I regularly play this one on the network with my 11 years old son. This has been going on for quite some time and I don't see that stopping any time soon.
This is the last in the series of the "Age of empires", the Microsoft real time strategy game series which also spawned "Age or kings" and "Age of conquerors". This "Age of Mythology" (AoM) was the first of them to fully utilize the modern 3D graphics.
For those who are not sure, real-time strategy is a class of games where the players start building an economy on some terrain by gathering resources and assigning them to constructions or units. Each player starts with a town center and a few villagers who can gather food, wood or gold and build different structures, each with its characteristics: you need houses to expand your population, you can create soldiers in the barracks, you need food to create new villagers at the town center, your forge can improve weapons and armor in exchange for some gold etc.
The beginning of the game is usually pure economic growth and environment discovery, and then you realize you are not alone on the map. Depending on how the opponents behave (whether controlled by the computer or another player) they will be more or less aggressive - some build strong defenses, others will raid your towns at the first opportunity. This means there is not one good way to play; the good players do develop a personal style but also learn to adapt to changing situations.
Unlike the seminal early 90s "Civilization" by Sid Meyer, real-time strategy games are not turn-based but all actions develop concurrently based on the orders each players have given to their units (military or not) and how the simulation unfolds. Timing is of the essence, and the game ends typically when one player has eliminated his opponents or constructed and protected a marvel for 10 minutes - a long time in these fast-paced games. AoM supports many fun variants.
Age of Mythology did not only add a dimension to the graphics of its predecessors, but to the game-play as well: not only do the various civilizations have different units and characteristics, but the technological leaps known as "age changes" borrowed form earlier games give the player a chance to worship an additional god who in return gives the player a divine power, the opportunity to develop different technologies and the possibility to create new mythical units at the temple.
The original game featured three civilizations: Egyptians, Greeks and Vikings, each with an assortment of gods and monsters. Extremely fun and educative.
Then came the "Titans expansion" (included in this edition) which did improve the game-play and added the possibility to "free" a 30m tall Titan that can the be directed to go wreck havoc in the opponents' fortresses. This much was very funny.
The expansion also came with a new civilization, and here I am a little less thrilled: the Atlanteans are a different version of the Greeks, different enough to really change the game, yet I would have much preferred the Mayas or the Indians for they both featured very rich folklore and mythologies. I could have seen praying to Gilgamesh, Vishnu, Kali, Quetzalcoatl or the Pachamama. Not so - I guess Microsoft didn't want to hurt the sensitivities of the cultures who still believe in these mythologies and I can respect that.
Learning this game is made easy by the expansive tutorial. It is not necessary to go through the whole of it although it can be fun if you are playing on your own.
You can also set the difficulty of the game and learn in the random map - the real thing: one of maybe 30 types, mountainous or covered with forests, sand deserts or islands, some with a specific goal (conquer the big island, capture and hold the center monument, start without a town center...).
People will typically first enjoy the building and not like too much when enemy soldiers show up, so I would advise avoiding this class of games for kids younger than about 10. This is better for teens and above, although compared to what kids watch on TV these days this is very tame.
This game might be construed as promoting aggression and war, but it is really more about learning the rules of a game and finding a solution to winning - it does not have to be through complete annihilation of the others as with Command and Conquer Generals (a good game too).
AoM also feeds the need for culture of my 11 years old son - I had to find Edith Hamilton's "The Mythology" to quench his thirst for the actual stories.
Ages of Mythology is all in all probably the best game ever, especially when playing it with friends over the network.
Fun : *****
Educational: *****
Lifespan of the game: ***** (hundreds of hours and counting, over many years)
This edition contains both the original game and the "Titans" expansion.
It also comes with all supported languages - you just have to pick the one you want at install time. This is great as my kids are bilingual French-Spanish and their English is still quite limited; they still could lend the game to English- and German-speaking friends of theirs.
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Reviews with images
A blast from the past
After spending hours and making a mess we couldn’t find our original game. I was hesitant to purchase bc I was worried it wouldn’t work ect ect and I’m so glad we did because it arrived in mint condition and we have already put in a couple hours. So happy with our copy we ordered a second copy. Game play brings back nostalgia and glad it’s at an affordable price
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2014
Platform For Display: PCEdition: GoldVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2015
Platform For Display: PCEdition: GoldVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2011
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Top reviews from other countries
LARA
Excelente, rápida entrega y fácil de instalar
Reviewed in Mexico on June 16, 2021Platform For Display: PCEdition: GoldVerified Purchase
Gartholameau
Lots of fun on old Windows XP computer
Reviewed in Canada on December 23, 2016Platform For Display: PCEdition: GoldVerified Purchase
Philipp Rieke
Bestes Age of ****
Reviewed in Germany on December 7, 2013Platform For Display: PCEdition: GoldVerified Purchase
thatmaninjapan
Great!
Reviewed in Japan on March 12, 2014Platform For Display: PCEdition: GoldVerified Purchase
Zackery
You don’t need online to play this game but if you want to you can
Reviewed in Canada on January 31, 2021Platform For Display: PCEdition: GoldVerified Purchase
