by RyanR - March 18, 2004

Age of Mythology: The Titans is the sequel to the award winning Age of Mythology for PC. This expansion features a whole new civilization, new units, a brand new campaign, and new random maps.

Rule the Mythological World

The basic gameplay in AoM: TT is the same as in AoM. However, the new civilization has it�s own unique play style, just as the previous three do. When choosing Atlanteans, you start out with one villager, and three oracle units. Atlantean villagers gather resources three times faster than those of the other civilizations and they act as a mobile resource drop point so there is no need to build a granary or any other resource drop point. However, because of this they are also three times costlier than a regular villager. Oracles are the Atlanteans scouting unit. They have a small line of sight until they stand still; then their range expands to almost a full screen. Atlanteans also have the ability to build towncenters one age early. This is a good thing since their favor accumulates by the amount of towncenters you have.

Of course, why should the Atlanteans get all the good stuff? All the civilizations now have a unique Titan unit. Now you don�t get this unit free by any means. There is now a 5th age that you can research after the Mythic age called the Titan age. After researching this you get access to the Titan Gate god power. Now once you get this, you place it on the ground and your workers have to construct it before the Titan can be unleashed. It is a long process but it�s worth it once you get control of the powerful Titan unit that can crush anything in one on one combat except another Titan.

Now of course, when you add three new major gods and nine new minor gods you have to have some cool God Powers to go with them. The Atlantean civilization does offer some nice ones, but even more than that, they offer the ability to use them multiple times. Because of this fact all the Atlantean GP that you can reuse may seem a bit weaker than the other God Powers other civilizations gods offer in that age, but they can still be quite useful when executed effectively. There are however cool down periods between uses so you can�t fire off two or three of the same one all at once. The Atlantean reuse of a GP is different for each one depending on its strength and effect.

Kronos starts with the deconstruction GP. Its name pretty much explains it. You target a building (towncenters can�t be targeted), invoke the power, and the building deconstructs before your eyes, however the enemy gets back all the resources he spent on the building that was destroyed. Oranos� GP is shockwave. It can affect about eight units standing next to each other. The shockwave flings them in all directions, doing mild damage but stunning them, making them unable to move for a few seconds. Gaias GP is gaia forest. This power will cause a small forest to grow instantly wherever it is targeted. Wood can be gathered faster from this forest, but anyone can use it. Along with the major gods, each minor god also has a new GP. If you worship Oceanus in the classical age you get access to his GP carnivora. This power creates an unmovable man-eating plant that will yank human soldiers that get near it off the ground and eat them, killing them instantly. There is a recharge period, so while it can�t it, it lashes at units with its vines. However, this unit is useless against archers because it is stationary. A neat Heroic age GP is Rheias traitor. This power allows you to target one unit and convert it (heros, Titans, and Nidhogg excluded). The unit will become instantly yours but will take some automatic damage from the conversion. And finally, the Mythic age GP that is probably one of my favorites is Atlas� implode. When targeted, implode creates a spherical ball that begins to swirls very fast, sucking up any units close, yours and your enemies. The swirling winds also damage and structures near it. After all the units within its radius have been sucked up, the ball explodes, instantly killing weaker units and damaging others which are thrown back to the ground, very effective against a concentrated formation.

Eye-candy Goodness

Nothing new has been done with the AoM: TT graphic engine. So expect the graphics to be the same as the AoM ones. However, there is a load of eye-candy for you to see and use in the editor. Most of the new god powers also sport some very nice graphical effects.

Classic AoM Music

The addition of new sound in AoM: TT isn�t huge but it is noticeable. The Atlanteans get their own theme music of course and the Campaign also sports some new music but overall it�s not that different.

Oh the Fun!

Aom: TT is just as addictive as the original. I�m sure many gamers will spend many a sleepless night playing online after they get it. The campaign has about 6-10 hours of playtime but of course if you play online, playtime can be endless.

Plasmafactor

My thoughts? I have really enjoyed this expansion a lot. Ensemble Studios has done a fine job with all their games. I particularly enjoyed the new campaign, even if some of the voice acting was a little corny. I am also pleased with the revamp of ESO, the multiplayer system. It has many needed features such as a whole new buddylist system and a better quick game setup to help you start an online game fast.

Conclusion

I would recommend those who bought the first to get this game. It has a solid amount of new content and good replay ability. Ensemble Studios has made many great games and this is just another one of them.