If you're a fan of the Age of Empires games, then you've probably been waiting with much anticipation for some time now for Age of Mythology.  Well there are signs that the game's release is not too far off, most notably the limited release of a multiplayer test version of the game.  We are among the lucky ones who got a copy of the game and have been busy taking it on a test drive.  While this version does not include the single player campaigns and its skirmish mode comes devoid of AI for the computer-controlled sides, it does give a glimpse at the gameplay you'll be enjoying when the game is released.

One of the biggest differences between Age of Mythology and its predecessors is in the number of playable civilizations.  You'll find only three in Age of Mythology: Norse, Egyptian, and Greek.  Don't despair, this does not mean that play in Age of Mythology is more limited.  First of all, the civilizations are more different from each other than any three civilizations from Age of Empires or Age of Kings - more on that later.  Secondly, each civilization is customizable by your choice of major and minor gods to worship.

You begin play by selecting a civilization and a major god to play.  Each god (or goddess) is drawn from the mythology of the corresponding civilization, and will give your civilization a different bonus, miracle, and mythological creatures.  For example, play as the Greeks and select Zeus as your major deity, and you'll receive a bonus to your infantry and hero units.  Select Hades instead, and your archers and buildings receive a bonus.  Each time you advance to a new age (Archaic, Classical, Heroic, and Mythic) you select a minor deity to worship, who will add their own unique bonuses and creatures to your civilization.  This is a great way to customize your civilization to fit your style of play.  It also works great in multiplayer games, where you can have each team member specialize in a particular area.

Gods also grant you one special power per age.  Some of these are offensive, and allow you to unleash plagues, storms, or meteors on your foes.  Some are defensive, and provide you with holy guardians to help protect your base.  There are also powers which grant production bonuses, such as rains to increase crops or increased gold production for a short period of time.  All powers are one-time bonuses - once a power is used it will no longer be available for the rest of the game.

Each of the three civilizations plays differently, and lends itself to a certain style of play.  If you love going on the offensive and don't care as much for base building, then the aggressive and mobile Norse are for you.  Like building large bases and crushing your opponents under the weight of your economy?  The monument building Egyptians will be more your style.

You'll be familiar with the three of the main resources in the game if you played Age of Empires: gold, wood, and food.  Food gathering has been changed slightly in Age of Mythology, though.  Farms no longer need to be rebuilt or queued, fishing sites provide unlimited food, and domestic animals slowly fatten-up, so if you wait a little before slaughtering them they'll yield more food.  Age of Mythology also makes it easier for you to manage construction and repair tasks through command queuing.  Hold down the Shift key while giving a villager construction orders and he will build each structure in turn.

Resources and heroes »