Rich World 2

Rich World 2, the sequel to the groundbreaking PC and arcade game, arrived last year in the US, Australia, and New Zealand. The original saw players assume the role of an operative, which was formed by a team of assassins who were ordered to infiltrate an enemy base, set to a secret compound. However, things soon got hairy as the team quickly identified that something wasn't right. As a result, it decided to blow up the base, which then opened a gate for the mercs and their gang to take over the base. Since then, a new group of mercs, a bunch of special agents, and even a huge pool of terrorists were being spread throughout the base.

Based on its predecessor, Rich World 2 will offer many new elements. The biggest new feature is the ability to multitask between your three teammates, who will either help you sneak into areas or do the same. Each individual soldier will have two separate skills, one of which will have a cooldown timer. Each character will have a different ability that will be affected by what weapon he or she is carrying, and your ability to switch weapons on the fly will even have an effect on your ability to use an item. For instance, the game will offer four different types of grenades, which will include two types of grenades: explosive, which will cause a high-damage explosion that will leave a trail of smoke over the ground; and an EMP, which will create a fiery cloud that will actually wipe out a room of mercs if it gets destroyed.

Speaking of enemies, the game will feature a number of them, which will have a distinctly new look. We were able to get some brief looks at the original voice actors, which included James Earl Jones, who will reprise his role as Nathan Drake. Jones' addition to the cast includes Hayden Panettiere, who will reprise his role as Otis Drake, the mentor of the young Drake, and Andy Serkis, who will portray the aging, brutal Victor Sullivan, who we previously saw as Drake's mentor. And we were also able to get a glimpse of the game's camera, which will be slightly disorientating after the first-person shooting segments.

The PC version of the game will have three levels--new to the PC and Xbox 360--that will both be separate experiences, and they'll feature the same puzzles that will make up the puzzles. As in the PlayStation 2 game, those puzzles will be puzzle-based and will require you to use your wits to find your way around.

While the graphics are looking sharp and will offer a solid first impression, the game will also feature some PC-specific tweaks. You'll notice a number of visual enhancements, such as improved reflections and lighting. (We've been able to get a good look at the PC version's ambient lighting, which will be especially impressive in the Xbox game.) Character animation will also undergo a facelift, thanks to a new facial motion model that will now animate both players and enemies. The game will also feature some control tweaks that will make use of the Xbox 360 controller. The developers have also focused on overall visual performance and have bumped up the audio as well. While there will still be occasional stuttering, we were able to see some solid effects that will make the game a lot more challenging. The game will also feature a new damage system, although what exactly that will be has not been disclosed. If you're into pummeling enemies with a little brawling, you'll be happy to know that you'll be able to slam into them and stun them with a very satisfying punch.

In terms of the game's presentation, the development team is using a modified version of the current Xbox 360 hardware that runs in progressive scan mode, rather than the default color-grading-capped 480p resolution. However, the game's visuals have been modified, as have some of the characters. As in the current version of the game, a noticeable number of polygons were used for all the major characters, including Link and various Zelda characters. While we were able to see plenty of cool things about the character models, the team has cut a pretty good deal of detail to help flesh out the characters and give them a much more dramatic appearance. The level of detail on the costumes and clothing has also been changed to give them a more ethereal quality, which is evident in the outfits that we were able to see.

The audio in the game has been bumped up considerably, especially when compared with the original version. A sampling of the game's voice was sampled in the build we played, and it brought the Japanese game up to snuff. The game's music has been enhanced, as have some of the game's other cutscenes. You'll hear familiar music from previous Zelda games, such as The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap and the original Zelda. But there's a different selection of music from previous Zelda games that has been thrown into the mix, which should please longtime fans.