Xbox 360 Encounter

By Danny Chihdo

Gamers have had their eyes on Kameo™: Elements of Power, the action-adventure game from Rare® (creators of Conker™: Live and Reloaded and GoldenEye 64), for some time. Now, with the news that Kameo will be one of the Microsoft®-published launch titles for the Xbox 360™ video game console, expectations for this dazzling epic are bigger than ever.

We recently got to see a version of the new Kameo running on an alpha version of the Xbox 360, and got the lowdown on the story, the look, and some killer new features that you might not be expecting. Rare has managed to create a game that appeals to a wide variety of gamers, from hardcore to family types. Read on for details!

Kameo's Shape(S)
Kameo, our heroine, has got elemental powers most can only dream of. As you guide Kameo through seven unique game worlds and three action-packed battlefield levels (alone or via Xbox Live™-enabled co-op play) you uncover the secrets of Kameo's amazing morphing powers and her destiny. The elements -- Rock, Fire, Ice, Water, and Plant -- all come into play in a deep, epic adventure for devoted gamers of all ages.

Kameo has the power to shapeshift into different creatures with staggeringly different abilities. At first, you have the chance to morph into three different monsters, which shows you the ropes of shapeshifting and gives you an idea of how it works in-game. From there, you can upgrade each monster individually as well as learn whole new shapes to transform into (eventually Kameo can change into 10 different monsters in all).

In some games, you might end up with as many as a dozen followers or party members. In Kameo, you are the party because of your ability to transform. Not that Kameo herself is a pushover. In addition to speed and agility, she's got a limited amount of flight ability thanks to her built-in wings. And, let's face it; she's a lot better-looking than a kick-boxing plant like Pummel Weed.

This is where, from a technical standpoint, the leap from the original Xbox® video game console to the new Xbox 360 really shows through in the graphics. Originally, we're told, the shapeshifts into different monsters were a complete transformation that didn't really let Kameo herself shine. Now you can actually see Kameo inside the monstrous shapes, something Rare could only pull off with the Xbox 360. For example, when she transforms into Chilla, the mighty ice yeti, you can see her inside moving like Ripley in an exo-suit. When she transforms into the rock-powered armadillo Major Ruin, she curls up into a ball.

Kameo's New Home
While a graphics upgrade is to be expected for a game that's helping launch a whole new Xbox system, we were truly blown away when we got a good look at what Rare has been able to pull off with the new hardware. Every surface is tantalizingly real, using normal-mapped surfaces that provide a stunning level of 3-D detail. But graphics aren't the only new feature that the next Xbox makes possible in Kameo. Perhaps the biggest additions to the original game are the battlefields, areas where thousands of elves and trolls are carrying out ongoing A.I.-vs.-A.I. battles.

The battlefields aren't just cool maps for combat, they're also roads that connect you to the larger game worlds. Taking on the battlefields is entirely up to you. You might decide to take Kameo into battle on horseback, knocking aside foes, or you might decide to skip the fighting entirely and move on to the next world. You might also jump off your horse and make with the morphing for some amazing, one-against-a-hundred action that on any other system would have been a game all by itself.

Kameo Ko-op
Co-op play has always had a home on Xbox (cough, Halo®, cough) so it's only natural that Rare decided cooperative Kameo was a perfect addition to the game when it moved to the next Xbox system.

Co-op play gives you two Kameos for the price of one. More important, it lets you pull off amazing team combat moves you could never accomplish with Kameo alone. It also means you can go at the enemies and mind-bending puzzles with a friend, each of you with a full arsenal of warriors at your disposal.

Anyone concerned that Rare has simply taken an already great Xbox game and ported it to the new system needs to have their eyes checked. Kameo: Elements of Power launches with the Xbox 360 in late 2005, and we can't wait.