LucasArts, of course, is well known for its exploration of the Star Wars universe, the ubiquitous epic galaxy long ago and far, far away. But not many gamers are aware of their other titles, whose offbeat humor and creative plots (many inspired by movies) have given us some of gaming’s more unique characters. Take for example Manny Calavera from Grim Fandango, a title heavily influenced by Dia De Los Muertos and Beetlejuice. Or Ben, the motorcycle-riding protagonist in the Mad Max-infused Full Throttle. Their latest title, Armed and Dangerous, upholds this tradition nicely, with a dash of Monty Python, a dash of Braveheart, and a whole lot of blaster fire. The two level demo we played of Armed and Dangerous told the “legendary” story of a squad of eclectic bounty hunters who, ironically, has a bounty placed on their head. Roman, the leader of the group, is backed up by Jonesy, an ornery Scottish gunslinger and Q1-11, a British robot with a fondness for tea. Their fourth member, a diminutive creature named Rexus, has initially been captured by an enemy army, which prompts an immediate rescue attempt. Tracking their imprisoned ally to a desolate frozen base, the trio of mercenaries has a limited amount of time to navigate a maze of defenders before their friend is executed. Players take control of Roman, who’s equipped with a sniper rifle as well as a pack of grenades and a machine gun. However, he’s also got his two squadmates with him, who he can direct to provide cover fire, attack enemies and secure areas, along with blowing up tons of destructible items. With the perimeter of the base crawling with guards, acquiring new weapons or ammunition isn’t that much of a difficulty. However, Armed and Dangerous isn’t a squad based game like Ghost Recon or Swat; the quirky nature of some of the firearms proves how action-oriented this game is. For example, one of the more unique items is called the topsy-turvy bomb, which literally turns the game world upside down. While Roman and his team get a precarious grip on the ground, opposing forces are flung off the bottom of the screen into the sky. When the bomb’s effect wears off, the screen rights itself, sending those unfortunate enemies plunging back towards the ground. The other level was a base defense level. Reminiscent of the battle sequence at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, this level tasked Roman with repelling a massive invasion by himself with a trusty rotating turret perched atop a high wall. Packed with machine guns and a grenade launcher that tosses foes in every direction, Roman can allow no more than 100 intruders into the base, or his headquarters will be overrun. As each attacking wave approaches the wall, the grunts construct and climb makeshift ladders, manually scaling the wall with their fingers or calling in mammoth creatures that can actually lift the front door of the base, allowing others to pour in. The graphics within Armed and Dangerous are both well done to give a sense of true 3D characters and exaggerated to demonstrate the title’s unusual gameplay. For example, the game engine does a great job of presenting size and scale during moments like the topsy-turvy bomb, which zooms out to show their rapidly disappearing bodies and zooms in for their terrestrial impact. Similarly, the engine has an accurate demonstration of physics, such as the dispersing of material and bodies in all directions during an explosion. What’s even better, however, is the voice acting, which has some of the funniest lines in a game in recent memory. Jonesy’s angry Scottish brogue yelling about the things that he hates and Q1-11’s tactful comments are simply hilarious. Aside from that, hearing one of them say, “Ooh, that had to hurt,” as a guard gets shot is a great touch. These comments aren’t restricted to the protagonists either; you can also hear grunts cry out in anguish with comedic lines as they go down. While the demo was an early build of the game, Armed and Dangerous looks like it has the makings of a side-splitting action title. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for a full review here when it comes out later this year! Questions or comments about the upcoming release of Armed & Dangerous for the Xbox and PC? Talk to us! [ E-Mail Jeff 'Linkphreak' Haynes ] [ Comment in our Forums ]

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