Combinations of all-star talent always build heavy anticipation for the result. Take the upcoming Dark Messiah of Might & Magic as an example. Developed by Arkane Studios (makers of the excellent RPG Arx Fatalis), powered by Valve Software's Source Engine (which powers such classics as Half-Life 2 and the recent SiN Episodes: Emergence) and based in the storied Might & Magic universe, this looked like a sure winner that would stretch both the FPS and RPG genres. It quickly became clear that this is not a hardcore RPG, but more of an action game with some RPG elements that takes advantage of the Source engine to enable combat like you've never seen before in a fantasy game.

Ubisoft conducted a closed beta test of the multiplayer portion of the game and recently released a demo of the early single player areas. Together, these form a picture of a gaming experience that will be thrilling to fans of action and shooter games, as well as those RPG fans who love the combat of games like Gothic or Oblivion.

Controls will be immediately familiar for shooter fans - WASD and mouse. There are of course keys set aside for magic, inventory and other things, but the emphasis is on a key layout that allows for fast action, healing and switching between offensive weapons. There are special combat options that you will use frequently - especially the fun and very useful kick; if you see an enemy standing close to the edge of a cliff, simply sneak up behind and give him a kick. Or, if you are engaged in melee combat and the enemy is in front of a fire or spike, give him a kick to set him ablaze or skewer him! However you use it, mixing up your combat with kicking is a great feature! There are plenty of other combat moves that make the game fun, from jumping attacks to slashes, to a finishing attack that's triggered by a meter that you fill over the course of combat, to other special moves and attacks that lend tons of variety to your attack arsenal.

The RPG elements manifest themselves in a skill tree that allows you to earn and spend skill points by gaining experience through the game. There are three main paths to take - magic, combat and stealth. Within each of these paths are enough options to allow you to customize the type of character you want to play the game with to a large degree. The demo throws a bunch of skill points at you after you've completed the basic introduction and sends you on your way. This was a really nice way of doing things - since the demo is pretty short and focuses on a single area, it's a good way of allowing players to explore different character builds and different tactics repeatedly. And there are many tactical approaches to explore; from the aforementioned kicking to using a freeze spell to create a slick area that a guard slips on like a banana peel, causing him to careen over a cliff to his death, to cutting a rope that results in a barrel dropping on an unsuspecting Orc, there are any number of combinations of skills and environmental hazards that you can use to destroy your enemies.

Once you manage the single player campaign, you can rest assured that there will be a robust and well thought out multiplayer mode to prolong the lifespan of the game. The multiplayer beta showed two things - the quality of the gameplay and the dedication of the developers to constantly improve the game and iron out any bugs. The basis of multiplayer is the battle between humans and the undead. There are a number of game modes, but they all boil down to picking a side and trying to capture territory from the other side by winning maps. The mode available in the beta is a control mode - you battle to gain and maintain control of enemy locations within the map, while also defending your own. Controls and skills are identical to the single player game, allowing you to use what you've learned to shape the perfect character for pitched multiplayer battles. During the beta period the game was being constantly updated - and there were noticeable refinements in quality and performance as time progressed.

The only area of concern is the Assassin (selected using the skill tree in single player or as a class in multiplayer). The single player assassin is functional, but lacks the wow factor of the other classes - it is reminiscent of playing Thief: Deadly Shadows, but not quite as well developed. In multiplayer it's hard to be successful as an assassin against all but the weakest enemies. While magic users seem weak at first, it is simply a matter of learning how to play and develop the class properly. Assassins, however, are difficult regardless of how long you use and develop them. It will be interesting to see how the class plays in the final game.

My impression after two months of beta testing on the multiplayer and several times through the demo is that Dark Messiah of Might & Magic is a thrilling and well-realized game that successfully blends two popular genres and will provide many hours of gaming fun and challenge. It's not a true successor to the venerable Might & Magic games, but rather a spiritual successor that also channels fun combat-centric games like Rune and Blade of Darkness while providing a much better role-playing base than either of those. If you haven't played the demo yet, grab it now (warning, it is 1.4GB and not fully optimised, so you need a beefy PC and Internet connection) and try kicking a few Orcs around - I doubt it'll take long for you to get as excited as I am about the full game's forthcoming release!.

Previewed by Michael Anderson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).