Psychotoxic E3 2003 Preshow Report

CDV Software will be showing off its upcoming first-person shooter, Psychotoxic, at this year's E3. Developed by Nuclear Vision, the game will feature graphics powered by the Vulpine Vision graphics engine, which is capable of advanced effects such as per-pixel lighting, self-shadowing, and volumetric fog.

Psychotoxic's plot centers on Armageddon, which has arrived in the year 2020. The fourth horseman of the apocalypse has arrived in New York City, and the only one standing in his way is the heroine Angie Prophet. She's actually half-woman, half-angel, but doesn't know it at the outset. As she discovers her true origins, she'll gain six different supernatural powers such as invisibility and the ability to slow the passage of time.

Prophet also has the ability to influence people by entering their dreams. In fact, about a third of Psychotoxic's 21 levels will take place in the dream worlds, while the rest of the game takes place in the real world. Some of the dream levels will be bright and colorful, while others will have a more gloomy feel. The opponents you'll find in the dream levels will be different from the ones you face in the real world, and the special environments will allow the level designers to play with the world physics in various ways, such as by reversing gravity.

Prophet's arsenal includes 23 different weapons ranging from revolvers to shotguns and missile launchers. Some special, fantasy-style weapons will be included in the dream world, enabling you to fight the monsters you may find there. To add even more variety and utility, some of the weapons will have a secondary fire mode.

Interestingly, the game will not include a multiplayer mode. Nuclear Vision is concentrating solely on the single-player campaign to try to ensure a quality experience as you make your way through the campaign. Psychotoxic is scheduled for release sometime in the second half of 2003 for the PC. We'll have more information on the game as it becomes available.