Introduction

Electronic Entertainment Expo

The second day of E3 tends to be slower than the first - the major announcements are out of the way except for the surprises left for the final day, and most people are recovering from the first night of parties. That leaves a lot of time to work and get down to business, which is precisely what we found ourselves doing this fine day.

Interplay was the major appointment we had on day two. We got a good look at four major titles and a sneak peek at an upcoming, as-yet unhyped game.

Giants: Citizen Kabuto

Publisher: Interplay
Developer: Planet Moon
Estimated Release: Winter 2000

One of the most eagerly anticipated games we managed to see and talk about was Giants: Citizen Kabuto. There was a lot of speculation and worry when a major launch delay was announced earlier this year, but after getting look at the game, we find that the worries are likely unfounded.

They Might Be Giants

Rich colors

Most people know the general idea behind Giants. There are three sides involved in the game. First and foremost is the central character of the game, Kabuto. He's a giant beast - literally. He dwarfs any other character found in the game, you can fit either of the other races into the palm of his hand. In multiplayer, which was the focus of the E3 demo, there is only one Kabuto player.

He'll start off usually in the middle of a pre-made map and often be the target of both sides. As Kabuto, the player will find himself impervious to anything except for close-range, powerful assaults. So since so much of the player's focus is on Kabuto, where do the RTS aspects come in? Well, the slave/resource race, the Smarties, can be used as a special food which will let Kabuto lay an egg that will spawn a T-Rex style monster. This monster can in turn eat the cow-like creatures which sustain Kabuto. You can command your pet, having him fetch or attack objectives, guard an area, etc.

Run!

Ready?

Races

The other two races can have multiple players with two or three bases scattered around the map. The Meccaryns are a high-tech race that rely on airpower and military tactics to win the game. They have a lot of cool abilities, among them the ability to cloak, approach and attack Kabuto's weakpoint with a huge bomb that launches him way off into the air. The Meccaryns can also use their scouting helicopters to shred Kabuto's cows, preventing him from healing himself or replenishing mana.

Sea Reaper

Running Reaper

The final race is made up of the magic-casting Sea Reapers. A half-nude race of water-borne woman-like creatures, the Sea Reapers can cast extremely powerful spells which can devastate both Kabuto and the Meccaryns. For example, the totally awesome Tornado spell, which has to be seen to be believed, can either annihilate an entire herd of the cows or shred a Meccaryn force.

Of course, Kabuto's strength cannot be underestimated. Planet Moon is making sure that there can only be one Kabuto for a very, very good reason. Once the giant spots a nearby enemy, it's all over if he manages to grab the unfortunate soul. It's either lunchtime, or he might stick one on one of the giant horn-like appendages attached to his side, to be used later as a missile weapon.