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Posts from Новости Dark Messiah Of Might And Magic
Interview with Jam from Frag Dolls with the developers of Dark Messiah:
Those who know me realize that I'm not a massive PC gamer. I dabble in PC games occasionally - my first was the original Prince of Persia in 1990, my last was PSO Blue Burst - but ultimately, I'm a console girl. It's the straightforwardness and simplicity that I admire, and, to be honest, I've never quite forgiven my big chunk of metal ever since it told me I was a big girl for liking The Sims 2. It did, I tell you! It did!
However, with our PC-loving Sarin being away teaching young whipper-snappers science, er, "stuff," it was up to me to check out the finer points of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Might and Magic, it's a medieval fantasy series that's been running since the days of the Commodore 64. Dark Messiah is something of a reinvention for the brand - and a quirky little beast at that. It's an FPS - WITH NO GUNS! But don't worry, because the game ensures you have a fine selection of alternatives at your disposal. Why not take your opponent's eye out with a steel arrow, or decapitate him with a traditional long sword? Want something a bit more sneaky? Then why not cleave the support ropes of a bridge he's crossing, freeze him into a block of ice, or shrink him to the proportions of a cheap Taiwanese action-figure? With this game, the choice is yours.
The other week I was given the chance to look at the single-player and get my hands on the multi-player versions. Tucked away in a crypt in the heart of London's east end (well, Farringdon). Just as you'd expect for a game powered by a tweaked-up version of Half-Life 2's Source engine, both versions are looking pretty darn fine.
For the single-player, we're talking crazy advanced physics, interactive environments, clever melee combat, an evolving player character, and four endings. For the multi-player, we're talking up to thirty-two players online, huge environments and battles, siege towers, deep game modes, and five character classes.
I was also fortunate enough to spend some time talking with people from the single-player and multi-player development teams - Arkane Studios and Kuju (of the CoD2 multiplayer fame) respectively. Check out the video below to see what they had to say about the game. Dark Messiah will be coming to PC in September.
Below is the Q&A between the Dark Messiah developers and the fan community, translated by me into Russian:
(Saliens): Will Dark Messiah be like Half-Life (where we must follow the scenario all the time) or like Oblivion (where we can go wherever we want and choose quests ourselves)? Answer: The game will be more similar to Half-Life. It will be action-oriented and the world will be closed. We decided this because we crafted each level very carefully to allow you to use the surrounding environment.
(Southsnake): Will we meet characters from Heroes of Might And Magic V? Are they included in the scenario? We don't want to spoil anything here. However, we can say that some personalities from Heroes of Might and Magic V will return in Dark Messiah; of course, you may not be able to meet them "physically"...
(hein321): Will there be an option to switch to a third-person view? No. The entire game is built for a first-person view; switching to a third-person view was not considered.
(webkong): Will a map editor be available in the game's release, or will it need to be downloaded separately later? We are doing everything possible to make the editor as quickly as possible, hopefully by release. We know that this is a very important tool for the fan community. We will certainly let you know if we finish it. :)
mightnmagic456: Will we be able to play Dark Messiah online with other players, assuming they have downloaded our maps, or are user-created maps intended only for single player? In reality, our first task is to allow people to create their own MP maps and distribute them. We also provide the opportunity for a player to develop their MP heroes. Creating SP maps is also interesting, but at the moment we are not setting such a goal for ourselves. [SP-SinglePlayer MP-MultiPlayer]
(Justice): What types of games will be available in Dark Messiah? Deathmatch, co-op (team) games, or some mini-campaigns where there might be several missions or something like that to destroy other Factions? In Dark Messiah, there will be no team games against AI in MP. However, the Crusade mode as a type of mini-campaign will certainly be there.
(Southsnake): Will it be possible to create custom weapons or other items? You won't be able to create your own weapons. Nevertheless, you will have the opportunity to forge them in a smithy. This is part of a quest that you can encounter in the game.
(webkong): Will there be an SDK (Source Development Kit) for further modification of the game? First, we want to make a "mod kit" to provide the ability to create new maps, invent models, and tweak existing code. Later, we hope to give you a real SDK with full control of the game code.
(webkong): Will it be possible to create custom skins? For NPCs too? Yes, using the "mod kit". original from mightandmagic.com
Saliens: Will the game be more halflife-like (we must follow the scenario all the time) or rather Oblivion-like (we can go where we want and choose to do other quests)?
