Dark Messiah of Might and Magic Preview
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The sword combat was monstrously good. The first paragraph of this review is not embellished upon at all. The regular strikes are sort of like what you might remember from Oblivion, quick and light in damage, but they are much better done, and more rarely repeated (i.e. you won't bring your sword down in the exact same way twice in a row, ever.) The parrying is beautiful, and effective against these quick strikes. You can also hold down the attack button down for a short time to execute a harder blow that has a chance to break the opponent's parry or block. As you fight, you build up adrenaline, and when that gauge fills up, you execute a fatality, which could be anything from removing your opponent's head to impaling them. It is also a good idea to kick from time to time and knock your opponents off balance. When you combine all this, you have an amazingly fast-paced, brutal sword combat system, which looks a great deal what I always imagined sword fights would be like, if the participants were some of the dirtiest fighters in history. It was, quite simply, spectacular. Also, because of the Havok physics inherent in Source, I was able to break down ledges with barrels on them, unleash precarious deathtraps, and destroy platforms, all during the heat of combat.
