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| By Brad Cook When a great game has a grip on you, the real world gives way to a virtual one, and you can easily become lost in a place that exists only inside your Mac and your imagination. |
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 Myth is back with enhanced 3D graphics.
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Dramatic surroundings and an epic storyline.
Myth III executive producer Mike Donges, from developer Mumbo Jumbo, says the game “does what a good action game should. The visuals grab you immediately, the variety and balance of the characters — both good and evil — add depth, and then the tactical nature of the game reveals itself and forces you to use your wits, rather than just run down a preprogrammed path to success.”
Field Commander
Unlike most real-time strategy games, Myth III doesn’t require you to manage resources, such as food and buildings, to succeed. Instead, the game places you in the position of a field commander, directing your troops and making tactical decisions. There are 25 missions in the single-player game, and each has its own story that is really just one chapter in a much larger saga.
Myth III’s story takes place 1,000 years before the events in the first two games in the series: Myth: The Fallen Lords and Myth II: Soulblighter. In this game, the evil Myrkridia and Trow rule the land, and humanity barely holds on to what land it has left. The story follows a human named Connacht the Wolf as he leads his people against their oppressors.
For more information about the rich history of the Myth world, see “A Brief History of Myth.”
Fireballs can quickly make mincemeat of your enemies.
“Myth is one of those few games that has a vast and intriguing storyline,” says Donges. “In the previous games, many aspects of the world’s history were woven into the game’s story, so even seemingly insignificant events had a role in the lush past of Myth.”
The Unique Game That It Is
Each mission in Myth III is prefaced with text that makes it feel like a chapter in a vast fantasy novel. You’re presented with a scenario, handed a group of different troops, and sent out to complete your mission. If you fail — either by not completing your objective or by losing all your troops — you have to replay the mission.
“Because it’s a tactical combat game,” Donges says, “there are an infinite number of ways you can approach each level. The AI (artificial intelligence) of the enemies doesn’t just say that they should go from point A to point B. They will react to what you’re doing and to the way you play the game. One mistake can doom you.”
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To make sure the game would satisfy Myth fans, lead designer Scott Campbell says “it was decided early on that we would not change the fundamental gameplay or game mechanics. We wanted to keep Myth the unique game it is. No other game focuses on small unit tactics the way Myth does.”
If you’d prefer to do battle with your friends, Myth III has a multiplayer option that allows you to play on a local area network (LAN) or over the Internet with GameSpy, which allows both Mac and PC users to log on and play against each other. There are 14 multiplayer games to choose from.
Detailed warriors enhance the experience.
Amazing Performance
Unlike the previous games, both the characters and troops are 3D in Myth III. With the game’s built-in camera, you can zoom around the battlefield and get close to the action, which is more realistic than ever (if you’d prefer your action a little less realistic, there’s an option to turn off the blood). Trow warriors tower over the other characters and wield their hammers with ferocity. Stubby, ill-tempered dwarves sneer as they toss “dwarven cocktails” that explode with lethal results.
You’ll have to take the terrain into account
when you plan your strategy.
when you plan your strategy.
“Our engineering team has put together a truly modern, OpenGL-based rendering engine,” Donges says. “I could go through all the buzzwords, but let me just tell you that it pays off in detail, detail, detail.”
He adds that OpenGL performance on Mac OS X is amazing. “Myth III truly shines on Mac OS X,” he says, “and that makes me very happy.”
Donges expects you to be happy with Myth III too, so look for it online at the Apple Store, a Apple retail store, or an Apple authorized reseller near you soon.
A deep storyline, broad range of unit types, and multiplayer features make Myth III a well-rounded package.    
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