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Summoner:
Platform: Playstation 2, Mac, Win 95 / 98 Publisher: THQ Developer: Volition Projected Release Date: Fall 2000 (Playstation 2), Early 2001 (Mac, Win 95 / 98)
While companies like From Software and Square have been getting a lot of attention for the RPGs they have in the works for the Playstation 2 they are most certainly not alone, as THQ and Volition have their own entry in development for the system, Summoner.
Summoner is the story of a young man named Joseph who has the ability to bring beings from other planes of existence into his own. As a youth Joseph's village is attacked by marauders so he decided to summon a powerful demon to get rid of them. Unfortunately Joseph could not control the creature, and as a result the beast slaughtered the village, killing all those that Joseph held dear. After this he vows never to summon anything ever again.
After several years pass Joseph's homeland of Medeva comes under attack by the armies of Orenia, and he finds himself in a position where he must use his powers in order to save his home. Joining him on his quest are Jekhar, a fighter who suffered greatly in the massacre of the village years earlier, Flece who is a thief, and Rosalind, a magic-user who is more than a little jealous of Joseph's summoning abilities. From here it's off to find the five summoning rings so to stop the armies.
When it comes time to dispose of the bad guys, Summoner's combat takes place in real time. On top of this, the characters in the party can be controlled individually, or left in the hands of the AI. Also, terrain will play a role in battle, as things like taking the high ground will result in a tactical advantage for the player. Of course there will be spells to cast from various categories like Flame, Darkness, and Light. Also there will be Joseph's summoning abilities to call imps, golems, and far more powerful, yet uncontrollable, beings.
Summoner looks to be a more mature RPG among the other games slated for and around the Playstation 2's North American launch. Seeing as it is also in being made for the personal computer world, it seems logical that the game would be geared toward a slightly older audience. While the Playstation 2 version will be out in the fall, the computer version will not be out until early 2001, as these version will support internet play, and as such will require a long period of development time.
-Previewed by Kaspian May 15, 2000
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