Codename Kingdoms Trailer Impressions

"Oh, for a voice like thunder..." The trailer begins with the somber, yearning voice of a warrior. Close shots show us glimpses of his leather armor, his grimy skin, and his metal-studded shield. The warrior walks slowly through the aftermath of a great battle, through discarded weapons and the wreckage of ancient machines of war. These early glimpses are all we know about Codename Kingdoms, a new game for the Xbox 360 by Crytek.

The setting clearly evokes the ancient world. The warrior's garb looks like that of a gladiator, and the blood running down his sword (his own or his enemies'?) identifies him as a participant in the recent carnage. The forces at work are great, and the voice-over makes continued reference to the gods as antagonists. Some snippets we caught include "When the souls of the oppressed fight..." and "When the whirlwind of destruction blows from the throne of the gods..." These, along with other similarly dramatic quotes, all ended with the question "Who will stand?"

At the end of the teaser we got at least a partial answer. The camera pulled back to show our gladiator standing next to two fellow combatants, one of whom carried a battle axe and wore a Mongolian-looking helmet, perhaps representing another one of the titular kingdoms that will be waging war in the game. Though we don't know much more than this, you can bet we'll be scouring the show floor for more news on Codename Kingdoms once E3 2010 begins in earnest.