Dad's Gaming Addiction

The “Age of Empires” series always brings back fond memories, whether it be the epic battles I used to wage or the hours I’d spend creating the perfect skirmish map.  Then there was “Age of Mythology”, a very similar RTS created by the same company (Microsoft) back in 2002.  While I didn’t spend as much time on the latter as I did the former, I still played through the game at least three times.  The idea of sending minotaurs into a wave of enemy infantry was oddly appealing for some reason.  Before we take a quick look at what “Age of Mythology: Extended Edition” has to offer, I’d like to thank Ashton Williams at Microsoft for providing me with a press copy.

Age of Mythology: Extended Edition (Windows)

For those of you unfamiliar with the game, you’ll be tasked with leading troops into battle all the while managing your economy. If you’ve played “Warcraft” or “Rise of Nations”, then you’ll be able to catch on to “Age of Mythology: Extended Edition” in no time flat.  In typical RTS style, you’ll assign workers to gather resources (food, wood, gold, and religion/favor), construct buildings, and repair damaged structures.  The buildings you construct all unlock some type of unit or provide some type of benefit…barracks can train troops and houses increase your population cap, just to name a few examples.  What separates “Age of Mythology” from “Age of Empires” are the mythological units and powers to which you’ll have access.  All of this is done across multiple campaign levels, though you’ll be able to set up your own skirmish maps if you just want to fight against the AI or others online.

Reviewing a remake of a game that is over ten years old is a little difficult, especially if the remake is nearly an exact copy of the original game.  In this case, “Age of Mythology: Extended Edition” is nearly identical.  Everything from the character models to the level design remain the same.  Don’t get me wrong, it looks much prettier than I remember it…but aside from the extras, you’re getting the same game you played years prior.  Same scoop of vanilla ice cream if you will, but with jimmies and chocolate syrup on top.  Shadows, lighting, water effects, time of day, antialiasing, ambient occlusion…all great additions, I just wish there was a bit more.  Twitch users will be pleased to know that there is Twitch integration, though I personally haven’t tried it to know if it works.

This brings back memories…

With that being said, I do appreciate the remake, even if it’s almost the same game as I played years ago.  Seeing the updated graphics was nice, though I admit the appeal was mainly centered around the fact that I didn’t have to enter my blasted serial key each time I wanted to install the game.  I also don’t have to worry about managing discs…all three products (“Age of Mythology”, “Age of Mythology: The Titans”, “Golden Gift Campaign”) were all condensed into one nice, easy to boot up package.  It’s hard to justify that convenience into a thirty dollar price tag however, the going rate as of 4/29/14.  If you’ve never played “Age of Mythology”, love RTS’s, and don’t mind the outdated character models/interface, then picking this up is most certainly worth your time and money. If you have your own playable copies of the game from years ago and want to know if buying the extended edition for the effects is worth thirty bucks, then I’d have to say (with heartfelt regret) no.

The game will be available on May 8, 2014.

Final Verdict: 6/10

Editor’s Note: The above score is an average, derived from two separate review scores.  The game itself deserves a 9/10, whereas the “price versus new content” factor for the extended edition scores a 3/10.  The result of this math yields a 6/10, which in my opinion, is fair.  Newcomers to the game should simply consider this review score a 9/10.

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You can learn more about and purchase “Age of Mythology: Extended Edition” by visiting the following websites:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/266840/

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