Easily one of the best RTS games of all time.
AoM's first triumph is in the stellar art direction. Landscapes throughout the game are gorgeous, bursting with color, detail and effects and fitting perfectly with the "unreal" feel that the game provides. Units are detailed and imaginative, and attacks burst with colorful and varied effects. In addition, menu and HUD designs have almost a hand-painted feel.
The sound design is also excellent, and though many units share the same attack sounds, the sounds themselves are good enough that it isn't a problem. The music is superb, and lives up to the standards of the "Age of" series. It's serene and soothing, but builds up to a dramatic rush during epic battle sequences.
And what is an RTS without epic battle sequences? AoM's biggest strength is its gameplay. The four playable civilizations each have unique strengths and weaknesses. But the game doesn't stop there. Each civilization has three major gods to choose from, which provide further benefits, such as Thor's special armory upgrades or Kronos' ability to teleport buildings. But what separates AoM from every other strategy game that I've ever played are the nine minor gods in each civilization. Your major god determines which of two minor gods you can worship in each of three ages, and your choice grants you unique technologies, units, and powers. It's a bit unbalanced in that some minor gods have obvious advantages, but it still encourages experimentation and customization and ensures that no two matches ever turn out the same way.
The actual strategy gameplay is a slow-building, challenging experience, suited for people like me who don't like to face Zerg rushes. The unlimited resources results in long games in which a variety of tactics can be used. It also means that enemies build up their bases tremendously, which results in long and rewarding battles. This can often result in "throw everything you have at them, make some more, try again" gameplay, but it's always fun because of the variety of units to choose from as well as the number of ways an attack can be executed. The AI is more than competent and will often catch you off your guard. Unfortunately, friendly AI will ignore your offer to attack an enemy and their main purpose is often as a buffer between you and the enemy.
Finally, the single-player campaigns are great, if a bit easy. The excellent level design is the main draw here, with surreal and memorable levels and bizarre objectives. A lot of thought obviously went into the design, and each level is full of colorful details and peaceful nooks. The best part is that there is a lot more variety to the mission structure than in, say, Starcraft, where almost every mission was of the "kill enemy base" variety. You'll do plenty of those, but you'll also have many excellent tactical missions which you must do without a base. The missions are a bit easier than single player games, if only because the shorter games and scripted AI mean less building. The biggest draw in the campaign is the story, which is somewhat cliche and is not terribly exciting. The voice acting is decent, but not great, which also hurts.
Age of Mythology is a wonderfully diverse, almost magical RTS that gets much less attention than it deserves. For everyone, there are games that leave a lasting impression of wonder and awe. Age of Mythology was one such game for me.
If I were Gamespot, reviewing this game today, it would get the following medals.
Outstanding Gameplay
Great Sound Effects
Great Original Music
Outstanding Visual Design
Great Story
Innovative
Sucks You In
Better than the Sum of Its Parts
More than your Money's Worth