July 24th, 2008

Wes

After much waiting and irritation at the glut of AAA first-person shooter games that various game developers were guilty of releasing onto the Xbox 360, it seems that I'll finally have a chance to see some good RPG's released. So far, there's only been Oblivion and Mass Effect to tide me over, but there will some good games this year, and two in particular that I'm looking forward to.

This year, I'll finally get a crack at Fable 2 and Too Human. Both of these games have been shown and rumored for a long time now, but as they get closer to their respective release dates, I'm finding myself more and more drawn in. However, those are not the games that have me salivating at the horizon. Alpha Protocol and Rise of the Argonauts are.

These games sound amazing. Alpha Protocol is an action RPG in the Mass Effect mold, complete with similar action and dialogue wheels. But just a Mass Effect was a space opera, Alpha Protocol will be a spy thriller. You can see screenshots here) and here). Check out these impressions of the demo.

Rise of the Argonauts will follow Jason as he seeks the golden fleece to resurrect his wife. You'll play alongside heroes such as Hercules, Pan, and Achilles as you quest. A lot of people are looking at the game's setting and immediately declaring it a God of War knock-off, but everything points to the game having far greater depth than the GoW series ever desired to.

You'll improve your skills by dedicating deeds to one of the four gods in the game: Ares, god of war; Athena, goddess of wisdom; Hermes, the messenger god; and Apollo, god of the sun. Each of these four gods help to develop different skills and combat techniques. Personally, I like the gifts from Apollo, including the ability to utilize your shield skills to the point where it becomes an offensive weapon.

The game is also focusing on realism in the fighting, forcing you to stay appraised of your surroundings. Enemies can land killing blows on you. Hey, a spear in the chest is a spear in the chest, right? You don't just shrug that off. Blocking is limited to your shield side, and things of that nature. It sounds really fun.

I'll be keeping an eye on these two games as they move further into development. Both seem like great IP's that will occupy my time as soon as they're released. As a parting gift, check out this video of Rise of the Argonauts: