Jedi Knight stands as one of the best games ever made, and it won a number of awards for its great level design, its story-driven gameplay, and lightsaber battles. While it didn't quite have the integrated story of Half-Life, which came out the following year, it had at the time the most story-driven gameplay around, in sharp contrast to most of the other run-and-gun first-person shooters. Justin Chin, the designer of Jedi Knight, was lauded for his efforts, and when he left LucasArts shortly after the game shipped, many wondered what he would do next. Now we know.

New Legends, Chin's new game, is a third-person action game in development at Infinite Machine, a company founded by Chin and Che-Yuan Wang. The game uses the Unreal engine, but it sports many enhancements for smoother animation, wide-open outdoor environments, and extremely detailed characters. Although the game looks very good, its graphics aren't its greatest strength. Chin and his team are driving New Legends forward in the same direction pioneered by Jedi Knight: more story-driven gameplay and intense melee combat.

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You play as Sun Soo, the son of a provincial ruler who has been deposed by the tyrant XaoGon, who has conquered all of China in a bid to make China the supreme world power. As Sun Soo, you must travel throughout China to thwart XaoGon and his five elemental generals. Expect a lot of fantastic swordplay, not unlike the heroics seen in Hong Kong martial-arts movies, as you wield sword and staff to defeat hordes of high-tech soldiers and old world warriors. The game's weapons include a complex mix of close-range melee weapons - claws, swords, hammers, and staves - and long-range weapons like rocket launchers, flechette guns, and tank punchers. These two types of weapons will be balanced; melee weapons will cut through armor quickly and be a little faster to counter the longer range of the ranged weapons. The level design is mostly complete, and some of the environments look stunning. There are outdoor areas atop snow-swept Chinese mountains, palatial grounds and tight city walls, and industrial factories, as well as night missions.

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Several non-player characters will join you in your journey in New Legends. Among them are a blue half-demon named Boo, a monk named Topo, and a girl who commands the ancient dragon Talos. These allies will help you in the game by giving you clues or providing muscle when needed. They'll also appear in in-engine cutscenes. There will be many cutscenes that will help illustrate story points and provide you with clues for your next missions.

There will of course be multiplayer support in the final game, although there is little word on what sorts of modes there will be. New Legends is slated for an early 2001 release, and it should make that release date, as the game looks stable and on track. See our New Legends gamespace for more previews and screens.
 

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