Beowulf

Straight out of the dark ages walks the original warrior king. The epic tale of Beowulf, set for cinema release soon, has been taken up by developers Ubisoft to give gamers another chance to dust off their broadsword, battle barbarian hoards and smite the odd legendary beast.

There is no doubt that Beowulf shares elements with games like God of War and the upcoming Conan, but one of the things that may set it apart is its timeless story. Beowulf is a Norse warrior, his strength is unmatched by any man, but he is arrogant and his lust for wealth and power gets the better of him, and his kingdom is plunged into war. The story of Beowulf has been the basis for all of those books, films and video games that weave tales of heroism, beasts and battle-axes, so now it’s finally the chance for the original hacker and slasher to make it to gamers’ consoles.

The world of computer games has taken a large stride forward since the introduction of next-gen consoles. Every new release is expected to deliver the goods graphically, and Beowulf absolutely delivers. Gamers will find nothing left wanting in terms of detail, design and atmosphere. If you want vistas - you got ‘em. Enormous, ferocious misshapen monsters - you bet. Epic, expansive battlefields, strewn with dead and dying barbarian soldiers - it’s all here, rendered in stunning detail. However, it’s the gameplay that often lets movie-based games down.

Beowulf will try to avoid the traps of the typical single-player sword and sandals button masher by placing an emphasis on special combos and tactics. Beowulf himself commands a loyal crew of soldiers and finishing battles with special combos not only looks stunning but also adds Heroic points, which upgrade your crew’s morale and enhance their abilities. Carnal points are also gained and are used to upgrade Beowulf’s base combat abilities. The special moves also increase in their destructive power. Eventually Beowulf is able to perform heroic events using carnal fury. At these times there is no limit to his power, as he rips up trees to use as weapons or tears monsters apart with his bare hands.

Beowulf is a big-budget movie directed by Robert Zemeckis, co-written by Neil Gaiman and starring Ray Winstone and Anthony Hopkins. The movie is generating a lot of hype, and with the stars reprising their roles, the production standards for the game will be high. Come early December Beowulf will be a game looked forward to by anyone who’s ever owned a battle-axe, enjoyed smiting barbarians or dedicated themselves to sending abominations back to the depths of hell.