The game will definitely be more Half Life-like. It is very action-oriented, and the world is not open-ended. We made this decision because we had to build each level very carefully in order to allow you to use the environment. This is not the type of thing you can do at a huge scale.
Southsnake: Will we meet characters from Heroes of Might and Magic V, as their scenarios are linked?
Well, surely we do not want to spoil anything here. ? However we can tell you that some actors from Heroes of Might and Magic V will return in Dark Messiah, though you may not necessarily meet them ”physically”...
hein321: Will there be an option to switch to a third person view?
No. The whole game has been designed for a first-person view, so switching to 3rd person has not been considered or made possible in the game. We wanted to favour immersion above all.
pomimimin: Is Dark Messiah going to be easily moddable?
Yes, as it uses the Source engine. We will do our best to provide the modding community with easy-to-use modding tools.
webkong: Will a map editor be available at the time of the release of the game or will we have to download it later?
We will do our best to make the map editor available as soon as possible, hopefully before game release. We know it is an important tool for the community out there. So we can already confirm that it will be released. :)
mightnmagic456: Will we be able to play these online with others, assuming they have downloaded our maps, or will user created maps be strictly singleplayer?
In fact our first objective was to allow people to create their own MP maps and distribute them. We also are giving the possibility for players to expand on the MP characters. Creating SP maps is also interesting but it is not our focus at the moment.
Justice: What kind of games will be in Dark Messiah? Like deathmatch, co-op games and some mini campaigns where you perhaps will get some missions or something like that to eliminate the other factions?
Cf Harann question on MP modes. There will be no co-op against AI in the Dark Messiah MP. Then the Crusade mode is a kind of mini-campaign, of course."
Southsnake:Will we be able to customize weapons or other things?
You won’t be really able to customize your weapons. However, you will have the opportunity to craft them using the forge. This is the kind of side quest you can expect from the game.
webkong: Will there be a SDK in order to further customize the game?
First we will have more of a ”mod kit” that will allow to design new maps, customize models and tweak the existing codes. Then hopefully we will have a real SDK giving you total control on the game code.
webkong: Will we be able to create our own skins ? For NPC too?
Southsnake: Can we expect new content (new maps, gameplay tuners, patches...) after the game's release? Yes, definitely. We will continue to support the game after its release. The main thing is that the Engine is very convenient for modding. So we hope we will have content for the game in that direction as well.
Saliens: Will the scenario vary depending on the actions and/or skills we choose? The scenario will remain the same. However, at some key moments, you will have a choice between several alternatives. The choice you make will affect the outcome of the story.
pomimimin: We have already seen Goblins, Orcs, Ghouls, Pau kai, Cyclopes, Undead Cyclopes, Necromancers, Liches, Dark Guards, City Guards, Spiders, Face huggers, and undead. My question is — will there be more types of monsters? I'm not saying there are few of them now, but (if you are allowed) can you tell us if there will be more types of monsters in the game? We have already revealed most of the monsters you will encounter in the game. You will also have several variants and bosses. As an example, there will be several types of spiders... As for the bosses, sorry, but we cannot reveal them to you now. However, you can expect large summoned creatures like the Paokai and Cyclops, and even more...
IDark-KillerI: Is it true that daggers will be the only weapon that can be held in both hands, or will it be possible to use something like a short sword in the second hand if you are using a one-handed weapon (longer than a dagger) in the right hand? Daggers are the only weapon that can be used in both hands. In your left hand, you will be able to hold a shield, but nothing more of an offensive weapon besides a dagger.
Justice: Are there a rope and arrow in the game? Yes. You can already see this in some videos, and you will see them again soon...
mightandmagic.com
Southsnake: Can we expect new content to be released after the release of the game? (new maps, gameplay tuning, patchs...) Yes, definitely. We will continue to support the game after its release; On top of that the Source engine is a very convenient one for modding. So hopefully we will have new content for the game through this channel, too.
Saliens: Will the scenario be different according to the actions and / or skills we'll choose? The scenario will remain the same. However at some key moments you will have to choose between several alternatives. The choices you will make then will affect the rest of the story.
pomimimin: The monsters we have seen are goblin, orc, ghoul, pau kai, cyclops, undead cyclops, necromancer, lich, black guard, city guard, spider, face hugger, and the undead. My question is -- are there any more types of monsters? I'm not saying this isn’t a lot of types already, but (if you are allowed to) can you tell us if there are more types, and if there are, can you tell us them? We already revealed the majority of the monsters you will encounter in the game. Then you will only have some variants and bosses. For instance, there are several spider types… As for the bosses, sorry but we cannot reveal them for now. However you can expect big, challenging creatures like the Paokai and the Cyclop, and even bigger...
