Chaos Legion

[The NZA]

Just read up on this one over at Gameforms.com...looks like Capcom's doing an action RPG that they want to take as serioulsy as they do Resident Evil, so im not sure if that means dozens of sequels or what but the budget's got some big name Japanese movie stars doing the voice-overs, to start with...

 

According to what I've read, its got a really interesting storyline (ill copy it at the end of this post) but what caught my eye was the battle system: they want a frenzy of on-screen enemies swarming you, and the battle is done in what sounds like the manner of an action or fighting game, combos included....I dont mean to make this sound like Devil May Cry with an RPG shell over it but if it ends up like that I think itd be cool...ok you know what? Im just gonna copy what they had over there that got me interested & toss up some screenshots, lemme know what you people think tho, im excited bout it.

 

(Things) may change with the announcement of Chaos Legion, a new action RPG set to include knights and dragons to spare. The story is taken from a fantasy novel published by Kadokawa Shoten, and stars Sieg Wahrheit, a knight of questionable character chasing a dark sword held by rival knight Victor Delacroix.

 

Sticking with tradition, Capcom will once again use CG movies for storytelling. The prologue describes Sieg as bearing a "dark insignia" and having taken up arms to avenge a friend. Victor was once called a saint, but a terrible loss has turned him angry at the world, and now he too feels destined to fight.

 

A new engine designed for the game promises plenty of enemies on-screen during combat, and Capcom has taken numerous steps to ensure the battles are frantic and intense. In addition to the expected sword and magic attacks, Sieg has the ability to summon small helper creatures that resemble the defense pods commonly found in scrolling shooters like R-Type.

 

At least five types of these helpers are available: Sword, Arrow, Crow, Shield, and Bomb. Four of the same type can be summoned at once, and once summoned they keep a tight formation around Sieg, attacking or defending as necessary. Sieg can also summon large beasts for a quick and powerful attack.

 

When Sieg himself attacks, the game has a style similar to classic side scrolling action games. Extended air juggles look easy to perform, and certain attacks cause the action to pause for a split second when they hit, a technique borrowed from 2D fighters. This may not sound significant, but it creates a very different feel for the action than other 3D games.

 

Assisting Sieg is a second playable character, Arcia Rinslet. A maiden from the Sage Overia Religious Sorority, she seeks revenge on Victor for the death of her companions. Arcia fights with a pair of pistols, and at close range can combo an enemy with kicks.

 

Capcom has taken to introducing new franchises with more fanfare than anyone, with press conferences and sales estimates coming immediately. Managing Director Yoshiki Okamoto has already predicted sales of three million copies worldwide.

 

The game's announcement mirrored that of Onimusha 2, right down to the inclusion of Japanese cinema talent, another new Capcom habit that will expand here. But instead of modeling the main character after an actor, voice acting from various well-known actors and actresses will be applied to Capcom's visual creations.

 

Besides setting retail goals, Okamoto promised that Chaos Legion "has the same value for us as Biohazard, Onimusha or Rockman." High expectations indeed, but Onimusha performed admirably as a brand new franchise itself. Chaos Legion will have a chance to do the same when released on March 6 in Japan; a U.S. version can be expected later this year.

 

 

 

(yes, that chick is pullin a john woo 2-gun move on that dragon thing..so cool)

[BigChiefSlapaho]

This game looks phat.

[The NZA]

See, that's the thing...im an old school RPG fan but i admit its not for everyone, gets redundant quick and there's no good reason for that to happen nowadays.

I mean, some people complain of storyline cliches...im not as worried, im just hoping more go the way of good voice overs like Shenmue: its not that i mind heavy text reading (i loved Xenogears), but it really gives the characters another dimension - KOS, tell me you dont wish Vagrant Story, in all its cinematic style, wouldve had voice-overs...

But action/sim/fighting fans like Chiefy would come to the RPG fold with the quickness, i think, if the battle system was overhauled. I respect the turn-based chess strategies its forced on me for years, but when combat in Shenmue turned into a straight fighting game - employing the "level" of experience you had in training or moves youd leanred only - it was like, for once the battles werent taking a backseat to the storyline, i was into the rest of the game too. How many people like the stories of say Final Fantasy but dont wanna sit through 50+ hours of reduncant turntaking summons/slashing to get there?

If the combat of this one does turn into some Devil May Cry action frenzy, that could be cool as fuck, and i dont think itd necessarily take away from its RPG status one bit.