Thank god I did. When I popped the game into the XBOX, and started the first campaign the first thing I noticed was this amazing,rock music. Let's just say I am not a rock music enthusiast, but I know some good stuff when I hear it. And this was good stuff for sure. The heavy metal got me so amped up to fight.
The graphics didn't disappoint either and definitely pushed the Xbox to the limit there. I as the main character, Gerald, a fellow swordsman, lead a small army of men throughout a settlement land just after it was attacked. Suddenly, my army was ambushed by a bunch of orcs. So I lead my group of men, sprinting towards them with my Sword raised screaming at them Braveheart style. As I am charging, the music gets more and more intense until you crash into the orcs and start slashing away at them.
Now I am also not a fan of hack and slash games either. But this was not your everyday hack and slash game. As you got deeper into the game, it introduced more elements of Real Time Strategy, where I had multiple units of warriors, archers, calvary, catapults, and other types of units. I directing them to complete different tasks and kill different enemies. The amount of strategy was a perfect balance for the hack and slash action.
Plus when you finished the campaign with one character, you were able to play the game with another character who was part of the conflict. I was blown away. It was unlike any game I had ever played in my life. A Real Time Strategy, with a mix of action RPG and Action. I was hooked and couldn't wait for the sequel. And when Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes arrived I was relieved to see it was more of the same.
So like those of you who have played the game on the original XBox, my mouth watered at the thought of playing the next version on the 360. How Epic would the battles be? Hundreds of warriors, orcs, and elves, battling on screen with no loss of frame rate. The vast landscapes in beautiful graphics would be amazing. The potential for this series to be continued on the 360 was through the roof.
So imagine the shock that I felt when it was announced that the creators of Kingdom Under Fire were changing the next incarnation of the game (Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom) when it hit the 360. They turned it from an action Real Time Strategy, into a regular old RPG. Horrible idea, horrible horrible horrible. Why mess with something so good and so unique? I never got this answer to this. Regardless I avoided the game like the plague and the mediocre reviews it got confirmed that I made the confirmed that I made the right decision.
As time wore on, I forgot about the KUF. As video games got more repetitive, my video game playing slowly diminished to the point that my lowly 360 is collecting dust under my television right now. It wasn't until I started writing this blog that memories of playing that KUF on the XBOX came rushing back. I started writing this blog expecting to start a petition to get the game made as it should be, in the essence of the original Kingdom Under Fire: Crusaders. But after a quick google search and to my pleasant surprise, BlueSide was bringing Kingdom Under Fire 2 to the 360.
Finally the update this game deserves... or was it? I needed to see it in action to make sure. Check out the trailer below to see why I have nothing to worry about. The day this game comes out will be the day I dust off my 360, pray the red ring of death doesn't show up, and relive those days slashing through orcs and elves, and living the life of a true swordsman.
However, the catch is that this game was supposed to come out years ago, and some business problems seemed to hold the game back from being developed. Although everywhere I have checked states that this game should be released Q4 2010, no official release date has been given. Let's keep the pressure on the game's publisher, BlueSide. To make sure they bring this game out and stop delaying it to oblivion.
Just so you can see where the game has come from, I also added a vid of the old school version.
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