IDark-KillerI: Will daggers be the only weapon that are usable in both hands or will it also be possible to use something like a short sword in the second hand if you are using a one-handed weapon (longer than a dagger) in the ""primary"" hand? The daggers are the only weapons usable in both hands. In your left hand, you will be able to hold a shield, but no other ”offensive” weapons than the dagger.
Justice: Is the rope and arrow that all here are talking about really in the game? Yes. You can already see it in some videos, and you will see it again soon...
I must admit that I was pretty excited when Ubisoft invited me to the company's HQ to get a hands-on preview of the upcoming Dark Messiah game. After our Dark Messiah demo preview from a couple of weeks ago, we already knew this project was shaping up nicely. I described it then as Elder Scrolls meets Tomb Raider meets Half Life; like a love child of Tarantino and Tolkien. Dark Messiah is probably best defined as an RPG/FPS (that's first person 'sworder' in case you're wondering), and is anticipated to be one of the best games of 2006.
So what to look forward to in this preview? We got our hands dirty with the skill system, played through some of the coolest levels, met some of the crucial in-game characters and enemies (and some awesome in-game bosses), and tried out some of the weapons. We'll give you all that and a few tasty screenshots, along with our opinion on how this game is really shaping up.
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Certainly dark and very messy
In Dark Messiah you take on the role of Sareth, an apprentice to a powerful wizard who has been raised since birth to be a kind of assassin, spy and generally awesome magical warrior. The setting is the Might & Magic world, which is already a popular fantasy gaming series. This particular game explors darker avenues than is typical of other titles in the Might & Magic series, though. Through entirely first person gameplay, Sareth wields bows, swords, staves and magic in his quest to complete his masters bidding. You will fight against everything from human soldiers, to giant spiders and fearsome orcs.
The game uses a slightly modified version of Valve's Source engine (made famous by Half Life 2) to great effect. Not only does the game look absolutely luscious in a dark and dank medieval kind of way, but it also makes great use of the physics engine. The result-is brilliant looking environments that are made to look even nicer by some glorious HDR effects, which come alive as you move through the game. I got to take a look at a few examples of the cool things Arkane Studios has done with the in-game physics, and was very impressed.
Firstly, as I mentioned in the demo preview, in addition to the expected slashing and chopping, you can kick enemies away from you, sending them stumbling. This is great if you fancy impaling them on a pike, or want to see them fall off the edge of a cliff or building. The combination of this move with the dynamic in-game environments is nothing short of fantastic. In one instance, as you are batting your way through the rafters of a castle, you come across a number of guards. After some grueling sword fighting in the restricted area, I decided to throw out a kick. The guard fell backwards, arms and legs sprawling, before hitting the floorboards below. Due to the momentum, he then proceeded to crash through two sets of floor boards before finally coming to a rest twenty or so meters below. Whilst looking at his twisted and contorted body, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.
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Kicking people isn't the only fun they've had with the engine. In one scene, a courtyard is filled with a huddle of guards surrounding a fire. After embarrassing myself a few times by trying the head-on approach and dying, I decided to see if anything in the environment could help me. I found a pulley system which swung a crane into action, knocking the gaggle of guards over and into the nearby fire. The game is full of situations like this - chopping a wire to send a massive statue tumbling onto a group of goblins, or sending a fireball at an unstable wall to send it toppling onto a gang of orcs. These kills are made all the more satisfying when performed upon groups of enemies, which at times can be extremely difficult to kill.
One thing that is really nice about Dark Messiah is the use of the vertical axis. A lot of the time the gameplay focus is not just what's directly in front of you, but also what is above and below you. There is a lot of fighting that takes place near pits, cliffs, building ledges, up stairs and down in dungeons. The levels are probably not as well designed as those in Half Life, but they are certainly very close, and the difference between this and your average first person game is massive. At times it felt a little bit like another Ubisoft title, Prince of Persia, especially when tasked with moving across rooftops, in hot pursuit of a little demon who has stolen an important artifact. Don't get me wrong, this game is not a platformer, nor is it meant to be, but it is certainly more than your average action game.
