Publisher: Microsoft
Ages: Teen & up
Parental
Advisory:
Blood & violence
A decent action roleplay game, Microsoft's Sudeki offers tremendous graphics, large fantasy worlds, powerful heroes and heroines and entertaining, real-time action.
In a world torn by deceit, players lead a team of heroes: a beautiful and deadly wizardress, a punk gun-slinging scientist, a swordsman and a huntress, on a fantasy path of real-time combat and magic. As you would expect in a roleplay game, players get to build and grow their characters by developing their skills, spells, weapons and powers. The characters have different strengths that come into play during puzzles and can execute their own special attacks during battle.
The game serves intense combat that features dozens of moves, slow-motion bullet time, spells, destructive melees, ranged weapons and group-based magical attacks known as spirit strikes. Players get to battle some 65 enemies that include an accursed undead to a 90-foot serpentine siren.
The innovative "one-time" system lets players manage inventory while maintaining a real-time feel to the combat. What happens is that the action slows down to five percent speed as players manage their characters-selecting weapons and more. While the approach is well thought out, the process of managing four characters during a frantic battle can be clumsy and frustrating. Better artificial intelligence on the part of the characters would greatly improve this combat system.
The large fantasy worlds are filled with hundreds of non-player characters and enemies, as well as towns and dungeons. There are lots of crates and barrels that hold items, which encourages players to break just about everything in sight.
The graphics are excellent and serve detailed environments, shadows and good-looking characters with facial animations. The game features lots of blood and gore and is not for younger players. Also, the game only offers single-person gameplay person with no multi-player options.
Sudeki looks great and is involving, but its combat elements could be stronger. It should appeal to most roleplay fans.
8/6/04 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
