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Platform: PC,
XB
Related Links: Review: Shinobi (Playstation 2) Review: Tenchu 3: Wrath of Heaven (Playstation 2) Review: Throne of Darkness (PC)
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Meteor
Blade
As
online play becomes more and more of a standard game feature we’re finally
starting to see it establish itself in more genres, as it strays from
its RTS, RPG, FPS (or any other genre-related acronym you can think of)
confines. Most notably
we’re starting to see it increasingly in fighting games, and the
folks at InterServ certainly don’t want to miss out on the action as
they have an entry of their own in development for the burgeoning world
of online fighters with Meteor Blade for the PC and Xbox.
Based
on the martial arts novels of Gu Long, Meteor Blade follows Meng Xing
Yun, an assassin who has been hired to kill Sun Yu Bo.
Of course Bo’s underlings will have none of this and make every
effort to stop Meng in his tracks as players cross swords with these
warriors in large arenas planned for the game. But while single player, story-based elements are an essential part of many a game, it’s the online play in Meteor Blade that is the main push of the title. Firstly, the game will support up to 16 people simultaneously in large worlds where with enough structures that players can fight each other head-on or go for a more subtle approach, as they creep along the rooftops to spring a surprise attack on their opponents. Of the five online modes planned for the game we only know of two so far, those being free-for-all melee combat and capture the flag. But with Meteor Blade’s weapon-based martial arts combat, hopefully we’ll see a number of modes that embrace this facet of the game. The question that remains in regards to online play, though, is whether or not PC and Xbox players will be able to compete against one another from their respective game platforms in this game.
Features: -
The two-person fighting game model is taken to the next level, as up to
16 people can team up and fight each other simultaneously. -
Use the beautifully crafted environments to your advantage by running up
walls to escape your enemies or launching a surprise attack from the
rooftops above. -
Master various unique weapons, from broadswords to throwing knives, to
launch combo and special attacks on your enemies. -
Our motion capture studio, in conjunction with our staff of martial arts
masters, was given free reign to design and choreograph the exquisite
fighting moves seen in this game. -
Five online game modes, from free-for-all melee to capture the flag,
give players a great variety of gameplay by offering new and unique
challenges.
With
increasing numbers of developers eyeing the fighting genre as a possible
new vessel for online gaming as more and more gamers get broadband
internet connections, there could be a lot of potential in this
sub-genre. Like any
experiment it could go either way as developers get a feel for what
works and what doesn’t in a previously untapped segment of the
fighting game genre. Whatever the case
it’s good to see a game like Meteor Blade come along that isn’t
afraid to test the waters. We’ll
have a chance to see how well InterServ grasped the online fighter
concept when the game is released later this year. Mr.
Nash (February
12, 2004) |
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