One trivial thing that definitely deserves a mention is the number of barrels in the game. Every area has at least one barrel and generally a few. These can be useful for throwing at enemies to knock them down; but come on, no medieval society could really justify spending that much money on hiring coopers. This would probably be more believable if they mixed it up - perhaps a few bricks, discarded weapons or other miscellaneous items could make up the in-game environment. The game also sports a more-than-healthy number of crates, inside which are some rather nice goodies such as health and mana power ups. What the hell are mana power-ups? Read on to find out all about magic, the skill system and the powerful spells you can perform on your enemies.
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HwKeeper
19 years ago
Dark Messiah Skill System
The most interesting and difficult thing about making a game like Dark Messiah is finding a blend between the role playing and action aspects of the game. Only one first person game, Deus Ex, has really managed to blend these two seamlessly and the obvious worry for developer Arkane is that the game may end up alienating fans of both genres. As such, getting the skills system right is probably the most important factor determining how good this game eventually can be.
So how does the RPG element work? As you hack, slash and bow-n-arrow (is there a verb for shooting an arrow? If so, that ain't it! - Ed.) your way through the game, you are rewarded for completing tasks with skill points. These points can then be spent on buying different skills to upgrade your character's abilities. The skill sets are split up into three separate categories: combat, magic and miscellaneous. Within each skill set, the initial abilities cost the least amount of points; as more advanced skills are opened up, costs increase greatly.
For example, the first skill one might upgrade would be one for combat. Once you achieve your first point, you can spend it on either archery or fighting skills. The potential improvement for archery would be improved accuracy and the ability to zoom in when aiming. Alternatively, you might fancy improving your sword skills: by upgrading here, you will become a stronger and faster sword fighter. The final skill is called 'adrenaline': this allows you to perform multiple special one-hit-kill moves, making your character far more formidable.
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If traditional killing with a sword isn't your bag, then you can dedicate your hard earned skill points to improving magical abilities. There aren't a huge amount of magical skills to choose from, but what is available is quite cool nonetheless. For instance, you can become skilled in creating ice. This will make chasing enemies slip and fall, allowing you to quickly plunge a dagger into their hearts. Alternatively, the more hot-headed of you may invest in a skill called firetrap, a fire spell that acts a bit like a grenade allowing you to blow away groups of enemies.
There are also more passive magical abilities: healing, for instance is the bog standard exchange-mana-for-health option. For those of you who aren't battle-worn RPG gamers, mana is a general term used for the energy to supply magical abilities. There are potions discoverable in game to top up your mana, usually found along side red health potions, which are in boxes market with a dragon insignia (though what exactly this dragon actually represents is unclear).
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A far more interesting magical ability is telekinesis. This allows you to perform Jedi-like movements of in game objects (usually barrels) and throw them around. With enough points, you can even lift up the opposition and throw them with a ragdoll effect that reminded me a little of Garry's Mod. This ability looked and felt cool when I was just messing around killing enemies, but seemed a little bit unbalanced; the magical cost for using it was so high it was just easier sending fireballs or simple sword chops to kill enemies. It is a cool effect, but it may require some tinkering to make it a useful tool in game.
The final skills section is a mixed bag, and is thus called miscellaneous. These include increased stamina (which allows you to sprint and swim for longer), poison resistance and the stealth skill, amongst others. These skills are generally there to supplement the others rather than being particularly useful on their own. For instance, one skill allows you to increase your mana capacity – an absolute must for anyone keen on using a lot of magic.
As you progress through the game, you can upgrade all these powers accordingly, making your character stronger to combat increasingly stronger enemies. You won't be able to upgrade everything, though - you can choose to make a balanced character that is good at most things but not brilliant in any one field, or you can choose to focus points on a particular area. This is essentially the RPG element, and I believe it will have a sizeable an impact on the overall game. Certain levels may be really easy if you are great with a sword, for instance; however, in another level the advantage may be with those who focus on magical skills. Your choice of character will have a direct influence over the way you end up playing the game and moving through levels.
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HwKeeper
19 years ago
Characters and Weapons
The game contains a lot of interesting characters and weapons. The standard weapons like the sword and bow are exactly that - pretty standard. After killing a few bad guys, you build up adrenaline which allows you to perform special moves. The long sword one is pretty gruesome, plunging the sword straight through the enemy's heart before sticking your boot out and kicking their lifeless body away from you.
