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• Rise of the Argonauts

Rise of the Argonauts Preview

• By Flynn De Marco
• September 08, 2008 12:47 PM PST
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The search for the Golden Fleece continues in this heroic action RPG.

Rise of the Argonauts is a new action RPG from the fine folks at Codemasters. Become King Jason and travel the world of Ancient Greece on your quest to find the Golden Fleece. Assemble a crack team of Argonauts to help you in your journey and give honor to the gods to acquire special powers beyond those of mortal men.

A lot of the popular Greek creatures will make an appearance, such as Medusa!

An Epic Journey

I have always been a fan of Greek mythology so when I saw that Codemasters was coming out with a game based on the classic Jason and the Argonauts, I was instantly excited. The game starts out with a bang as Jason, King of Iolcus, prepares for his wedding day. Things turn ugly quickly when his bride to be, Alceme, is murdered in cold blood before his eyes. Learning of the legendary Golden Fleece, Jason decides to seek it out in an attempt to bring his beloved back from the grave.

A Gathering of Heroes

Like any King, Jason has the ability to gather his followers around him. One of the first to join the fray is Hercules. He is a powerful ally and will use his super strength to help you on your way. Other heroes are also available including Achilles, Atalanta, Pan and many more. The key to surviving the various missions throughout the game is to choose the right Argonaut for your partner. Herc's brute strength is great, but it might not always be the best way to reach your goal.

Some people think everything is bigger in Texas. Well, I'm sure this Titan begs to differ.

Honor the Gods

The role-playing elements of Rise of the Argonauts are handled in a rather interesting fashion. In each level there are a certain amount of "deeds" that can be done (think something akin to Achievements or Trophies). Deeds are kept track of throughout the level and at the end you have a certain amount of deeds that you can dedicate to one of four different gods. Depending on which god (or gods) you choose to dedicate Deeds to, you can advance in their particular portion of your skill tree. A god's favor can also be garnered by choosing various lines of conversation with NPCs. Each of the dialogue choice aligns with a different god and whichever you choose will raise or lower you favor with the deities.

To Battle!

The battle system in Rise of the Argonauts is fairly simple but has a bit more finesse than your typical button masher. Battling enemies will have you weakening first their armor, then their limbs and eventually finishing them off. This can be accomplished quicker with some enemies by getting behind them and hacking at their defenseless side. Weapons can be switched mid battle to unleash some pretty cool combos. Using your god granted powers can also cause some serious damage. Weapons and armor can be found and then further upgraded on your ship, the Argo.

A lot of the battles will keep you on the edge of your seat, and give you some pretty eye-candy as well.

Rise of the Argonauts has serious potential to be a hit title. How the boss battles and storyline pan out will have a lot of bearing on this as well as the graphical content. The build I saw definitely had some frame rate issues and other graphical concerns, but as long as these are dealt with before the game's fall launch, I can see this title doing quite well.

Rise of the Argonauts sets sail for an epic adventure this fall on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

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