Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance E3 2005 Preshow Report

Capcom showed off more of Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance at its E3 press conference today, revealing more details about this new action game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. In the game, you play as one of five mercenaries looking for revenge against their enemies in the seedy criminal underworld of Las Sombras. The game mixes action with a gritty urban environment, where you'll experience betrayal after betrayal as you battle various cartels. Beat Down features multiple gameplay modes and an open-ended design that will let you explore the world on your own.

The town of Las Sombras is brimming with criminal cartels, and when one of the most powerful drug lords discovers that a rival clan is engaged in a big drug deal, he dispatches five of his top mercenaries. However, when they get there, they discover their target is already dead and, even worse, that they've walked into an ambush set up by their own cartel. So now the question they must solve while they're on the run from both law enforcement and the cartels is: Who double-crossed them? And could it be that one of them is a traitor?

The five playable characters in the game each has a personal story. Raven is a rough-and-tumble rebel who likes to fight. Jason G is an orphan who fights to survive and protect his friends. Gina is a beautiful assassin looking for revenge against a former lover. Lola is a professional assassin from South America. And Aaron is the bastard love child of Zanetti, the head of the most powerful cartel in Las Sombras.

Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance should ship for the PS2 and Xbox later this year. For more information, check out our recent impressions from some hands-on time with the game.