CSI 2 Dark Motives

CSI 2 Dark Motives, a 2D real-time strategy game for the PC, will be released in early March, Valve's Doug Lombardi told GameSpot.

"We were pretty close to wrapping up the project and the decision was taken up, and then the game became," Lombardi said. "We were so excited to get this project finished that Valve chose to launch it early and focus all our attention on Dark Motives, which is probably the first game that we're going to ship."

Dark Motives lets players control both Terran space marines and humans fighting against the Red Heat force. Each planet has six different races to control. The game features a single-player mode, as well as a multiplayer mode with other players.

A PS2 version of the game will be released in Q2 2002. The PC version of the game, however, will be a stand-alone game and is being developed for the Dreamcast and PC, not to mention other platforms.

"In our view, the PC version of Dark Motives is an important part of our strategy," Lombardi said. "Because the PC game is our primary game, the Dreamcast version is where it's at and is the core of our strategy. It's a whole different kind of game, and it's not a port. It's actually a whole new game, with several different platforms, and it's a completely different type of game."

The Xbox version of Dark Motives will feature voice-over and full voice-overs for the first time. The PC version will have the Xbox version of the game, which will include a brand-new mode called the "Shiveroff" and will ship with a chapter-based system similar to that in that of the PC version. The DS version of the game will be based on the character events in the PlayStation 2 and GameCube versions of the game.

Dark Motives will ship with five different characters to choose from, with each one starting off in a small hub town that will serve as a fast-travel point, one that will bring you to various towns. The hub town is called Blaine, and it's where you'll do your exploring, shopping, and fighting. Blaine will be the only character who can speak in-game, and he will speak when you run into any trouble. The tutorial sequences in the game will show you how to use your remote, Nunchuk, and/or Nunchuk to move the game. You'll also get to interact with other characters by hitting the A button on the lower screen, which is a quick-witted-up menu option that lets you quickly jump to various areas, such as combat areas or puzzle rooms.

The versus mode will offer several different game types for you to jump into.

The spirit mode has you controlling a "ghost" of yourself on the field. You'll have the option to fight by yourself or with one of your friends in the deathmatch mode. The deathmatch mode requires you to fight by your side with a ghost, which you have to capture in a certain number of moves before the ghost will come into your path. Finally, the spirit match will let you play as a human who can transform into various spirits that fit your personality. While you'll obviously get to make use of your new ghost, you'll have to work in tandem with the people you're causing chaos.

Though the core gameplay in Spirit of the North is about as deep as a first-person shooter, it offers a solid dose of hack-and-slash insanity. You'll find that there's a wide assortment of weapons at your disposal, such as pistols, shotguns, and assault rifles. While you'll have a fair amount of control over what you do with them, it's definitely worth pointing out that some of the weapon options are more than just standard options. For example, the rifle has a scope that will let you see through walls, whereas the shotgun will let you see through doors. The assault rifle has a scope that lets you zoom in and fire at a distance, while the rifle has a scope that lets you see through a wall. Finally, you'll come across a "spirit light," which is a brightly colored mist that makes the area you're in a great deal easier to see.

The visuals in the game are sharp and feature some impressive special effects. While you won't find the same level of graphical fidelity on display in the Xbox game, the work that has gone into bringing the game to life has been done to give the game a higher level of detail. The game's environments feature a clean look that manages to complement the game's extremely detailed environments. You'll find jungle and desert areas that feature numerous little touches that make them look sharp. The game's indoor environments feature a number of subtle touches that give them a nice sheen that complement the action and keep things fresh.