History YMMV / AgeOfMythology

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: Before entering Nieflheim, Ajax tells Chiron to go first. "If you don't fall screaming to your death, we'll follow you." At the end of the stage [[spoiler:Chiron sacrifices himself so the rest of the group can run away from the horde of giants after them]].

* GoddamnedBats: Militia. They're weak human infantry who spawn whenever you destroy a building from a Poseidon player. Naturally, later on in the campaign most of the Greek enemies are Poseidon, and you frequently have to chew through dozens of buildings to win a level.

* In ''The Titans'' expansion, Kronos is depicted as a giant MagmaMan, in contrast to his traditional depiction as an old man with a sickle. A decade later, ''Film/WrathOfTheTitans'' did the same with its version of Kronos.
* Carole Ruggier voiced Athena in the campaign cutscenes. Later she voiced the same character in several of the ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' entries.

* HilariousInHindsight: In ''The Titans'' expansion, Kronos is depicted as a giant MagmaMan, in contrast to his traditional depictions as an old man with a sickle. A decade later, ''Film/WrathOfTheTitans'' did the same with its version of Kronos.

Index:
* ''YMMV/AgeOfEmpires'' (the series in general)
* ''YMMV/AgeOfEmpiresI'' (the first game)
* ''YMMV/AgeOfEmpiresII''
* ''YMMV/AgeOfEmpiresIII''

See also:
* ''[[AwesomeMusic/AgeOfEmpires Awesome Music - AOE]]''
* ''[[GameBreaker/AgeOfEmpires Game Breaker - AOE]]''
* ''[[ThatOneLevel/AgeOfEmpires That One Level - AOE]]''
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* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Some fans feel the addition of the Atlantean empire was an unnecessary addition that just let the developers use more characters from [[AncientGrome Greece and Rome]] and that it would have been better if they had picked an actual new mythology for their first expansion.

* GoodBadBugs: While worshiping Osiris, if you research New Kingdom and use Son of Osiris on the second Pharaoh, the game thinks the Pharaoh died and he will resurrect, which means you can have two pharaohs ''and'' the Son of Osiris!

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: One big problem with chosing Atlas was that he didn't have access to the Omniscence technology (incredibly expensive, but allows you to see everything your enemies see), instead getting the much, much lamer Eyes of Atlas (improves line of sight of all units). A later patch and now he has access to both technologies.

* FanonDiscontinuity: The ''Tale of the Dragon'' expansion pack was widely disliked by fans and critics alike since it had a plethora of issues like glitches, unbalanced gameplay, a boring cliche plot which is barely connected to the original story, low quality production value (such as an Egyptian temple appearing in one mission despite it being set in China) and others which made it feel more like a cheap GameMod rather than an official expansion in the eyes of many fans. The fact that it [[OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight wasn't developed by the original creators Ensemble Studios]] did not help and some fans still refuse to acknowledge its existence. Overtime patches that improved graphics and glitch fixes helped warm up fans to the expansion, though many are still unimpressed with the new campaign and often get the expansion just so they can play as the Chinese.

* CultClassic: [=AoM=] was a success both commercially and with the critics, but got overshadowed by other strategy games and faded into obscurity. Even as of 2020, new maps, mods and campaigns are still regularly being made for it, with no sign of stopping anytime soon. The game likely has its unique setting, gameplay mechanics, and graphics (which aged surprisingly well for such an old game) to thank for it. It also had an HD re-release on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in 2014 which still receives updates and patches from the dev team.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Gargarensis]], from ''Fall of the Trident'' (the campaign), is an evil Cyclops. Upon learning of his relationship with Poseidon, he intends to [[AGodAmI become immortal]]. Scheming to release the Titan Kronos, Gargarensis is well aware that releasing him will bring about the end of the world, but doesn't care. When the hero [[PlayerCharacter Arkantos]] disrupts his excavation in Greece, he threatens to kill his son, and upon arriving in Egypt, threatens to kill his dragon Kemsyt when the latter was defeated. Forced to flee Egypt, Gargarensis makes it clear to Kemsyt that he will only keep him alive as long as he is still useful. When he is trapped in the Norselands, Gargarensis forces Kemsyt into a perfect illusion of himself-- guaranteeing Kemsyt's death-- to buy himself more time. After taking over Atlantis, Gargarensis uses the powers of the gods to murder women and children to taunt his adversary, and upon his final defeat screams that he was promised a victory. [[AmbitionIsEvil Ambitious]], arrogant, and selfish, Gargarensis shows that [[ImmortalityImmorality he will do anything to become immortal]], even if it means the end of the world itself.