Other weapons offer different options. For example, you can use a pair of Sai instead, which are much faster than the sword but do less damage. There is also the wooden staff, which does much less damage but allows you to attack more than one enemy at once. There were many situations I found myself in on a number of occasions where I found this useful. The sneaking element to the game is also worth mentioning - when in the shadows, you can creep along and remain hidden from the enemies, getting right up behind them before performing a power attack that kills in one move. I found the sneaking element to be a novel touch, but tended to not use it all that often.
The other side of the weapons tree holds the range of bows you can pick up. These range from the standard arrow to a poison, fire and ice variant (which you can find by discovering hidden areas in the game). A really cool inclusion in the game is the rope bow, which allows you to fire an arrow into any wooden structure that then drops a rope which you can climb on. This was utilised in some cool ways. In one instance, you walk into an area where the walls are closing in on you Indiana Jones style, but a quick rope bow shot later and you're clambering out of danger just in the nick of time. In another area, where you are being chased by a group of oversized arachnids, you use the rope bow by firing a number of ropes into various beams. You then jump from rope to rope to escape the spiders – excellent fun and a great way to incorporate new puzzles into the game.
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The game has a rich cast of characters to interact with. As you can see from the pictures (all the character pictures with a black background are enemy characters), some of the beasties you'll be fighting are pretty horrible-looking. Word of warning, the AI wasn't really amazing in the build I played, especially when working with a friendly AI character that you have to protect. On quite a few occasions, she ended up volunteering herself for a gangbang session with a group of orcs as soon as I had my back turned. I was obviously less than pleased about that.
Talking about sex, the game has a pretty foxy leading lady who goes by the name Leanna. A husky female voice from somewhere inside your female mind makes constant sexual references throughout the game, as well as jealous remarks about the relationship between you and Leanna. Who or what this voice is I have no idea, as the story of the game wasn't properly explained in my preview...though it is certainly an interesting area I look forward to exploring in the review.
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A real highlight for me was the boss battles, of which I got to play through two. The first is a huge flying dragon-like creature that, after chasing you across the level, finally corners you in a run-down old temple. It was a really creepy experience to watch it squeeze into the building we were locked in, and the resulting puzzle on how to kill it was intriguingly fiendish.
The second boss I fought was a massive cyclops. It bursts through a wall, plodding along and slamming fists into the walls and floor apparently oblivious to your attempts to kill it. It was a cool boss battle that took place whilst I was trying to fight off small imp-like creatures (the Cyclops kept plucking them off the floor and eating them, which was handy). I was assured by the Ubisoft guys that there will be plenty more boss battles, which is certainly a good thing.
Conclusion
I must make the initial comment that the computers on which we played Dark Messiah weren't the greatest in the world. I felt a little bit sorry for the poor Geforce 6800GT tasked with supplying me with the visuals. It really huffed and puffed and struggled to keep up with the improved Source engine, particularly in the more intense points in the game. My experience was also a bit marred by the fact that the game wasn't complete and loading times were hideously long These are problems that I was assured will be fixed in the final version of the game, but nevertheless are rather worrying considering the game is only one month away from release.
Overall though, one can't help but be excited about this game. The game will be available through Steam, but for those of you who don't fancy the hefty download then there will be a traditional store-purchase option. I haven't discussed the multiplayer aspect here either, for a few reasons. The multiplayer I have played is still in beta stage and is far from completion. When I quizzed the Ubisoft guys about the status of the multiplayer portion of the game (which is being developed by a seperate studio called Kuji) I was told there are a few problems with it at the moment that are being ironed out. Chances are the multiplayer will be released with a lot of bugs, but because of Steam updating and patching shouldn't be too big a problem.
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is not an Oblivion clone. Let's get that clear right from the start. Although the two share a common view-point and a fantasy theme, these are two titles that offer very different game experiences. It's frustrating to see other websites compare the two so much, and must be even more frustrating for the developers themselves - it serves only to confuse gamers. Ultimately, Dark Messiah is a first-person action game that owes more to Half-Life and Deus Ex than to an open-ended RPG. Developed by Arkane Studios, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic puts you in charge of Sareth, a student of the mysterious Master Phenrig. Although the plot wasn't totally clear from the preview I played, it seems to be clear that all the elements are in place for an epic fantasy romp. A formidable warrior, Sareth can use both spells and conventional weapons to grisly effect. Make no mistake; this is an action game through and through. The emphasis is placed firmly on wading knee-deep through throngs of goblins, hacking and hewing at every creature in your path.
