Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising - day five

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Check out our virgin impressions of the lava hot dungeon, Volcanic Vents as our EXCLUSIVE coverage continues

Game designing sleight of hand tricks like this really made the Volcanic Vents a memorable dungeon run. It's a simple idea to bring these enemies to life to remove the grind of backtracking through the dungeon as you now have new challenges to deal with on your way back. But the eerie mystery of the statue-like stance of the automatons on your way in, and the uncertainty regarding whether or not they'll attack when you first pass them, makes their awakening all the more enjoyable.

It reminds us of the soon-to-be victim in a horror creature flick who is carefully making his way past many painfully clear signs that the monster is just around the corner. Seeing him take each step towards certain death makes you want to scream "Don't open that door! The monster is in there!" You know something is up with the automatons the whole time that as you pass them. But knowing that you'll have to fight them at some point, doesn't ruin the moment when they finally do spring to life.

After cutting through the now lively automatons, we took out a fearsome Cerebus, and made quick work of the lord of Volcanic Vents, Trelos. But as impressive as the last boss was, fighting him was your typical MMO affair. WithHedlund holding aggro,Ruelas topping off our health bars, and us damaging and light healing when possible, Trelos was a piece of cake. Still, the sophisticated layout of the Volcanic Vents instance and its use of the automatons are the sort of thing WoW players don't get to experience until they reach the end-game raidslike Molten Core or Zul'Gurub.

This week, we've covered everything from Hero feats and god powers to bathhouse bikinis and dungeon runs. Expect to see the latest details on Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising as its August 2007 release date draws nearer. In the meantime, head here if you missed any Gods and Heroes features this week. And don't forget to click the Images tab above for more exclusive screens from the game.