* CultClassic: [=AoM=] was a success, both commercially and with the critics, no doubt about it. But the fact remains that the game was released all the way back in 2002, and even as of 2017, new maps, mods and campaigns are still regularly being made for it, with no sign of stopping anytime soon. The game likely has its unique gameplay mechanics and graphics (which ages surprisingly well for such an old game) to thank for it. It also had a HD re-release on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in 2014.

* FanonDiscontinuity: The ''Tale of the Dragon'' expansion pack was widely disliked by fans and critics alike since it had a plethora of issues like glitches, unbalanced gameplay, a boring cliche plot which is barely connected to the original story, low quality production value (such as an Egyptian temple appearing in one mission despite it being set in China) and others which made it feel more like a cheap GameMod rather than an official expansion in the eyes of many fans. The fact that it [[OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight wasn't developed by the original creators Ensemble Studios]] did not help and some fans still refuse to acknowledge its existence. Overtime patches and glitch fixes did help fans warm up to the expansion as a whole, though many are still unimpressed with the new campaign and often get the expansion just so they can play as the Chinese.

* TheScrappy: Pangu the Chinese Titan was poorly received by people unfamiliar with Chinese mythology, mostly due to its unpolished design. The fact that it's clearly a re-skinned version ofthe atlantean titan doesn't help.

* FanonDiscontinuity: The ''Tale of the Dragon'' expansion pack is widely disliked by fans and critics alike since it has a plethora of issues like glitches, unbalanced gameplay, boring cliche plot which is barely connected to the original story, low quality production value (such as an Egyptian temple appearing in one mission despite it being set in China!) and others which makes it feel more like a cheap GameMod rather than an official expansion. The only [[SoBadItsGood positive thing]] is that it added new game assets (buildings, units, god powers, etc), though plenty of them are actually modified versions of existing or DummiedOut ones. The kicker is that you can get the Chinese only by paying with real money despite how badly it's created. The fact that it [[OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight wasn't developed by the original creators Ensemble Studios]] only contributed more to people wishing to pretend it doesn't exist.
* FranchiseOriginalSin: The ''Tale of the Dragon'' Expansion faced some criticism how unbalanced the Chinese were, but many old fans were quick to remark how the game was never really balanced to begin with (especially after ''The Titans'' expansion).

* TheScrappy: Pangu the Chinese Titan was poorly received by people unfamiliar with Chinese mythology, mostly due to its unpolished design.

* CriticalResearchFailure: Reginleif's bio mentions her wanting to "redeem herself in Odin's eyes," which is rather glaring because Odin is well known for having one eye and that is clearly established in the rest of the game.
** However she is several thousand years old, so it's possible her fall from grace was [[FridgeBrilliance before Odin lost an eye.]]

* DarthWiki/MostAnnoyingSound:
** Taunt [[EasterEgg 999]]: "This is..{{RTS}} 3!" while sounding like chipmunks singing. Particularly annoying in Multiplayer games, where {{Troll}}s will continue to spam it.
** Also, the priest conversion noise (aka the "wololo" noise) from earlier installments in the series also returns as one of the taunts, with similar results to the above.
** The horn that plays warning you that a unit or building of yours is being attacked. It is normally very handy; but when you are busy with something and one of your well-guarded settlements is being attacked by enemies who can't possibly hope to take it over and over again, it can get grating.

