E3 2002: Harbinger preshow report

DreamCatcher Interactive will have Harbinger, its futuristic PC action role-playing game, on the show floor at this year's E3. The game will be an action RPG that takes place far in the future within the confines of the mysterious and dreaded starship Harbinger. The gigantic ship, which is larger than most planets, has been known to destroy entire civilizations and completely obliterate planets. But Harbinger is also known for its practice of taking slaves. The ship travels the universe, taking prisoners to work in its many camps, as well as seizing innocent victims to use as test subjects for ghastly scientific experiments. However, some of the ship's prisoners have broken away from the main areas of the ship and have formed a resistance force that attempts to rescue other captured slaves and bring them out of slave zones to areas controlled by the resistance.

In Harbinger, you'll play as a member of this resistance force. The game will let you choose to play as one of three character types: a human, a robot, and a unique species of alien. Each of the different character types will be able to use different items and weapons; a lot of items will actually be exclusive to each race, which should help make playing each character a distinctive experience. For instance, human characters will be the only characters with the ability to set special traps for their enemies. The game will also feature a dynamic, event-driven story that will change not only depending on the kind of character you choose, but also on what sorts of decisions you make in the game. In addition, Harbinger will have several nonplayer characters who will present you with a lot of these decisions and will generally help advance the story.

Like Diablo II, Harbinger will be played from a top-down isometric perspective, and like Diablo II, Harbinger will use 2D sprites to represent its characters. However, it will also make use of 3D acceleration for special effects, like dynamic lightning on fires and explosions. Harbinger is currently scheduled for release this fall.