Autumn Games Preview

Author: Ryan Garside
Published: 24th August 2006

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The Messiah hath come

I never thought I would say this, well certainly not this quickly anyway, a game that is better than Elder Scrolls....

Well, in truth, it is difficult to judge from just a demo (which I recommend you download right now!). It's hard to say whether the world will feel as alive, whether the game will have the massive amount of playing hours and whether the story actually holds together as well as Oblivion. However, from the demo, and various developers interviews, there are some very exciting things we can tell you.

Imagine a hybrid, of Half Life 2, Tomb Raider and Elder Scrolls: Oblivion - sounds good doesn't it? That is my initial feeling after completing the demo for the tenth time. It really is that good, the environment feels alive just like in Half Life, the scenery looks as alien and exotic as any Tomb Raider game and of course with Orcs and magicians roaming around it's always going to be comparable to Elder Scrolls.

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The question on everyone's lips is 'will it be better'? It certainly feels better; most noticeably, the movement feels more realistic - it takes you a moment to build up to speed when moving in any direction and there is a slight moment of slow down when you come to a halt. It doesn't feel as though you have lost control, as you may worry, it merely amplifies the realistic feeling of movement. Thankfully there isn't that floating feeling you get when you jump in Oblivion, in Dark Messiah when you jump it is more how gravity would hope for.

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Another area that feels like an improvement over Oblivion is the combat system - for so many reasons. Where Oblivion felt very limited in how battles would play out, generally with you standing in front of an enemy switching from block to attack, the Dark Messiah fight system is dynamic. First off you can kick your enemies, to make them stumble backwards (sometimes into spikes or over cliffs). Then there is the adrenaline bar, which fills up as you work through battles. Once the bar reaches the top, you are able to perform a special move of sorts, going into slow-mo and ending up with your enemies head decapitated - gruesome, yes, but there is nothing cooler than a decapitated orc lying bleeding at your feet.

The fighting is also improved by the interactivity of the environments, similar in many ways to Half Life 2. If you want to, pick up a crate (why do these places have so many crates?) and chuck it at the on rushing bad guy to knock him over. While he is lying dazed on the ground rush over and plunge your two daggers into his chest. It's like Tolkein meets Tarantino, and it feels wonderful.

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For many fantasy gamers it is all about the magic, which unfortunately I wasn't able to play with in the game. However, there will be more options for it in the final version though apparently, not as much as in Oblivion. Character progression is also integral to a good fantasy RPG, and in the limited test I had of it everything seemed pretty good. As with nearly every RPG, you choose your path by clicking the options that you prefer. Want to be a warrior? Then select the hack-n-slash upgrades, but if your preference is to the bow then of course there is that option.

The story borrows heavily from the popular Might and Magic card game series. It generally feels quite dark and sinister which, in my opinion, is a good thing. In the demo you work through a training mission, whilst your scary sounding 'Master' guides you through, teaching you the fundamental skills of anyone living in fantasy land such as climbing chains, jumping and, of course ,how to sprint.

Read on to find out what the developer's have been saying about this highly anticipated game...