* MostAnnoyingSound:

* DemonicSpiders: Fire giants are huge, tough ranged brutes who deal obscene amounts of damage at range and are decent against buildings too. They aren't that bad in random map, as their cost means they are only used in small numbers in the endgame and they [[GlassCannon can't take much damage]],but in the campaign (Especially the Dwarven forge) they come in huge numbers with a meatshield of [[MightyGlacier Mountain Giants]] to protect them.

* DemonicSpiders: Fire giants are huge, tough ranged brutes who deal obscene amounts of damage at range and are decent against buildings too. They aren't that bad in random map-their cost means they are only used in small numbers in the endgame-but in the campaign(Especially the Dwarven forge) they come in huge numbers with a meatshield of [[MightyGlacier Mountain Giants]].
* FranchiseOriginalSin: The ''Tale of the Dragon'' Expansion faced some criticism how unbalanced the Chinese were, but many old fans remarked how the game was never really balanced to begin with (especially after ''The Titans'' expansion).

* NarmCharm:The voice acting in all the campaigns wouldn't be out of place in an old sword-and-sandal B-movie, as such many fans find it a treat to listen to.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: Quite a few of the ''Tale of the Dragon'' models are poorly done, especially the myth units. Even the cinematics for the campaign is bare bones and mostly relied on Greek/Atlantis tilesets to replicate Chinese architecture. That said some fans actually LIKE this for this very fact, feeling it makes the expansion feel more like it came from the game's original release.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: So you made an EpicFantasy strategy game that, for once, was about three ancient mythologies instead of ripping off fictional cultures and creatures from ''Literature/LordOfTheRings'' and ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. You are asked to produce an expansion. What new mythology do you add? [[Myth/CelticMythology Celtic]]? [[Myth/MesopotamianMythology Mesopotamian]]? [[Myth/AztecMythology Mesoamerican]]? Something more obscure? No, you make up an "Atlantean" one with the bits you didn't use for the Greeks and fill the holes with [[AncientGrome Ancient Rome]].

* SpecialEffectsFailure: It's clear that most of the ''Tale of the Dragon'' models are poorly done, especially the myth units. Even the cinematics for the campaign is bare bones and mostly relied on Greek/Atlantis tilesets to replicate Chinese architecture.

* CultClassic: [=AoM=] was a success, both commercially and with the critics, no doubt about it. But the fact remains that the game was released all the way back in 2002, and even as of 2017, new maps, mods and campaigns are still regularly being made for it, with no sign of stopping anytime soon. The game likely has its unique gameplay mechanics and graphics (which ages surprisingly well for such an old game) to thank for it. It also had a HD rerelease on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in 2014.

* GoodBadBugs: While worshipping Osiris, if you research New Kingdom and use Son of Osiris on the second Pharaoh, the game thinks the Pharaoh died and he will resucrect, which means you can have two pharaos ''and'' the Son of Osiris!

* StrawmanHasAPoint: When Ajax declares that he want to cut off Kastor's head for his crimes, Amanra defends him saying that he may be tricked or maybe misguided. We are supposed to side with her in the argument, but regardless if Kastor is tricked or not, he still ordered his men to carry out a full-scale raid across whole continents, causing the deaths of hundreds of men including both Ajax and Amanra's [[DisproportionateRetribution just because two Greek scouts attack him first for repairing a temple to the Titan]]. If Ajax does not order his death all because he is the son of his close friend, such actions would have been treated as a crime by all the people who have been hurt by the attack. Moreover, Amanr doesn't even show concern that her own Egyptian Empire has been crippled as a result of the attack making her argument that he is "not as he seems" unbelievable. Although the fact that Arkantos, who by that point [[spoiler:has become a friggin GOD]], told her may explain why she defends Kastor.