There are four other characters as well, all of whom will eventually join your party, regardless of whom you chose at the beginning of the game. They're all a bit more interesting than the typical bruisers and babes too. There's Seris, a Dragon Mage/Wizard full of fire, air and earth magic; the regal High Elf Tull; an Amazon barbarian named Jayla; and Janos, a dwarven tinkerer with a penchant for explosions.
Those aren't the only advances, either. For instance, you can actually see monsters far in front of you, even looking down upon them from cliffs, enabling you to strategize. If you see some real wreckers, will you swap different magical stones into whichever of the hundreds of weapons you're wielding to deal extra damage? Will you bail out and play some multiplayer action to accrue more experience and level up? Maybe you'll just be sure you remember which characters can execute which special combos with one another. Either way, when the Apocalypse comes, we'll be salivating with anticipation.
May 8, 2006
