By David Craddock
[i]Iron Phoenix[/i], due out during the first quarter of 2005, promises to include many Xbox Live 3.0 features that will be beneficial to the game.
“Gamers should be ready for unprecedented single and multiplayer experiences with ‘Iron Phoenix,’ a game that combines two very popular genres to introduce an entirely new form of game play,” said Tim Pivnicny, senior VP of sales and marketing, Sammy Studios, Inc.
For those not familiar with [i]Iron Phoenix[/i], the “two genres” it will combine will be squad based combat and melee fighting. Moves and combat in the game will be dictated by weapons rather than characters. [i]Iron Phoenix[/i] is set to incorporate fighting styles such as Kung-Fu as well as other various martial arts styles. In addition, the game gives nods to several different type of special effects and “cinematography,” such as wire-fu (think Matrix). The game will force players to really rely on team cooperation and strategy, as just running straight in and slugging it out with the other team will only get you killed.
The game will feature a single player mode, which will allow the player to unlock hidden weapons, environments, and characters. Each weapon (nine total) has its own unique arsenal of special moves, melee and projectile attacks, as well as combinations for the player to use.
“The game’s online multiplayer mode is designed to be team-oriented, very much like popular online FPS games, yet ‘Iron Phoenix’ is a fighter at its heart,” said Sammy Studios producer Tim Hess. “We know that ‘Iron Phoenix’ is going to foster intense competition, and therefore we have always thought it essential to make performing tasks like creating clans and populating and hosting tournaments as easy as possible. Xbox Live 3.0 features facilitate this, letting players get to what matters most – experiencing 3D fighting on a battle scale with 15 other players.”