Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse E3 2003 Preshow Report

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, an upcoming action game, will be on display at 3DO's booth at E3 2003. As the title suggests, the game's plot will center around the Biblical prophecy of the end of the world, as foretold in the Book of Revelation. According to prophecy, four horsemen, representing war, death, famine, and pestilence, would arrive on the earth during Armageddon to annihilate humanity. In the game, you'll take the role of the archangel Abaddon, who is trying to thwart the destruction of the world.

You'll have to find three mortals, known as "the chosen," who were born with the ability to fight the titular horsemen. The chosen, in typical comic-book style, are all anti-heroes. One is Jesse Horner, an 18 year-old prostitute. Another is Jimmy Ray Flynt, a preacher turned serial killer, and the last is Anderson Scott, a shady politician who unleashed the horsemen in the first place. The chosen do not know of their powers, although the horsemen know their identities and the danger they pose; it's up to you to find and protect the chosen from the four horsemen until the three can be united to fight for the fate of the world.

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a mature game with extremely graphic violence. Not only do you use weapons like swords, machine guns, and powerful magic in combat, but damage is vividly portrayed via dismembered limbs, tons of blood spatter, and entry/exit wounds on bodies. Death animations (including finishing moves) and other combat animations were choreographed and performed by the same team behind films such as The Matrix, Fight Club, and The Crow. The game's art direction is led by well known comic book professionals Simon Bisley (Judge Dredd and Batman), and Dave DeVries (cover art for Tor books and X-Men comics). Their influence has created a very bleak and gothic atmosphere for a post-apocalyptic world. Even the game's voice acting is star-studded with Lance Henriksen (Aliens and the Millennium tv show) voicing Abaddon, Tim Curry (The Hunt for Red October) as Satan, and Traci Lords (Melrose Place) as Pestilence.

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is scheduled for release this fall on the PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. We'll have more information about the game from the show floor.