I love the Jason And The Argonauts story, I've lost count how many times I've seen the movie at Christmas and Easter times lol! Anyway it looks pretty epic and I like the character designs. So here's some info and a trailer -
TRAILER
Brief info
QUOTE ('IGN')
An epic scale action-RPG, Rise of the Argonauts immerses gamers in a gladiatorial adventure set in wondrously imagined vision of ancient Greece. With deep exploration and epic quests, players live a life of brutal combat as they lead a team of iconic warriors -- including Jason, Hercules and Atalanta -- through a world ruled by mythological gods.
QUOTE ('Some Indepth Info Via Game Tap')
Turning the epic Greek mythology of Jason and the Argonauts into a video game would seem to be a no brainer, but oddly no one has attempted it before. So Codemasters is going for it in Rise of the Argonauts, with Liquid Entertainment doing the design and other the heavy lifting. "Greek mythology is such a rich well to draw from," says Charley Price, lead designer at Liquid. "They're amazing fantasy stories rooted in literature with great Greek dramatic themes of tragedy and vice and virtue." Liquid's challenge is to bring this world to life on the PC, the PS3, and the Xbox 360.
Rise of the Argonauts will be an action-RPG with gamers playing the role of Jason, king of Iolchis. The storyline is rooted in the Argonaut tale, but liberties have been taken to amp the plot up and make it compelling for the game. "Ours is a creative reinterpretation of Jason and the Argonauts to bring the Greek mythological world to life," Price explains. "In the original story, Jason isn't the most compelling character, so we reinvented him to make him more of a leader of men and someone players would want to play."
It's actually a love story of sorts. Here Jason's wife, Princess Alceme, is murdered on their wedding day, and so he sets out to find the legendary Golden Fleece for its life-restoring powers. Most people don't believe it exists, but Jason sets out aboard his ship, the Argo, to find a few good men (and demi-gods) to help him with his quest.
Rise of the Argonauts is structured around several islands, where Jason tracks down famous Greek characters and discovers others, too. At this stage, Codemasters isn't ready to reveal just how many islands. The gameplay focuses on action and the development of Jason's relationships with his men and the gods, and there isn't a sailing element in the game.
Jason's Argonauts are an all-star team of Grecian heroes. Some of them such as Hercules and the female warrior Atalanta are characters from the original tale, but others like Perseus, Pan, and Achilles step onto the Argo for the first time. Each Argonaut has particular strengths and skills, and not all of them have to do with combat. Daedalus, for example, is a craftsman, who will remain onboard ship to repair gear while the others are out fighting.
To move his quest forward, Jason must also curry favor with the gods to level up his skills and attributes, and this factors into the game's imaginative dialogue system. Since in mythological Greece the gods are always watching, four deities have their eyes on Jason--Ares, Hermes, Athena, and Apollo. Each one governs specific personality traits, magic powers, and weapon skills, not unlike a class specification in a typical RPG.
Jason draws upon the power of the gods in Rise of the Argonauts.
Original Argonauts like Atalanta are joined newcomers like Achilles and Daedalus for this interpretation.
Whenever Jason engages in conversation, four dialogue choices appear onscreen. Each one reflects in some way the personality and main attribute of one of the gods. Hermes, for instance, rules cunning and Ares commands aggression. The response that Jason chooses levels up that attribute, but it also determines how he reacts to that situation, and it sets the story on a particular path.
In addition to using specific dialogue, Jason also builds up favor with the gods through deeds. These are achievements and tasks you accomplish during the journey, and again each one favors one of the gods. If you aggressively defeat 10 adversaries under a minute, for instance, then Ares will reward you by leveling up one of your fighting skills.
The deeds tracking screen is very cool, and it nicely supplements the overall atmosphere of the game. Every deed is mapped to a star in a constellation, so as you accomplish them you gauge your progress by watching constellations light up the night sky.
The combat system is also going to have a few other tricks up its sleeve. Jason gears up with four weapons--a sword, a spear, a mace, and a shield--that he can use at any time during battles. In Rise of the Argonauts, you have to break down your opponent's defense in order to strike him. However, if you can attack him at the right moment when his guard is down, you can eliminate him with one lethal blow. "We wanted players to feel powerful and heroic every time they step into an arena," says Price, "so every enemy is one hit away from death at any point in time."
Don't worry, the Argonauts help out by teaming up with Jason during combat. Although they can fight independently, whenever Jason moves into close proximity with another hero, they team up for combo moves depending on that hero's fighting attributes. Hercules for instance will help Jason by grabbing enemies and holding them up so he can slice them.
