Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising opens on the island of Telchinos, home to sympathizers of the Titans -- you know, the Titans -- lead by Cronus, the leader and father of Zeus who swallowed each of his children immediately after they were born because he feared being overthrown by any possible usurpers. Those Titans. Having been banished for supporting the Titans in the war against the Gods of Olympus, these Telchinists have reappeared without explanation and as a young hero, it's your role to fight back the uprising using your natural strength and the powers of the Gods.
Like any massively multiplayer online game, Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising starts off with character creation. We (the media in attendance) didn't check out the customization options since we played with a pre-selected avatar; however, Sony assured us that you'll have full control over your character's appearance from facial features to hairstyle and color to body structure. Humans are the only playable race available in the game, so you're limited in that regard; but you will at least have the choice of playing either a male or female. (Hopefully we can make a Harry Hamlin look-alike from Clash of the Titans! -- ed)
Looks are nice, but it's personality that counts. Complementing the range of options for appearance, you also select one of the six character classes: Gladiator, Soldier, Priest, Scout, Mystic, and Nomad. As you may expect, each class possesses distinct abilities and strengths that influence how you play the game. For example, both Gladiator and Soldier classes focus on direct melee combat, whereas Scouts prefer long-ranged combat and stealthy tactics.
Priests and Mystics are the game’s magic classes. Focusing mainly on healing arts, Priests can also learn certain offensive spells for battle. For example, "Boreal Wave" freezes enemies with a blast of icy wind. One of the more interesting spells, "Mark of God," lets you pick an enemy to be used as a sacrifice. Nomads sit on the other end of the magic spectrum, capable of darker magic. Both necromancy and element magic are at the Nomad's disposal.
Accessing the game's advanced spells and abilities can only be done through your benefactor – a God. When you select a class, you also choose between two Gods specific to that class. Which God you align yourself with ultimately determines the type of powers you gain throughout the course of the game. Praising Mars, the God of War, affords vastly different abilities than Pluto, keeper of the underworld.
While each class and corresponding God impacts how you play the game in distinct ways, all are suited for combat. Gods and Heroes distinguishes itself from other massively multiplayer online games in focusing more on action than nearly any other aspect of gameplay. Combat occurs in real-time with presses of the mouse buttons and keyboard for special abilities. From what little time we had with the game, combat feels surprisingly intuitive, particularly within this genre.
Pulling off combination attacks is your main goal and is not too dissimilar to a console action games. There isn't a hit counter or combo gauge, but you are rewarded with added damage when using special skills or landing particularly solid hits. Unlike other MMOs, though, all of these spectacular attacks are animated in full. No more gaps between attacking parties or unapt animations--slice an enemy across the neck and you see it happen in real-time. This instantly makes combat particularly engaging, showcasing a wide range of action and flair.
