E3 2002: Crimson Sea Xbox preshow report

Koei gave the press a glimpse at its upcoming Xbox game, Crimson Sea, at a pre-E3 event today. An original sci-fi action title, Crimson Sea takes place in the Theophiolus solar system, where you take the role of a young man with a clouded past who sets out on a journey to realize his destiny. You'll travel to the other worlds in the Theophiolus system, including the floating city of Grarve, the war-torn planet of Ajitato, and the underwater city of Meno Mosso. Along the way, you'll gather a group of specialized teammates to help you in your battles. In addition to your teammates, you'll make use of a futuristic weapon that you can tailor to your play style. You'll also have the ability to perform psionic attacks to clear out enemies.

The game will be set in a real-time 3D world and make use of Koei's "group control engine," which will be throwing an insane number of enemies around in the action sequences. Unfortunately, your enemies will possess as much versatility as your customizable weapon. Some will morph in real time, and others will melt into new forms. Larger monsters may split into a host of smaller forms to attack you individually. Some will even be virtually invisible, thanks to their ability to change shape and blend in with crowds of people. Don't expect too much quiet time in your journey of self-discovery.

While the odds may seem daunting at first, things will balance out, thanks to the game's enemy sensor system, which will let you find hidden enemies by combining controller vibration and game sound to discover hidden foes. The reliance on in-game sound should make the game's support of Dolby 5.1 surround sound a welcome feature for those who are eager to track down aliens.

Koei showed off a short trailer of rendered footage from the game, and it gave viewers a taste of the insanity to expect from the game. We were able to see two heroes face off against a pack of ever-changing enemies that surged toward them. Both characters used a combination of weapons and skills as they tried to fend off their attackers. However, just as the pair was going to be overwhelmed, the male character performed a massive energy attack, which we assume was psionic energy, and it wiped out everything around them. The clip certainly piqued our interest, as we wondered how that experience would play out in the actual game. It'll certainly be interesting to see how the game turns out.

Crimson Sea is expected to ship this holiday season for the Xbox. Look for more on the game in the coming months.