Myth: The Fallen Lords contributed even more than the venerable Marathon series to Bungie's reputation. Multi-platform, it stretched the boundaries of real-time warplaying games further than Marathon had stretched the boundaries of the first-person shooter - which was quite a stretch. Combining strategy and tactics, adrenaline-pumping action and a compelling story, M:TFL was near perfection. Myth II: Soulblighter will only solidify Bungie's reputation for compelling gameplay and phenomenal storytelling (a trait going back to Bungie's Pathways Into Darkness roots). Myth II is not a giant leap over M:TFL, but it offers significant interface and game engine improvements. And it continues the story in a page-turning style as gripping as any sequel since The Godfather, Part II. Full Disclosure Inside Mac Games has always had a close relationship with Bungie. The return of Bungie's Tuncer Deniz as editor-in-chief of IMG guarantees that relationship will continue. But I was given full rein as a reviewer (IMG doesn't pay enough to compromise my integrity), and I was not even aware that Tuncer had been project leader for Myth II until I told him to send my compliments to his friends at Bungie for yet another job well done. OK, now that we have that out of the way... The Story Generations have passed since the Fallen Lords struck terror into the land. The Great War is nothing but a distant memory now, only half-believed by the current generation. Alric, the mighty wizard who defeated Balor and destroyed or scattered the Fallen Lords he had raised, is now King of a peaceful land. Soldiers weary of endless, mostly uneventful patrols. But life is about to change. Armies of the undead are once more being raised by evil men serving Soulblighter, the terrible, cunning Fallen Lord who survived Balor's downfall. Soulblighter, who had never been found after cutting off his own face and tearing out his heart, is done biding his time. He is ready now to rule.  What's New?The improvements in Myth II are both subtle and startling. Gameplay is essentially unchanged. You still get a god's-eye view of a battlefield. Your ability to manipulate the "camera" is still quite vital to your success. You are still general to an unruly assortment of warriors, berserkers, journeymen and other troops whose fate depends on your ability to tell them where to go and who to attack. But numerous changes to the controls and interface make mastering all this much easier. A new control bar at the bottom of the screen allows you to select formations with a click of the mouse. The mouse can also be used to rotate the camera view in addition to moving the camera view left and right and forward and back - all that M:TFL allowed. If you are a Myth master used to the old mouse controls, you can turn off the rotating feature. The small overhead map in the upper right hand corner is more useful, with better symbology to orient you. The bowmen who replace M:TFL's archers have a special weapon at their disposal: fire arrows that can ignite the grass at enemies' feet. The strategic possibilities of a few well-placed fire arrows are immense. Dwarves also have new satchel charges that can take out even more enemies, if properly placed and ignited in a timely fashion. None of this has made Myth a cakewalk. The levels are still quite difficult. You must manage your troops with skill if you expect to succeed. Some levels require you to keep a constant watch on your flanks and rear. You must learn when to send in your dwarves and bowman, and how to manage their retreats. You must learn to use the terrain and weather to your advantage. If not, the enemy certainly will. The objectives vary for each level. Sometimes you must simply defeat all enemies. Other times you must guide and protect an important person on a vital mission. Sometimes you must track down a fugitive before he escapes. And, sometimes, you must simply get the hell out of a situation with some of your troops still alive. What Isn't Myth had so much going for it, Bungie would have been insane to change too much. The look and feel of the original is remarkably intact. This means, of course, that Myth II is beautiful to look at. The 3D landscapes are stunning, even on my non-hardware accelerated G3/233. The sound effects - wind, raindrops, creaking windmills, birds, crickets - serve to pull you into the game. Snippets of conversation by enemy guards make for welcome comic relief (the turnip bit during "Into the Breach" is priceless - "You don't just eat the world's biggest turnip"). The music is as atmospheric and intriguing as the original, setting the atmosphere for the game from the very beginning. The prologues to each level have the same worn-map look as the first Myth, and feature the same diary-style dialogue that makes the fantastic story seem real and personal. bungie.net Once you get through the solo levels - which could take some time - you can test your mettle against human opponents in a variety of network games. Myth II allows network games over TCP/IP, AppleTalk or via the Internet through Bungie's free bungie.net. Most of the bugs have been worked out of bungie.net since M:TFL. The only thing the bungie.net community needs is a place for newbies to go to learn the ropes in a non-intimidating atmosphere. Signing on is easy. Just go to http://www.bungie.net and register your serial number, picking your username and password. Then, with your Internet connection in place, launch Myth II and select Multiplayer Games from the main menu. Log into bungie.net, and your ready to find a game. You can chat with other players before the game begins, and there are several different types of network games to play: Assassin, Balls on Parade, Flag Rally, Last Man on the Hill and Steal the Bacon Conclusion The five joysticks at the top of this review indicate that I don't see a lot of room for improvement. Friendly-fire casualties are fewer than in M:TFL, but you still have to keep a sharp eye on your dwarves and bowmen (especially the dwarves). While there's nothing more irritating than having a dwarf toss one of his Molotov cocktails into a group of your warriors in a belated attempt to take out a Ghôl, this seems less a defect in gameplay than a complicating factor the player needs to always keep in mind. Simply put, Myth II immersed me in a new game world more effectively than any game since Marathon. It is a rousing success on just about every level. Pros • Gameplay and interface improvements over M:TFL • New units to wreak havoc with • Beautiful 3D landscapes, even without hardware acceleration (though a fast processor helps) • Compelling story • Fantastic music Cons
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