Sudeki

Sudeki Description

Lacking any real number of quality RPGs, the Xbox hardware in its early days struggled to provide followers of the genre with what they needed. However, that's all changed now, with games such as Knights of the Old Republic filling the void for many. But in this instance we're here to look at an offline RPG that has been in development for a considerable length of time and that serves to entice the most avid RPG fanatic. That game is Microsoft's Sudeki. During the introductory stages of the adventure, surprisingly little is revealed with regard to the Sudeki world and the story that ensues. The game is set in a world torn apart by deceit and shrouded in darkness, but you know nothing of how to put things right. For now, the player must simply go with the flow. And thankfully, going with the flow is really easy to do here. In many cases, not giving players anything substantial to follow can result in a loss of interest, but the cinematic quality and presentation of Sudeki circumvents that risk, keeping the player motivated and intrigued. Your first twenty minutes or so will be spent listening to the game's more interesting characters as they introduce you to Sudeki's massive game world and some of its inhabitants. You'll also learn the basics of combat and character development with the help of an arrogant sergeant and his soldiers. Like in so many western RPGs, combat in Sudeki is of the hack 'n' slash variety. Wielding swords or any other form of weapon, players can unleash deadly attacks on their foes by pressing a corresponding button on the Xbox pad. Hitting a series of buttons with the right timing can produce combos or even special attacks that will inevitably help you survive the onslaught of thousands of lurking nasties. The death of your enemies rewards you with experience points, and earning pre-determined levels of experience grants level-ups and increases that character's attributes. Over time, you'll pick up three other recruits to become a quartet of diverse warriors, each with their own talents and personality. Skills, spells and super powers will join your team as you become more experienced, affording you the strength you need to move further into the adventure. It's a very well known formula in the genre. Sudeki is a game typical of so many other RPGs, but it has so much personality that it's unique nonetheless. It makes the best use of what the genre has to offer, but manages to avoid being labelled a clone to something else. Sudeki is anything but a disappointment, and it deserves your attention. Give it a go.

• Cinematic-style, real-time combat. "Sudeki" features cinematic combat with dozens of moves, slow-motion bullet time, earthshaking spells and hundreds of destructive melees and ranged weapons.
  
  
• Hordes of enemies. Players will battle against more than 80 enemies, ranging from Accursed Undead to massive battle fortresses.
  
  
• Unique and powerful allies. Players battle as a team of four fierce heroes: a beautiful and deadly sorceress, a steam-punk gunslinger, a powerful man-at-arms and a dark huntress. In addition, players can conduct massive, cooperative spirit strikes in which characters combine to devastate legions of foes.
  
  
• Heroes that build and grow. Players choose how to develop their characters, creating legends as their skills, spell arsenal, weapons cache and powers expand.
  
  
• Immense worlds to explore and tame. "Sudeki" is filled with hundreds of nonplayer characters and cunning enemies, as well as plot twists and turns fraught with danger.
  
  
• Jaw-dropping graphics. A custom, next-generation graphics engine built from the ground up for Xbox features detailed facial animation, bump-mapping, complex lighting and awesome scale.