Rise of the Argonauts

Tuesday 1st July/... Get to know the gods of Rise of the Argonauts ™, the epic action RPG being created by Liquid Entertainment, with two new developer commentary videos released today by Codemasters® and now available to view and download from www.rise-of-the-argonauts.co.uk.

In the Gods Profile video, Lead Designer Charley Price reveals the four patron deities that watch over Jason throughout the course of the game, along with an overview of the weapons, personality traits and skills that players will acquire by dedicating deeds to particular gods.

“Gaining intimate knowledge of each of the gods is key to Rise of the Argonauts ’ gameplay experience,” said Price. “Players will need to constantly be aware of each god’s personality and abilities in order to make the most of the deeds system in the game.”

The theme of deeds is picked up by Liquid Entertainment’s President Ed Del Castillo in the second video, which details the game’s unique experience points system. Using a brand-new system for RPGs, experience points will be tracked as a series of deeds that can be dedicated to a particular god as a way to earn favour and level up with the skills and abilities of that god.

Each of the gods – Ares, Apollo, Hermes and Athena – has his or her own skill tree that gives the player a flexible and dynamic system for acquiring skills and improving their character. Players will also be able to align themselves with a god by choosing the dialogue that best fits the god’s unique disposition.

“Gods are watching all the time, and we wanted the player to feel that,” said Del Castillo. “With the ability to choose which gods to align with, each player’s experience is going to be a little bit different.”

• Ares, the god of war and the mace, is suited to throwing himself into battle with no regard for his own life. By dedicating deeds to Ares, Jason will not only become more brutal with the mace, but also more aggressive in dialogue choices with other characters. Following his wife’s assassination, Jason is viewed as a weak King unable to protect those around him, so he will need to prove his toughness with the help of Ares’ powers.

• Hermes, the god of swiftness, will reward Jason with increased quickness and agility in battle. His weapon of choice is the sword, so dedicating deeds to Hermes will provide players with quicker and faster-paced combat. He is also the god of cunning, and is very manipulative, so Jason can win back the hearts and minds of his fellow Iolcans by gaining an intellectual edge over them.

• Apollo is the god of knowledge and philosophy, and dedicating deeds to him will make Jason more empathetic and less aggressive as he continues his journey. Accordingly, he is tied to Jason’s shield. However the shield is not purely a defensive weapon like in other RPGs, existing solely to fend off attacks. Jason can earn powers that allow his shield to be used as a weapon.

• Athena reigns over wisdom and judgment. When players align themselves with Athena, they gain the ability to judge other characters, allowing Jason to determine whether they should be rewarded or punished for their actions. In combat, Athena is associated with the spear, and as the goddess of timing, can help Jason transform into a warrior that is as efficient as he is deadly.

In Rise of the Argonauts , Jason and his trusted band of Argonauts embark on a quest to find the Golden Fleece and revive his beloved slain wife while exploring the vast Aegean – a dynamic world of forbidding islands, shining cities, lush jungles and deep forests – in a vibrant realisation of ancient Greece. As Jason, players will carve a unique journey through the game world as their choices bring favour with the gods, shape the plot, change the outcome of quests and open up new story arcs.

Mixing deep exploration, grand-scale quests and gladiatorial combat in a story powered by the timeless motives of love and vengeance, Rise of the Argonauts is coming this autumn for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Games For Windows®. For the videos and more, head over to the website at www.rise-of-the-argonauts.co.uk.

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Barrington Harvey

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stuart.taylor@bhpr.co.uk

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Barrington Harvey

01462 456 780

anna.larke@bhpr.co.uk

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