Myth: The Fallen Lords
Myth: The Fallen Lords is a new game for Macintosh/Wintel systems by Bungie Software Products Corporation.
Myth is a strategy game in the tradition of WarCraft, or Command and Conquer. But before you play Myth, forget everything you ever knew about either of those games. Myth is true 3D, you can rotate your camera in any fashion you wish, and zoom in on bloody chunks of gore, or just stare in awe at the incredible visuals. All of the units are rendered in great detail, everything is anti-aliased so when you get close, its still smooth. And with a 3Dfx card, everything is even smoother.
Sounds are also great, but sparse. You'll be longing for the old speech of WarCraft II, though Myth does feature some witty commentary of it's own. There are nice explosion and arrow sounds, too.
But the graphics aren't what makes Myth great. Bungie could have put out a game that has incredible, mind-blowing graphics, and left very little time for the game. But no, Myth is the best strategy game in existence because of it's little features.
The interface, for starters is incredibly simple. Click on a unit and click somewhere else and they'll move there. Click on an enemy unit and they'll attack them. There are several other commands, but none are any more difficult then holding a key and clicking.
The game also features realistic physics, so when you throw a molotov cocktail into a group of Thrall(an enemy unit) they'll block into hundreds of chunky giblets, each trailing blood trails. And when they hit the ground, they'll bounce and roll downhill. Every object in the game remains live, so certain units can pick up any head, torso, or ear and throw it at enemies.
All of Myth is designed to be equal without having identical units. If you'll remember, in Warcraft II that the light and dark sides each had the exact same units, just with different art and sounds.
In Myth, you play the solo game as the light side, and when you're in a net game(which I'll get to in a moment) you can mix and match light and dark units. Myth itself operates differently from other games, you don't build buildings at all. You don't raise resources. Basically, you start with a bunch of units and you fight your way through, and if you're lucky you'll receive more units halfway through the mission. The missions themselves are designed excellently, taking the player from everything from snowy caps, to desert temples, to a jungle like Forest Heart. All have interesting statues and other landmarks to keep the player interested.
Net play is a whole other animal. At the beginning of a net game(with up to 16 players) you choose what units and how many of them you want. Each costs points, and you are only given so many points. Afterward, play begins. You can choose from a huge variety of games, ranging from Steal the Bacon, Body Count, and Last Man on the Hill. Each of the specifically designed net maps allow use of sets of these.
But how do you set up a net game? Well, you can do the traditional, with TCP/IP, LAN, and etc. But the real feature of Myth is Bungie.net, a giant gathering place for Myth players. It has several rooms, each has a chat room and you can setup as many games as you want. Bungie.net also features a ranking system, where every player is assigned a caste according to the number of games they've won.
All in all, is Myth a great game? It's more then just a great game, it's a revolution. Forget about any other strategy game, including new entrants like Total Annihilation. Buy it. Now.