The patron gods do their share in battle, too, if Jason's earned their favor to level up special skills. Hermes rules the sword, Ares governs the mace, Athena guides the spear, and Apollo commands the shield. So, for example, Ares can turn Jason into a sort of Grecian home run hitter, who knocks opponents out of the arena with the mace. The gods also bestow Jason with magic attacks. One opens up a mini-black hole that sucks enemies into inky oblivion if Jason can force them into its pull.
Rise of the Argonauts is scheduled to set sail this fall. Although there is plenty about the game to spark interest, what Codemasters is keeping under wraps so far are the creatures Jason and the Argonauts will encounter during their journey...and you can't have myths without monsters.
Rise of the Argonauts will be an action-RPG with gamers playing the role of Jason, king of Iolchis. The storyline is rooted in the Argonaut tale, but liberties have been taken to amp the plot up and make it compelling for the game. "Ours is a creative reinterpretation of Jason and the Argonauts to bring the Greek mythological world to life," Price explains. "In the original story, Jason isn't the most compelling character, so we reinvented him to make him more of a leader of men and someone players would want to play."
It's actually a love story of sorts. Here Jason's wife, Princess Alceme, is murdered on their wedding day, and so he sets out to find the legendary Golden Fleece for its life-restoring powers. Most people don't believe it exists, but Jason sets out aboard his ship, the Argo, to find a few good men (and demi-gods) to help him with his quest.
Rise of the Argonauts is structured around several islands, where Jason tracks down famous Greek characters and discovers others, too. At this stage, Codemasters isn't ready to reveal just how many islands. The gameplay focuses on action and the development of Jason's relationships with his men and the gods, and there isn't a sailing element in the game.
Jason's Argonauts are an all-star team of Grecian heroes. Some of them such as Hercules and the female warrior Atalanta are characters from the original tale, but others like Perseus, Pan, and Achilles step onto the Argo for the first time. Each Argonaut has particular strengths and skills, and not all of them have to do with combat. Daedalus, for example, is a craftsman, who will remain onboard ship to repair gear while the others are out fighting.
To move his quest forward, Jason must also curry favor with the gods to level up his skills and attributes, and this factors into the game's imaginative dialogue system. Since in mythological Greece the gods are always watching, four deities have their eyes on Jason--Ares, Hermes, Athena, and Apollo. Each one governs specific personality traits, magic powers, and weapon skills, not unlike a class specification in a typical RPG.
Jason draws upon the power of the gods in Rise of the Argonauts.
Original Argonauts like Atalanta are joined newcomers like Achilles and Daedalus for this interpretation.
Whenever Jason engages in conversation, four dialogue choices appear onscreen. Each one reflects in some way the personality and main attribute of one of the gods. Hermes, for instance, rules cunning and Ares commands aggression. The response that Jason chooses levels up that attribute, but it also determines how he reacts to that situation, and it sets the story on a particular path.
In addition to using specific dialogue, Jason also builds up favor with the gods through deeds. These are achievements and tasks you accomplish during the journey, and again each one favors one of the gods. If you aggressively defeat 10 adversaries under a minute, for instance, then Ares will reward you by leveling up one of your fighting skills.
The deeds tracking screen is very cool, and it nicely supplements the overall atmosphere of the game. Every deed is mapped to a star in a constellation, so as you accomplish them you gauge your progress by watching constellations light up the night sky.
The combat system is also going to have a few other tricks up its sleeve. Jason gears up with four weapons--a sword, a spear, a mace, and a shield--that he can use at any time during battles. In Rise of the Argonauts, you have to break down your opponent's defense in order to strike him. However, if you can attack him at the right moment when his guard is down, you can eliminate him with one lethal blow. "We wanted players to feel powerful and heroic every time they step into an arena," says Price, "so every enemy is one hit away from death at any point in time."
Don't worry, the Argonauts help out by teaming up with Jason during combat. Although they can fight independently, whenever Jason moves into close proximity with another hero, they team up for combo moves depending on that hero's fighting attributes. Hercules for instance will help Jason by grabbing enemies and holding them up so he can slice them.
The patron gods do their share in battle, too, if Jason's earned their favor to level up special skills. Hermes rules the sword, Ares governs the mace, Athena guides the spear, and Apollo commands the shield. So, for example, Ares can turn Jason into a sort of Grecian home run hitter, who knocks opponents out of the arena with the mace. The gods also bestow Jason with magic attacks. One opens up a mini-black hole that sucks enemies into inky oblivion if Jason can force them into its pull.
Rise of the Argonauts is scheduled to set sail this fall. Although there is plenty about the game to spark interest, what Codemasters is keeping under wraps so far are the creatures Jason and the Argonauts will encounter during their journey...and you can't have myths without monsters.
