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Iron Phoenix 
Release date: 22 Feb 2005
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Iron Phoenix (Preview)
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Having spent some quality time with Sammy's upcoming Iron Phoenix, I have to say that it may rapidly go from being a relatively unknown title to a solid action genre contender on the Xbox.
The game is set in ancient China and, while there are characters to move the story along, it's the weapons in the game that really drive and evolve the story. Said weapons are hewn from an ore that came to Earth when a comet crash-landed in China. A nearby blacksmith investigated the ore and found it to be incredibly powerful as well as virtually indestructible. He immediately began to forge weapons from the source, weapons that would travel the globe and transcend their wielders, becoming more legendary and priceless with each generation they endured. Now, warriors from around the world are vying for control of these weapons, and they unite in China to fight for mastery.
This title offers not only a beefy single-player element, but also capitalizes on multiplayer combat via Xbox Live 3.0. Up to 16 players can band together for a variety of online modes with team and free-for-all variants. Combining melee and ranged combat, relying on spears, swords, claws, sorcery, and projectile weapons such as darts, there's as much strategy as there is edge-of-your-seat action. It's a delicate balance to master, but Sammy seems to have pulled it off admirably.
There are several playable characters to choose from, but they largely serve as variable skins, as the characters don't greatly affect the way the game plays. It's the weapons themselves that determine individual move sets, agility, and power of the avatars. Short range weapons like claws and talons are the fastest - yet also the weakest. Medium range weapons like swords are well balanced all around. The staff, and other long-range weapons, offer the greatest reach and the highest damage, but are also the slowest and hardest to handle. Thus, you can keep a clawed opponent at a distance with a staff, but if he gets in close, you're in trouble.
Character models and environments are really sharp looking. No expense was spared (except a split-screen mode) to make the game look great. From the latest trickery in environmental lighting to normal mapping on the characters themselves, there's nary a flaw to be found in Iron Phoenix's graphics.
As mentioned before, Iron Phoenix looks to include up to 16-player online play via Xbox Live 3.0, though split-screen and co-op play have yet to make a showing in the title. Overall, it appears that the game will take the established melee combat formula branded by games like Koei's Dynasty Warriors series to the next level. Check out some of the new Iron Phoenix screens straight from GameOn NY.
Preview by Mark Buckingham on 22 Oct 2004
Bookmark this previews at:
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