wasted weeks if not months playing it. What I really liked about it was the fact that it had a little grounding in reality, admittedly Samurai warriors never battled English longbow men in the sand dunes of Arabia, but if history had taken a slightly different path they could have done.

I'm afraid the minatours, heroes and other mythical beasts in Age of Mythology leave me cold. Although it's fun watching a minatour send a knight and his horse flying with a single blow, it isn't as engrossing as Age of Empires 2, it feels more of a game/less realistic. Maybe it's because I preferred history to classics at school, and I'm projecting my loathing of my latin teacher onto this game. Hopefully they'll use the game and graphics engine to bring out a new version of Age of Empires but with better graphics.
Gerald, UK

I thought it was great! I mean, where else can you be a cyclops, man?! Where else? Apart from Sanitarium.
Aaron S, Engerland

It is a very enjoyable game, the god powers and myth units add something to the game that Age Of Empires lacked

Neal Walker, Reading

I agree with Gerald, there is something satisfying about playing god with those little human-like sprites in A.O.E II - it just doesn't translate to mythical creatures.
Chris, UK

Well I know it's a minor point but I really like the point to point wall building - much better than Age of Empires. I like the idea of having heros to lead your troops. I really like sending the huge colossus against small soldiers. I would like to see Age of Empires 3 created with this new engine/graphics.
Scott, Aberdeen

I like the new AoM game more than the previous versions of AoE. The addition of "myth units" helps spice up the challenge of playing. You can spend a large amount of time building up a city, for it to be decimated by an earthquake "god power". This brings in more unpredictability and evens out the game where it could get one sided.

The animations are good, rotation of the map is very useful, and the three different styles of the civilisations can suit differing people.

My only criticism is that it was originally planned to be released much earlier in the year, so I couldn't get hold of it. It was worth the wait though. At under £30, it's very good value.
Glyn Simpson, Southampton

Only 5 hours until work finishes and I can load it up again!

Rik Mason, UK

It is a very enjoyable game, the god powers and myth units add something to the game that Age Of Empires lacked. The 3 different cultures adds variety to the game to suit different styles of play. I just wish it was more stable on multiplayer.
Neal Walker, Reading

I'm with Scott - little things (like how wall-building is handled) make the interface much more accessible than AoE. I'm esp. pleased by the handling of farms - just build 'em once, and let 'em run forever.

Something no one has mentioned is the qualities of the different civilisations. I love resource-gathering in the Norse civilisation, for example: just trundle your ox-cart off to a forest and have workers drop off wood there.
Peter, UK

Very good game but the missions are slightly easy.
Stephen, England

I think it's fantastic, there's nothing quite like breaking down a city's gates with an army of sphinxes, manticores, scarab beetles and phoenixes! It may not be as "real life" as AOE2 but personally I play computer games to get away from the drudgery of realism; games which fire the imagination in this way are a rarity in these days where the tedious life-like simulator is king.
Polly, UK

Only 5 hours until work finishes and I can load it up again! Addictive and fun!
Rik Mason, UK

Good game. But AoE2 was better

Jon, USA

They really have improved it since AOE II. The added spice brings new life to the game. I love the fact you have to find settlements to increase your population, unlike the last game where you could just build as many castles/town centres as you liked to bring you up to the population limit of 200. The gameplay seems smoother and it is all round a nicer game to look at. The true test, and this I have yet to try, is the network game. That is when the game comes into its own.

Looking forward to the next installment from Microsoft/Ensemble. Just don't keep us waiting so long next time!
Chris Simmons, UK

Couldn't tell you. I downloaded the trial game only to find my graphics card was not supported, and my Sony notebook is less than three years old.
Chris, London

I was/am a huge fan of AoE2 and was really looking foward to this game. Within the first 10 minutes of playing I was a little disappointed. After a further 20 minutes, however, I was engrossed as much as in any game of AoE. It takes time to adjust your playing skills to this game but it's well worth it.

Also, it feeels as if the makers have spent months working on the balance alone. In AoE it was possible to build a million town centres, wall up and knock a few 100 castles and your town was almost impossible to get into this side of 2020. This game takes, dare I say it, a higher level of thinking to win. Well done Ensemble!
Strumpet, England

Good game. But AoE2 was better. They do need to take some things from AoM and put it into the next AoE.
Jon, USA

I installed the Demo and was promptly disappointed. It is just more of the same. It is just the mythical version of AoE 3. Very disappointing. Please Microsoft/Ensemble, invent something NEW.
David Thomas, Australia

Microsoft stole the idea from Blizzard.
Makena, USA, Seattle

Don't like the fact that the players using the Norse race almost exclusively use the frustrating Rush tactic. Greek and Egyptian civs have difficulty bulking up to the point where they can defeat this early in the game.
Dave, UK

It's the same game. Save yourself some money and buy AOE II.
Robin, UK

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