Psychotoxic

Psychotoxic, created by Groove Games, has just been released for the PC and PlayStation. The game is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up that uses real-time action elements to create a cyborg, a character called Mental, who was first encountered in a real game in the mid-'90s. The game's story follows a half-toned security guard and his cyborg father who joins him on a trip across the country to recover his lost cyborg parts and get revenge for his mother's death.

Psychotoxic's gameplay will take place in a large, detailed 3D environment with destructible parts. There are several different levels of weapons, including guns, melee weapons, grenades, and a variety of psychic powers, such as telekinesis and projection. The game's story mode also has some very humorous characters, including a French scientist named Conrad, a strange girl named Fran, a British archaeologist named Madison, and a lot of other weird characters. The game is fully voiced and is currently set for release in the fourth quarter of 2000.

We've had a chance to get hands-on time with the game on a regular basis, and we've collected the very latest screens from it, which include the usual in-game action and a hint of the single-player campaign. The PC version of the game is scheduled to ship to retail on July 27.

Dark Sector

Expected to be a follow-up to the PlayStation 2 game, Dark Sector will feature a fairly deep storyline in which you'll be controlling an elite task force of "Ghost" against your would-be-slaughtering colleagues. In the game's storyline, you'll once again be given the freedom to pursue your mission of murder, but Dark Sector will also feature a number of missions that you'll be able to complete in any order.

We've had a chance to play the game in the same outdoor environment as the PlayStation 2 version, but the PlayStation 2 game has been significantly bumped up in many areas. Whereas the PC version is slated to ship on July 27, it seems as though the Xbox version of the game will ship on July 31.

The upcoming Thief III: Blood Ties

Since we were told this is the first of several Thief III: Blood Ties updates we'll be getting, it should come as no surprise that the action adventure game's levels and mechanics were considerably changed. In Blood Ties, the new feature that Ion Storm has brought to the series, Garrett will be able to employ several types of weapons. Among these are the daggers, which let him swing from one side of a sword to the other, a sword for combat, and the sniper rifle. These are both very useful, and it seems as though they'll be integral to your success in the game's gameplay. For example, the bow will let you open doors without making noise, while the knife will let you shoot while walking. Garrett also has a new kick, which will let him dispatch guards silently. The kick is capable of taking out enemies with one blow and, like the sound-based kick, will also cause noise to make an alarm. And while you'll be able to use the kick to attract guards to your area, Garrett won't be able to use it in stealth. Garrett's enemies are also rather cunning, and they'll try to use their own methods to lure them away.

This time around, in addition to his stealth abilities, Garrett will be able to use a grappling hook. He can use it to access secret areas, like a nearby building. This allows him to take an aggressive stance, and you can even leap from rooftop to rooftop and ricochet off walls, unlike with the old guard, in which Garrett's hidden stealth abilities were limited by his stamina. Garrett's other new ability is called "psychic vision," which lets him look into a group of enemies and identify them using his trusty and silent eye. This improves upon the already-excellent Garrett's enhanced stealth abilities by making it difficult for enemies to detect you, though you will have to use it as often as possible.

The developers have also added a number of new features to the gameplay, including a new non-player character. The character of Garrett is a skilled master thief, and he has a few great attributes that will improve his gameplay. First and foremost, the thief will have access to all the various skills he does, such as the ability to quickly identify enemies, sneak up on unsuspecting guards, and use stealth weapons, like knives and shotguns. His skills also affect his overall health, which is currently maxed out at 75, and he can eventually gain a nifty immunity to electrical attacks that will prevent him from pursuing his targets. Additionally, he has special abilities that will let him use hidden blades and sneak up on enemies, such as the goblin demon who can hold off multiple enemies, as well as a powerful sniper rifle that can be used to clear out an area of enemies.