Top 50 Video Games: Number 47

#47: Myth
System: PC
Publisher: Bungie
Released: 1997
Players:2


A group of archers about to be mowed down by enemy infantry.


Myth was the first realtime strategy game I ever truly sat down and played on my own. I remember Alright Guy Tom went out of town for a week or two and left his Macintosh at my house (this was before I ever owned a computer.) He showed me how to turn it on and off and how to run Myth. Myth was groundbreaking at the time. It was all tactical combat, no building or harvesting which seperated it from other RTS games such as Warcraft, etc. It was (I believe) the first 3d rts game, and the graphics were terrific. The game had impressive weather effects, and terrain made an actual tactical difference. Bombs would sometimes be extinguished in the rain, archers had an advantage at high elevation, snow left footprints, arrows would waver and miss in the wind. It was a delight for the hardcore strategy gamer.

The gameplay was slow and deliberate, you were rarely rushed. You typically had time to decide what formations to use, where to send your scouts, how to position your defenses, etc. The only time you felt rushed was when the combat would begin and you'd realize that your troops weren't positioned well. The game was quite difficult, often forcing the player to reload and retry scenarios to repair holes in their strategy. This was challenging and made victories feel rewarding, as if you'd really earned them. Some of your troops, which gained experience and became increasingly powerful, would carry over from level to level. This made the player less frivolous with his resources, which were usually stretched thin to begin with. The game's cutscenes and voiceovers were excellent. The in-game narrator's deadpan tone was both maddening and amusing. The battle would start, and while people are getting blown up you hear in a flat tone: "Casualty." "Casualties."


The zombie circled in this picture is about to stick a knife in his chest and blow himslef up, much to the chagrin of the enemies around him.


The game spawned 2 expansions: The aptly named Myth II, which was brilliant once they fixed the terrible bugs it shipped with. And Myth III, which was produced by a different company and had a different feel to it. The original game, while still fun and challenging doesn't hold up well by today's standards. The visuals are pretty drab, and the game just feels old. Still, it was a landmark in the genre and my first real experience with realtime strategy. I will always love this game.