In the preview code I played, I was treated to three levels, all carved out using Valve's amazing Source Engine. Vast gloomy halls are rich in detail, and powerful beams of HDR light cut into the dark, dazzling and blinding the player at every turn. Dark Messiah is incredibly atmospheric, and it's a testament to Valve that the Source Engine still looks so fresh. Much like Half-Life 2, or any other recent FPS, Dark Messiah uses a traditional level-based structure, but makes them huge. As a player you'll follow a set path through a level but your objectives may change on the fly. For example, on one level you're woken up in your room by a servant, only to be told that there are enemies loose in the city. At first you'll have to fight your way to Master Phenrig's house, however the mission soon turns into a roof-top chase after a murderous ghoul. In this respect, Dark Messiah appears like many other FPS around at the moment, bar one very unique twist. Being a fantasy game, there's no shotguns or laser cannons in this world. Instead much of the game's focus revolves around a melee system - something we've yet to see successfully implemented into a FPS. It's lucky then that the close combat system Dark Messiah employs so far seems convincingly robust. Combat is both brutal and exhilarating, truly there's nothing quite as satisfying as taking on a room full of orcs with just a short sword and emerging a blood-spattered victor. If you've played the demo you'll have some idea of what I'm talking about, but the skirmishes seen there are but a fraction of the battles to come. Whilst a basic slash is useful to let off quickly, the real meat of combat comes from stance moves. Hold down attack and a direction and you'll perform a powerful attack that breaks through an enemy's parry. This simple system lends itself to incredibly satisfying combat, helped in no small way by the enemy AI.
I really can't remember the last time I had so much fun fighting a computer, and credit must be given to Dark Messiah for producing such memorable foes. Goblins for example, will rush you in numbers, whooping with delight and crying 'aim for its legs' as they attempt to overwhelm you. A few well placed sword strokes will send them running though - literally. It's not uncommon to obliterate a room full of enemies, only to find a goblin cowering in the corner with his hands over his head. Upon approaching, don't be surprised if it tries to bargain for its life. Of course, the officially recognised procedure in such a situation is to remove the head from the shoulders of the offending goblin. With some force. Did I mention this game is bloody? Every swing of your sword or axe is met with a satisfying amount of red liquid spurting from of your enemy - finish an orc off with a cut to the throat and it will collapse to the ground gurgling in pain. I saw injured enemies will hobble towards me feebly, frantically trying to stave me off (sadly I had to put them down). If you're equipped with twin daggers, even fleeing enemies aren't safe thanks to a context sensitive dynamic to attacks. If your enemy is fleeing, instead of slashing with your dagger, you'll throw it into their retreating back, quickly dropping them. If you knock your foe to the ground, a sword slash will turn into an instant-kill impale if you're quick enough. Best of all is the adrenaline bar. This fills up gradually as you fight. Once it's full you'll get tunnel vision for a short period of time, and your next attack will be an instant kill. Although it varies from weapon to weapon, it normally involves a slow-motion decapitation.
Of course, you're not just limited to close combat. Sareth can specialise in different areas through use of the skill system. Much like Deus Ex, Dark Messiah uses RPG features streamlined into the FPS environment. While you won't level up as such, completion of various tasks in levels, or reaching certain points will reward you with skill points. Assigning them to skills will give you access to new spells, more powerful attacks and stealthy abilities. Specialising in stealth for example, allows you to creep up on unsuspecting foes and slit their throats. Invest heavily in magic though, and you can set people on fire, lay magical traps, or even lift huge objects using Telekinesis. Using the Source Engine, it's no surprise to find that Dark Messiah makes good use of physics in combat. Most things can be picked up and thrown at the enemy as a make-shift weapon, or if they're light enough, kicked into the face of a rushing attacker. The kick button really is dangerously fun. At the click of a button you can send enemies tumbling over edges, backwards into a fire, or thumping into a wall of spikes. Of course it has other, less practical uses - nothing like playing football with a decapitated goblin head! Just don't forget enemies kick back too. Using the environment is important, and sometimes essential to staying alive. During the preview I encountered a Pao Kai (a dragon-type creature), which literally burst through the roof in a fabulous sequence. It required some quick thinking and effective use of the environment to kill...let's just say I introduced several spikes to it's skull. It was over in a minute or so, but the event was both frantic and exhilarating. Another similarly astounding moment came later, when a Cyclops literally picked me up and bellowed in my face, before hurling me across the room.
