Liquidize105
04-25-2006, 03:06 AM
Now that Oblivion has been released to much fanfare, the market once again looks to the future releases for comfort. Many games are named, whose predecessors well-loved, and slowly but surly details are finding their way to the prospective buyers; PR persons and press writers are work hard to imprint that must-play image in your mind.
So what to make of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=64041)? Well, why not let the good Mr. Gillen tell you.
On first glance, you'll file this alongside Oblivion - but that really couldn't be further from the mark. For example, while the basics of the melee combat system are identical, with a left-click performing a basic attack and a right-click applying a block, it rapidly expands further. While the last few years have been good ones for getting first-person melee to a better level (with Riddick and F.E.A.R.), this could be the one to allow a little more sophistication. At the least, the finishing moves where you can push a sword through someone before applying your boot to their chest to drag it clear are suitably visceral.
They're also getting Newtonian on the world's ass. Built with Valve's Source engine, it's a showcase for the sorts of things that you can do with the game world. Hell, the sight of what happens when you apply the kick to send a character sprawling into a spiked grill should give you a clue. The environment is packed full of things to interact with, like pillars you can topple to crush things beneath them. This can include you, too, as the AI is smart enough to notice and utilise environmental objects. The physics carries across into the magic system, with spells adding an icy sheen to the floor and sending the opposition flying - usually off a cliff. Oh yes, the magic system. It's one of those multi-routing games, with you being able to develop magic, melee and stealth skills as you progress throughout the game, as well as collect equipment and even do a little crafting. While this is a strictly level-based game, it's more than just a pretty face with a good hacking arm.
In the usual Ubisoft fashion, single and multiplayer modes are made by separate studios working in close association.
The visual similarities make the drawing of parallels inevitable between Oblivion and Dark Messiah. Deep beneath the appearance, Thief lives on as it did with Splinter Cell and, erm, Oblivion.
And if you're still hung up on yesterday's discussion, I urge you to read my summary of what it's really about. (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?p=258784#post258784)
So what to make of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=64041)? Well, why not let the good Mr. Gillen tell you.
On first glance, you'll file this alongside Oblivion - but that really couldn't be further from the mark. For example, while the basics of the melee combat system are identical, with a left-click performing a basic attack and a right-click applying a block, it rapidly expands further. While the last few years have been good ones for getting first-person melee to a better level (with Riddick and F.E.A.R.), this could be the one to allow a little more sophistication. At the least, the finishing moves where you can push a sword through someone before applying your boot to their chest to drag it clear are suitably visceral.
They're also getting Newtonian on the world's ass. Built with Valve's Source engine, it's a showcase for the sorts of things that you can do with the game world. Hell, the sight of what happens when you apply the kick to send a character sprawling into a spiked grill should give you a clue. The environment is packed full of things to interact with, like pillars you can topple to crush things beneath them. This can include you, too, as the AI is smart enough to notice and utilise environmental objects. The physics carries across into the magic system, with spells adding an icy sheen to the floor and sending the opposition flying - usually off a cliff. Oh yes, the magic system. It's one of those multi-routing games, with you being able to develop magic, melee and stealth skills as you progress throughout the game, as well as collect equipment and even do a little crafting. While this is a strictly level-based game, it's more than just a pretty face with a good hacking arm.
In the usual Ubisoft fashion, single and multiplayer modes are made by separate studios working in close association.
The visual similarities make the drawing of parallels inevitable between Oblivion and Dark Messiah. Deep beneath the appearance, Thief lives on as it did with Splinter Cell and, erm, Oblivion.
And if you're still hung up on yesterday's discussion, I urge you to read my summary of what it's really about. (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?p=258784#post258784)