Titan Quest [PC]

Titan Quest is Iron Lore's action RPG in which the titular race that ruled the world until overthrown by Zeus and the Olympians returns to renew the ancient hostilities. Rather ironically, the struggle between the old and new gods will ultimately be decided by mere humans, albeit champions in their own right, who must undertake a series of quests to discover the secrets that will return the insurgents to captivity.

Commendations The game's premise is of immediate interest in that it seems to strike an agreeable balance between familiarity and novelty. In this regard, we can expect to encounter assorted mythical creatures and to visit such famed locations as the Parthenon, the labyrinth at Knossos, the Great Pyramids and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The skill-based character system seems promising. The title's appearance at the E3 trade show in May elicited quite a few favorable reactions. At that time, the play appeared fairly fast-paced but not excessively so, and the graphics were appropriately eye-catching. Studio head and Lead Designer Brian Sullivan is an accomplished developer leading an experienced, talented core team.

Reservations We haven't seen much on the project during the past six or seven months, which has led some observers to wonder about its progress. At the moment, there isn't a great deal of buzz or anticipation; admittedly, this may change when publisher THQ ramps up its publicity efforts over the coming months. Despite the positive initial indications noted above, it's currently not easy to have any solid feeling for how the game will actually play.

Considerations There's definitely ample reason for optimism with respect to how Titan Quest will turn out. However, it would seem prudent to exercise at least a modicum of restraint so as not to become overly enthusiastic until we know more about it, especially how it plays.

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[First Views are intended to provide initial impressions. They may be based on information from interviews, demos, presentations, announcements et al, and limited or no playing time. - Ed.]

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