But it's not all one-eyed brutes - the start of one level saw me joined by a lovely lady as we attempted to infiltrate an orc temple. At my side was Leanna, a female companion who seemed to play a similar role to Alyx from Half-Life 2. Part guide, part side-kick she would help fight orcs using some nifty spells. Leanna has her own health bar that is visible in the top left of your screen. Let her die and it's level over, so you'll have to throw yourself heroically in front of her to stop her being overwhelmed by nasty creatures. We'll have to wait and see if she proves more a hindrance than a help over the course of the game.
Ultimately, the charm of Dark Messiah is it's effective use of both scripted and random events. One level sees you trying to escape a nest of poisonous spiders. You'll have to scale a tall circular tower room using a rope bow, swinging and climbing from ledge to ledge, all the while chased by spiders scurrying up the wall beside you. Complete this scripted event and you'll end up in some goblin infested halls, where chaotic random combat takes place. Here I would find myself frantically duelling for my life, kicking boxes into enemies' faces, freezing leaping goblins mid-air (their frozen expressions are fantastic) and wielding a pick-axe in a frenzy. It's the fast-paced chaotic nature of combat that makes it so enjoyable. Often you don't have time to think about what you're doing in Dark Messiah - slashing away floorboards from beneath your foes, or slicing support ropes all seems incredibly organic and natural. It's only when the dust has settled and you're clambering over bloody corpses that you'll sit back and go - "Wow, that was cool!" On the basis of what I played, there's every indication that the finished game will invoke a similar response.
HwKeeper
19 years ago
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As fans continue to explore Dark Messiah, new screenshots are being created, and here is a small collection of them:
C:\Program files\Ubisoft\Dark Messiah Demo\mm\maps (you may need to create a folder for maps if it doesn't exist) To launch a map, create a shortcut to the .exe file that launches the demo, then add '+map map_name' to the shortcut. Now the shortcut should look like this:
"C:\Program Files\Ubisoft\Dark Messiah of Might and Magic Demo\Dark Messiah Demo\mm.exe" +map mapname
Here are the following maps available for download and installation in your Demo version:
It seems like the game has been released and is available on torrents; it's an English version and weighs 7 GB.
HwKeeper
19 years ago
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Due to the release of new desktop wallpaper sets on the official Dark Messiah website, the desktop wallpaper gallery for Dark Messiah has been updated on HeroesWorld. The Russian company Buka is currently working on the localization of Dark Messiah. Preliminary information suggests that the localized version will be released sometime in December. Approximately as promised by UbiSoft, Dark Messiah appeared in European online stores on October 28th. 10/09/2006 UbiSoft sent Dark Messiah to gold master and promised the game's release on October 27th.
Those who know me realize that I'm not a massive PC gamer. I dabble in PC games occasionally - my first was the original Prince of Persia in 1990, my last was PSO Blue Burst - but ultimately, I'm a console girl. It's the straightforwardness and simplicity that I admire, and, to be honest, I've never quite forgiven my big chunk of metal ever since it told me I was a big girl for liking The Sims 2. It did, I tell you! It did!
For those of you who aren't familiar with Might and Magic, it's a medieval fantasy series that's been running since the days of the Commodore 64. Dark Messiah is something of a reinvention for the brand - and a quirky little beast at that. It's an FPS - WITH NO GUNS! But don't worry, because the game ensures you have a fine selection of alternatives at your disposal. Why not take your opponent's eye out with a steel arrow, or decapitate him with a traditional long sword? Want something a bit more sneaky? Then why not cleave the support ropes of a bridge he's crossing, freeze him into a block of ice, or shrink him to the proportions of a cheap Taiwanese action-figure? With this game, the choice is yours. 
The other week I was given the chance to look at the single-player and get my hands on the multi-player versions. Tucked away in a crypt in the heart of London's east end (well, Farringdon). Just as you'd expect for a game powered by a tweaked-up version of Half-Life 2's Source engine, both versions are looking pretty darn fine. 
