LiquidEntertainment
Latest
Joystiq impressions: Rise of the Argonauts
Liquid Entertainment's Charley Price describes Rise of the Argonauts as an "RPG without the clutter." Menus and detailed statistics are absent from Jason's mythological quest to find the Golden Fleece, thrown overboard in the developer's attempt to focus on storytelling. Though Liquid's track record (featuring Battle Realms, some Dungeons, Dragons and, err, Desperate Housewives) is somewhat uneven, the proclaimed prioritization of plot is certainly commendable. When we ask if removing "clutter" from a role-playing game doesn't simply yield an action game, Price explains that an RPG is marked by a "depth of experience" and a player's ability to "impact story and character." We'll meet him halfway and call it an action RPG. And there is action, just so you know. The combat is classically themed and has a sense of lethality, with swords clanging against shields and spears perforating enemy soldiers in notably unpleasant ways. "We're sick of games where you stab a guy ten times before he falls down," comes the corresponding quip. Jason's party, here comprised of Atalanta and a comically proportioned Hercules, will automatically join the fray, fending for themselves and even holding down enemies for Jason to skewer. It's hard to tell how much depth there is to the fights without playing, but they're presented in the same bold style that permeates much of the game's richly colored graphics. Once the argonauts defeat a gigantic wild boar, we're reminded again of the game's clutter-free ideals -- there's no summary screen displaying experience points and potions.%Gallery-4360%
Rise of the Argonauts and promising new games
Greek Mythology is one of those things that you either love or hate. You can't really "kinda" be interested in mythology because then you'll come across as a fool who Wikipedia's myths to sound smart. Of the big three mythologies, Greek, Roman (more a variation of Greek than anything else, along with Christian overtones later down the pipes), and Norse, we'd prefer Norse above all else. Greek is a close second. Jason and the Argonauts is one of the most celebrated Greek myths. So much so, in fact, the tale is getting its own game, with the flavorful twists to spice up the story. We present Rise of the Argonauts.We like IGN's analogy of the ship, Argos. They said "think of it as a buoyant Suikoden fortress and you'll get the general idea." Obviously they skipped over the fourth installment in the franchise. The fact remains, your ship will grow with you -- recruits will pop in depending on your path and actions. Speaking of teammates, the other All-Star myth heroes will pop in to help you fight your battles in your stead (Jason was a sissy, after all) and the actual fighting mechanics play out akin to God of War or The Mark of Kri or some hybridization of the two.Your teammates matter, much like certain parts of the X-Men Legends titles. In the demo IGN got to sample, using Hercules as a teammate against a giant boar creature (we'll spare you the mythological background) proved effective as he could stop the creature in its tracks by holding onto the tusks and digging into the ground with his powerful little feet. This lets Jason cut up the bad ol' boar with ease. What's cool is the damage. Cuts and wounds appear on enemies in real-time. Everything will have realistic reactions, basically. This game has so much promise, especially with online co-op, and we could talk about it for a long time, but we'll leave it up to you to decide if it's worth your time. We think it just might be.
Rise of the Argonauts RPG announced for 2008
Codemasters recently announced a new game being developed by Liquid Entertainment: Rise of the Argonauts. Set in ancient Greece (obviously), the "epic scale action-RPG" will have you controlling teams of mythological warriors through brutal combat in a world ruled by the gods. We're guessing a Golden Fleece and that pesky Poseidon will be part of the mix as well. Argonauts will be released in 2008 on "leading console platforms" and the PC. No other information was given.The Argonauts tale with its massive cast of warriors seems a good fit for an RPG. Call it a hunch, but we're guessing with the success of the God of War series, Codemasters decided to hop on the Greek mythology bandwagon and hope for the big bucks.
