Microsoft today announced that Age of Mythology, Ensemble Studios' latest real-time strategy game, will be available in September of 2002. Age of Mythology is set in a mythological past when heroes battled monsters of legend, and gods intervened in the affairs of mortal men. To celebrate this announcement, Microsoft is unveiling a movie that showcases the ancient Norse civilization. The AVI is available for download here.

Using familiar elements of classical mythology, Age of Mythology casts players as ancient Greeks, the Norse and Egyptians. Call upon the mighty powers of gods such as Zeus to rain down lightning bolts on unsuspecting enemies. Age of Mythology also incorporates Ensemble Studios' trademark features from previous Age of Empires games, including a compelling economic model, a massive army and battle system, unequaled artificial intelligence, random maps, intuitive gameplay and extreme attention to detail.

Age of Mythology's 3-D engine delivers impressive graphical detail in a fully 3-D environment, including realistic terrain and lighting adjusted to produce the look of any time of day. In-game cinematics create a seamless, story-based and character-driven campaign. In addition, the game features incredible special effects with astonishing levels of detail, including fluid ocean waves, waterspouts, infernos, lava, tornadoes, earthquakes and smoke. "By using a new state-of-the-art 3-D engine, our designers are able to do more than what was ever possible with the previous Age of Empires games," said Bruce Shelley, co-founder and senior game designer for Ensemble Studios. "We are now able to produce stunning visual effects, wild mythological beasts and hundreds of on-screen units." Age of Mythology is a branch of the popular Age of Empires franchise that has sold more than nine million licensed units worldwide.