Dark Messiah of Might & Magic
Preview
Things are looking very good indeed
by Jebus
previewed on PC
Multiplayer 'campaign'
As with many modern First Person Shooters, much of the environment is interactive. You can cut ropes on bridges, or force an enemy through a fence, or collapse the structures they have built causing them to plummet into the ground, leading to a satisfying victory. However, frighteningly, the AI for this game has been developed to the point that the ability to interact with the environment is not exclusive to you, the player! Your foes can also destroy the structures you are walking on, or cause huge objects to swing at you; this highly developed AI adds a new level to the gameplay.
Often, the game is described as a hybrid between Battlefield and Lord of the Rings. The multiplayer aspect of the game encourages teamwork (with skill-limited classes) in two unique multiplayer modes. Alongside the standard Deathmatch mode, the two new modes are Warfare and Crusade. The first is similar to the Conquest mode that we all know and love from Battlefield, the second is in essence a miniature campaign with its own levelling system. In this mode, two teams of up to 16 players compete on maps, the victor of which is the team that pushes the other team further back into their own territory. As the frontline moves along the map, it becomes harder for the attackers to succeed with added defences that aid the defenders when they get closer to 'home'.
First Person Slasher
Another development of recent years will be included with the release of the game- 'Modding'. The Source engine is fairly mod-friendly and maps, skins, codes and all the other usual features are all being accounted for in the game's -already booming- online community, ensuring that the multiplayer aspect of the game will never run out of fresh new ideas to try out.
These two different developers seem to be creating two great games in one. The first, Arkane Studios, an involving and innovative 'First Person Slasher' with its own slant on character development. The other, Kuju Entertainment, a potential classic multiplayer game with its own take on a 'campaign'-like game mode. Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is most certainly a game to watch out for, whether your niche is First Person Shooters, Role Playing Games, or the newest duo-genre game set to shake the gaming industry to its foundations.
