AoW 2 cost $50 or more didn't it? AoW SM cost significantly less, as it was more of an addon to AoW 2, even though it is a stand alone product. I'm a big fan of the AoW series though, I've played them all, but I have to say that AoW 2 was seriously flawed in many ways, and SM, while correcting alot of the issues that 2 had, still seems to be lacking in some regaurds. Of course its all personal opinion, if you want the more epic feel Dom is the direction to go, if you want a more beer and pretzels game AoW is still the best in its class.
The big issue for me is and always will be SP, as I really don't have the time for MP, and PBEM is too slow for my tastes, though in Dom it is less of a problem as the turn mechanics and overall pace seem a better fit for me. SP in AoW SM is ok for a while, then it rapidly decends into utter boredom as you are forced to micro your cities and armies to a horrible extent. Dom may not be much better, but hopefully Dom2 will fix some of the micro hell that Dom1 contains. Another problem bedeviling AoW SM is the lack of variety in composing your armies. Most races have 3-4 units that simply never get built ever, and once you pass a certain point in the game lvl1 units are never built either (other than the occasional ranged unit for garrison duty). Eventully even the lvl2s are never built. That is a failling of many games though, not having a place for every unit in the game. Dom seems to do better at this, though I'm sure there are some units for some nations that are rarely built.
The gfx and sound for AoW are excellent though, and the game does deserve credit for that, no matter how unimportant it may be to some individuals. The reality is that a game with excellent game play but poor gfx will remain a cult classic, never gaining the acclaim it deserves. Sad to say that perhaps, but what can you do? There is always a crowd that can't get past the gfx, and they are a larger crowd than the grognards who value gameplay over eye candy.
I think that Dom2 looks quite good (much improved over Dom1), and though I can't comment on the sound or music, I don't really care (I normally turn it all off anyway). Hopefully Dom2 will get the praise and sales it deserves, in the end only the total quality of the game will determine what that should be
