Stormrise release imminent

The game is the latest brainchild from the Australian arm of Creative Assembly, the makers of Medieval II: Total War, and pits players at the heart of a multi-layered war for supremacy on a ravaged planet.

Players can command units in the air, across rooftops, on the earth's surface and even underground; this unique idea of "verticality" introduces multiple layers of gameplay that must be mastered for strategic advantage.

The experience is heightened by a simple yet effective control system tailored specifically for consoles, which allows easy unit selection, rapid navigation and precise deployment.

"The Creative Assembly have proven their general leadership in developing RTS games through the award winning 'Total War' series on PC", said Gary Knight, European marketing director of SEGA Europe.

"However, Stormrise has been built from the ground up specifically for high def consoles to provide a more intense, frenetic style of game that, coupled with the all new control mechanic, will revolutionise the way RTS games are played."

Set on a bleak and barren earth, devastated by a catastrophic event centuries ago, Stormrise sees the Echelon and the Sai battling to survive in a hostile and uninhabitable wasteland. Remnants of a superior technological people the Echelon survived the event through self-educed hibernation, whilst the Sai, a more tribal faction, still exist having learnt to adapt to their surroundings and the new environment.

Having evolved in vastly different ways, the differences between the two factions have spurred much animosity and hatred between the two races, and the future of the planet is now hanging by a thread.

UNIT DESCRIPTIONS:

Echelon

Stalkers

Stalkers are tall menacing bipedal machines engineered to swiftly destroy their enemies. Multiple Stalkers on the move usually means a quick, brutal end to any conflict. Equipped with tremendous armour, the Stalker also has mini-guns, surface-to-air missiles and a powerful anti-armour laser at its disposal.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

'¢ Sam Missiles: Airborne units don't stand a chance against the Stalker's surface-to-air missiles.

'¢ Laser: The Stalker can transform into a devastating anti-armour laser.

Seekers

The eyes of the Echelon, Seekers were originally manufactured hundreds of years ago after the awakening to patrol the frontier and alert the Echelon to brewing trouble spots. Once a danger zone was discovered the Seekers would loiter around the area providing useful combat data to friendly forces including radar telemetry. That function is as useful today as it was when they were first created.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

'¢ Targeting Feed: The Seekers can use their Targeting Laser on nearby enemy units, giving all friendlies firing nearby an accuracy bonus.

The Eclipse

The Eclipse is the most powerful vessel ever created. Built to shield and save mankind from the storm, this vessel dwarfs anything created before it. With the state of world affairs in constant conflict, the Eclipse was modified to carry a battery of weapons, including the most powerful weapon ever created, the Polaris Rift. One unforeseen side effect of the anti-storm shielding was the shutdown of any Sai abilities underneath it.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

'¢ The Polaris Rift: The Polaris Rift is the main weapon of the Eclipse. When fired, it generates a Super Rift which causes a titanic explosion and destroys anything beneath it.

'¢ Anti-Ground Mode: The Eclipse changes its Anti-Air default focus by lowering itself and concentrating all of its defences on ground targets. This reduces its damage from ground-based threats and directs all its firepower that way as well.

Sai

Matriarchs

In the quest for the ultimate assault machine by Sai scientists, Matriarchs are a creation of genetically manipulated crabs infused with Sai energy. The gigantic and heavily armoured Matriarchs were more than the Sai bargained for. The first surprise was when the Matriarch gave birth to a clutch of Broodlings that swarmed to protect it. The second surprise was when the Matriarch launched jets of acid out of two toothy sphincters on its shoulders, sometimes at tremendous ranges in acid rain-like attacks.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

'¢ Acid Rain: The Matriarch shoots a high arcing gout of Acid which rains down, melting all those below.

'¢ Spawn Broodlings: The Matriarch can give birth to a swarm of Broodlings who upon emerging will protect the Matriarch with much ferocity.

Rift Worms