Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Rare
ETA: November 2005

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Kameo's journey has been long and treacherous - beginning life as a Gamecube game (it was shown out on the floor of E3 2001), and it was later moved to the Xbox when Microsoft bought out Rare. Within the last several months, the fate of Kameo appeared to be in jeopardy, as its release status was put on "indefinite hold". There were rumors that it was being moved once again to Microsoft's next generation platform - and for once, the rumors turned out to be true. Kameo has been given new life as an Xbox 360 game, scheduled for as one of the launch titles for later this year. And unlike some other 360 games at the show, which looked like Xbox games running at a higher resolution, Rare has done far more than just porting the game - they've given it an entire graphical overhaul to take advantage of the upgraded platform. And it looks amazingly gorgeous.

In showing off the game at E3, the developers first showed a scene running on the Xbox build of the game. In this form, Kameo is certainly a pleasant looking game. Then right next to it, they put on the Xbox 360 version, and it was then that the improvements really stood out. The most noticeable improvement is what Microsoft has been touting all along - true high definition resolutions. This alone made for a drastic improvement, as the graphics were crisp in a way you only see in PC games. The texture quality had also been greatly increased, with bump mapping applied to make the landscape far more realistic, along with full lighting and shadow effects on all of the characters. The developers then went on to explain some of the more fanciful graphic details they added. For the first time, they claimed, there will be mathematically correct water effects, meaning it will ripple and wave more realistically then ever before. And the nifty fur found in Star Fox Adventures and Conker: Live and Reload? You'll find every tiny little squirrel in the game - of which there are several on the screen at the same time - with that adorable coat of fuzziness. Every layer of the game has been given an additional layer of paint, whether it be making the grass more realistic and plentiful, or just increasing the amount of action going on. An early stage portrays a castle under attack - the Xbox version simply had a rock or two being flung periodically. The 360 version had a veritable hailstorm of catapult fire, complete with a dragon flying around the skies wreaking havoc. The developers noted that while they've reworked much of the game for the Xbox 360, it was a relatively simple process to port the code over from the Xbox, given the similarities in architecture.

Still, those graphical details are pretty minor - they're the sort of thing that add to the atmosphere, or make you say "Hmmm, that's pretty cool." If that wasn't enough to convince of us how powerful the Xbox 360 is, the Rare folks fired up a new stage created solely for the new version. Imagine a sprawling landscape littered with hundreds upon hundreds of enemy soldiers. You control Kameo, riding on a horse as she plows through the opposing army, carving paths through legions of orcs. At any point, you can hop off and engage your 

foes in battle. Things just get even more incredible when an group of allies join the fray, followed by a whole slew of enemy tanks. Yes, tanks. Rare certainly knows how to stage an epic battle.

The incredible graphics are well and good, but what about the gameplay? The basic structure mimics classics like Zelda, with a central overworld that branches out into several smaller areas. It's easily comparable to Rare's Star Fox Adventures, although hopefully there will be less emphasis on collecting doodads. Kameo's central power is her ability to morph into several 

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different creatures. The developers demonstrated a ferocious, Yeti-like snowbeast who could smash enemies, pick them up and impale them on the spikes on his back. The differences between characters become apparent outside of battle as well. Each creatures has skills that help them maneuver through the landscape - the yeti, for example, can climb walls. As you progress through the game, your transformations gain more skills and can access new sections of the game.

It's easy to see that Kameo is patterned after Nintendo's classics, even though it's taking a stylistic approach all of its own. The Xbox has never really had a mascot outside of Master Chief - who, really, has almost no personality - and it seems like Rare is shaping Kameo up to be one of the central faces on the Xbox 360 launch. They seemed eager to appeal
to both Western and Eastern audiences as well - they were giving out little manga booklets, undoubtedly to draw in Japanese gamers who have traditionally been against Microsoft's behemoth. There are still some reservations - while the graphics are amazing and the gameplay appears sound on paper, only Rare and Microsoft representatives were able to play it on the show floor. Additionally, the frame rate was incredibly unstable, and it really detracted from the overall effect of the visuals. Rare was quick to insist that Kameo - as with all other 360 titles at the show - was running on 30% complete alpha hardware,
and they would be getting finalized hardware shortly, which would iron out all of the choppiness. If Rare can get the game up and running smoothly, and the actual adventure turns out as incredible as they claim it to be, Microsoft may have a pretty good killer-app
come this holiday when their launch date comes around.

Kurt Kalata

(June 6, 2005)

Features from the Fact Sheet:
-Gorgeous, high resolution graphics that show off the power of the Xbox 360
-Transform into nearly a dozen creatures with different abilities
-Grand adventure gameplay from the makers of Donkey Kong Country, Banjo-Kazooie and Starfox Adventures