Dark Messiah of Might and Magic First Impressions
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Thus far, the only multiplayer mode in Dark Messiah is a variant of the classic capture-and-hold scenario. It's called Crusade, and it has two teams starting on opposite sides of a usually large map racing to occupy neutral objectives in the midfield before going deeper into enemy territory. There is a class-based system in place that plays off the mechanics in the single-player game -- mages employ the magical attacks that Sareth can learn, assassins are built around killing in stealth, warriors do their work on the front lines. There are five classes in all, and they all play very differently. As players capture objectives on the maps and kill enemies, they earn experience and skill points that can be used to improve their capabilities. Progress only persists through a single campaign, however, and players can change their class after each respawn.
A snip from IGN's article:
The game takes place entirely in first person and gives you access to swords, bows, staves, daggers, and magic spells. There's also your foot, which is used quite a bit to kick enemies into pits, out of striking range, and into ubiquitous spiked grates. Progress through each level is almost entirely linear. Except for a few stages later on and accessing some out of the way secret areas, you'll be heading from point A to point B to complete objectives. Once level goals are met, you get skill points to spend on upgrading your skills. We'd definitely recommend picking up Telekinesis. It functions much like Half-Life 2's gravity gun, picking up and tossing objects around a stage. Early on it's great for taking out enemies with barrels and boxes. The game even lets you set the box on fire before tossing it, assuming there's something already burning lying around.
And a snip from IGN Australia's article:
Puzzles-wise, many of the game's more thoughtful and interesting moments are cleverly scripted for moments of key tension and exhilaration. A rooftop chase sequence early in the game is fast and just precarious enough to be genuinely thrilling. In pursuing a scurrying Gollum-like creature in pursuit of a key quest item, you have mere moments to scramble across awnings and through open windows in a deft combination of platforming skills and problem-solving. Branching paths are minimal, however; you're more likely to find yourself taking a jump onto a board that splinters and send you plummeting to the unforgiving soil below, forcing a rethink of your approach and cautious footwork. Autosaving is very well implemented too - saving at key moments to avoid bouts of severe frustration at having to redo a load of do-or-die leaps of faith.
