Hmmm...some Xena gaming news I stumbled upon.

Subject: Xena Playstation: was Re: Looking for Info on Xena Nintendo 64

Game Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 16:33:31 GMT

From: rlyons@BIGfoot.COM.Yaddah.Yaddah (bobgoblin2000)

Reply-To: no@you.dont

Organization: FREAKS!

Newsgroups: alt.tv.xena

References: 1 , 2


Breckin8 wrote:
> Chad wrote:
> 
> >>>sorry, Nicole, you can still use your N64 for a doorstop, or maybe trade it
> for a Sony Playstation. 'Cause that's the platform the Xena game is coming out
> on.
> PAX,
> Chad<<<
> 
> I can't trade my N64 for a PSX cause I already have one of those. Guess it will
> have to be a doorstop again(unless Nintendo comes out with a decent game
> besides Goldeneye).
> I kinda hope the Xena game will be for the PSX though. It will probably turn
> out better.
> Nicole
> 


I just got back from france and saw this in me news service thingy.  Of 
course the south of france is beautiful this time of year:

 
Xena: Warrior Princess in Horrungus Amongus 
By Joe Fielder 
May 29, 1998 
GameSpot's videogames.com 

While the debate on whether or not Tomb Raider's Lara Croft is a strong 
woman rages on, even in circles far beyond the video game industry, it's 
clear that no one in his right mind would question the power of TV's 
Xena: Warrior Princess. And if a character's strength is any sort of 
measure of a game's worth, Xena's about to give ol' Lara a run for her 
money - because she'll soon be joining her in the 3D action-adventure 
playing field in Universal Interactive's Xena: Warrior Princess (with the 
working title appendage "Horrungus Among Us") for the Sony PlayStation. 

The story behind the title puts Xena and her longtime companion Gabrielle 
in the way of a devious plot concocted by Xena's old nemeses Calisto and 
Ares, the god of war. The evil duo has raised a titan from infancy - the 
three-headed monster Horrungus - intending to control the incredible 
power it will have when it grows up, unleash it upon the world, and rule 
what's left. To test out the nearly full-grown beast, Calisto and Ares 
have captured Gabrielle and intend to either force Xena to help them or 
make the creature destroy both Xena and Gabrielle. 

Along the way, Xena wanders to places like Sisyphus' fortress, Pinnacles' 
temple, the home of the Amazon Birdwomen, and Hades Castle, and she faces 
such enemies as ogres, evil druids, dragons, and Hades' minions (which 
include every bad person who ever died), before confronting Horrungus 
itself. And then Calisto and Ares will, of course, still be waiting in 
the wings. 

Xena fans can expect the game to show more than just characters and 
places from the series, because Lucy Lawless (Xena) and Rene O'Conner 
(Gabrielle) voices their characters' parts and had their faces texture-
mapped for the roles - although the animation is done by hand instead of 
through motion capture. Theme music and sound effects (such as sound 
clangs and Xena's trademark yell) are used as well. 

The gameplay is said to be like a more action-oriented version of Tomb 
Raider, with Xena acting out her adventures in a 3D world, followed by an 
intelligent camera that always puts her in the center of the screen. Her 
moves include punching, kicking, jump kicks, sword and staff fighting, 
and Chakram throwing (her metallic bladed "Frisbee"), as well as the 
special Hong Kong action-movie moves seen in the series, such as hanging 
in the air to kick an opponent in the face repeatedly. The fact that 
Universal is planning over 100 animations in all should ensure that these 
moves look good and smooth when she's executing them. More than 20 levels 
are currently planned for the game (with each main level having a boss 
character to battle), requiring you to visit some of the scenarios more 
than once. Secret levels and characters are also present, found through 
means unknown at this point. 

It sounds like the gameplay is also similar not only to Tomb Raider, but 
Sony's Tenchu as well, since some scenarios might require more stealth 
than out-and-out fighting. For instance, in one level, Xena has to break 
into a fortress guarded by platoons of archers and swordsmen. If she 
marches in directly, she might find herself full of arrows. But if Xena 
sneaks up and ambushes the warriors one by one and then uses the Chakram 
to take out the archers at post in their towers, she should be able to 
get in unscathed. 

Universal's Xena: Warrior Princess is due for release for the Sony 
PlayStation in time for Christmas this year, likely finding itself in the 
company of similar games like Sony's Tenchu and Eidos' Tomb Raider 3. If 
it ends up being the game that Universal is promising it will be, it just 
might be up with or above the rest. 


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