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 Bungie,
$40. Requirements: PowerPC, 32MB RAM, System 7.5, 4xCD. For more
information, visit Bungie at http://www.bungie.com.
Review by Andrew McClintock
Myth II returns you to the world of Myth, 60 years after the
Great War, with the rekindled menace of Soulblighter once again
threatening the safety and stability of the world. Soulblighter
has reunited with Shiver, and allied with The Summoner, a powerful
mage that has awakened upon the unsuspecting world the Myrkridia.
You, the player, command the forces of good, bent on ridding
the world of Soulblighter once and for all. Many new units join
the familiar warrior, dwarf, archer (fir-bolg have been converted
into human archers now), journeyman and berserker characters--
dwarven mortar units rain down death from afar; sorcerers fry
enemies with fireballs; the Trow literally rip their enemies
up; the archer units now also have a fire-arrow attack. The enemy
is not lacking for new units-- the Trow and Sorcerers fight on
both sides at times, Mauls are devastating new enemies, and there
are corrupted archers and warriors to face; all these join the
familiar undead legions: Wights, Soulless and Ghols and Ghasts.
Myth II is a tactical combat game where you control individual
units and small groups, performing various missions. It is less
of a new game than an excellent sequel; the engine has many refinements
and upgrades, but is essentially the same as its predecessor.
In this vein, veteran Myth players will be at once familiar with
the game's 3D camera controls and unit commands. Newbies will
easily become accustomed to the new control bar, which has handy
buttons for frequently issued commands. The 3D view controls
can also be operated almost entirely with the mouse, which can
be a definite boon (and a pain at times, when you forget where
you left your cursor). Occasionally, the game will launch into
a preset skit, and you lose control over where your views are
going. This can be annoying, especially when you have the zoom
all of the way in, and cannot see the sketch. This happens infrequently
enough, however, so it isn't a major problem.
The graphics engine has been refined in Myth II, allowing
for better resolution and faster speeds. Bungie's latest creation
also takes advantage of any 3D acceleration you might have, for
even higher frame rates. Moving models have also been added,
so terrain undulates, windmills turn, and wildlife wanders around
the forest (for as long as you let it--there's nothing like bombing
Bambi back to the stone age). The audio is also just as advanced,
with various general improvements; the dwarves' chats have always
been one of my favorite parts of the game, and they didn't leave
me disappointed in this version. The ambient sounds are excellent,
and along with the various other neat touches like falling leaves,
the game succeeds in drawing the viewer into the environment.
The controlling AI's are better as well, it seems; units will
at least try and avoid friendly fire, for example. The game's
AI controlling the enemy seems a little better, and the game
gets increasingly tough through the levels. Once you know where
the enemy is, however, it is still easy to lure them into your
ambushes. This is, of course, where multiplayer comes in, an
aspect in which Myth II continues in the mold of its predecessor,
and excels.
There are a wide variety of new multiplayer games available
for you to slaughter your friends and enemies; the stampede game,
for example, gives you and your opponents herds of animals which
you try and maneuver into the center of the area, all the while
defending them, and attacking your enemies' herds. There are
also hunting matches, where you have to kill the most wildlife;
games where you have to protect a specific unit while killing
all your opponents; last man on the hill matches where you have
to be the last player in control of the flag to win the game,
and several other amusing games available. The most fun is getting
together with your friends in a body count game and just duking
it out, creating as much carnage, blood and guts as you can in
as short a time as possible.
Myth II adds more than just new game types, though--it adds
support for orders, which are essentially the same as Quake clans;
and Myth II supports local network games over the AppleTalk and
TCP/IP protocols, as well as supporting internet play via Bungie.net.
Myth II also comes packaged with Bungie's two editors for
the game, Fear and Loathing, which allow you to create your own
scenarios for Myth II. A word of warning: these editors are
not for the faint of heart. While very powerful, they are also
incredibly complex. These allow you to create multiplayer scenarios,
as well as single player games, as well as modify the various
units available.
The game rocks, folks. That's pretty much all I need to say,
but of course I'll expound a little: the graphics and sound are
excellent; the story, while similar in some aspects to Myth's,
is well thought out, and challenging; and the multiplayer aspect
is as good as they come. Other than one annoying control issues,
and some multiplayer bugs, there are no major problems with Myth
II--it installed like a breeze, and ran just fine with no crashes.
I would unhesitatingly recommend you run out and get this great
game--and I look forward to meeting you in battle on Bungie.net.
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