Rise of the Argonauts Preview

E3 2008 Preview

Codemasters and Liquid Entertainment are bringing forth a unique game titled Rise of the Argonauts that is a creative retelling of the story of Jason and the Argonauts. In attempt to build a true action-RPG, they have removed the HUD and are set to deliver an experience not yet seen on the Xbox 360.

Opting to try blend the action and RPG elements together, Liquid Entertainment wants to give the opportunity to the games to live in the world of where Greek gods interacted with mankind and watched over them. One of the key elements Liquid Entertainment is giving is to the player is the chance to make the choices within the game that affect the characters and world.

Liquid Entertainment went out of their way to provide gamers with more meaningful choices to make as every single dialogue option you make contributes to the progression of your character. In fact, every dialogue option will be result in gaining favor with a particular god.

Ares the god of war, Hermes the god of mischief, Athena of god of justice and Apollo the god of light all appear in the game along with a few cameos of almighty gods including Zeus. It’s apparent that the mythology is running deep as even the titans will make an appearance as villains with in the game.

Back on track though, players won’t ever have to run through massive dialogue trees, skill maps or attribute constellations; the role-playing elements are more intuitive and open to new players to the RPG genre while keeping the focus on the action.

One level they showed off was the Crypt of Kings which is essentially a crypt full of Jason’s forefathers. Inside, Medea, a sorcereress, and a Bloodtongue assassin battle until Jason comes to her rescue. The Blacktongues are a secretive sect of assassins who worship the Dark Titan Hecate and cut their body to use the blood that spills to cast spells on their opposition.

Fighting off the Blacktongues, Jason is equipped with three different weapons such as a mace, sword and a stave. He’ll also be well prepared to defend himself with an indestructible shield.

If Jason is ever overwhelmed, he can rely on two supporting characters to assist him on his journey to find the Golden Fleece to bring his beautiful fiancé back to life. There’ll be four supporting characters to choose from including the son of Zeus, Hercules, the cultured satyr Pan, a huntress named Atalanta and lastly, the legendary Achilles.

The demo ended with a boss fight against a new vision of Medusa. Tagging along with Jason was Pan and Achilles as they fought Medusa to a standstill as she began to use her giant serpents for hair to attack the three. Liquid Entertainment stopped the demo before the end of the battle to only tease us what to expect in the future. Using the Unreal Engine 3, Rise of the Argonauts ships this September on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

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