Titan Quest

Infobox VG
title = Titan Quest


developer = Iron Lore Entertainment
publisher = THQ
engine = Pathfinding - PathEngine
designer = Brian Sullivan
released = vgrelease|North America|NA|June 26, 2006
genre = Action role-playing game
modes = Singleplayer, Multiplayer
version = 1.30
ratings = ESRB: Teen (T)
platforms = Windows 2000/XP
media = CD & DVD ROM
requirements = 1.8 GHz. Processor, 512 MB RAM, 5 GB free HD space, NVIDIA GeForce 3/ATI Radeon 8500 or higher.
input = Keyboard, Mouse

"Titan Quest" is a Action RPG developed by Iron Lore Entertainment. It was released worldwide by THQ on June 26 2006. [ [http://pc.ign.com/objects/693/693967.html IGN: Titan Quest ] ] The game was released on Steam, along with "", on July 17, 2007.cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=THQ Brings All-Star Line-up to Steam | date=2007-07-17 | publisher=Valve | url =http://store.steampowered.com/news/1115/ | work =Steam News | pages = | accessdate = 2007-07-19 | language = ] The game is also available via GamersGate.

A "Limited Edition" version was also released at roughly the same time as the original and featuring superior packaging. A "Gold Edition" was later published in 2007 containing copies of both "Titan Quest" and its expansion.

Overview

Players take the role of a hero, fighting monsters in three ancient, mythological world settings including Sparta/Greece, Egypt and Silk Road/Asia. The game was conceived by Age of Empires co-creator Brian Sullivan and features ragdoll physics, full lighting effects, day-night cycles, ancient world mythology, modern 3D graphics, unique treasures, fast gameplay, and a world editor for players to rapidly create their own custom worlds, mods, and quests.

The game has a loot system where monsters can only drop items that they were using. After the player kills the monster the player can pick up the monster's items. The exceptions to this rule are rings, charms (which are invisible on the creature) and monster charms (which are a part of it, e.g. raptor teeth and turtle shells). However, drops are realistic, and the player is able to see what equipment will be dropped.

Frequently appearing are monsters from ancient Greek mythology, as well as skeletons, zombies, Telkines, titans, constructs, and dragons.

Plot summary

"Titan Quest" is based on the end of communication between the gods and humanity. The main character (whose name and sex can be chosen by the player) begins the quest on a dirt road near a small village named Helos. The town and all of Greece have been overrun by beasts and creatures (drawn largely from Greek mythology) that are terrorizing the countryside wrecking harvests, burning farms and olive groves, invading villages and cemeteries, etc. After being sent on a mission to Delphi by the Spartan general Leonidas, the hero finds centaurs, satyrs, minotaurs, gorgons, and skeletons relentlessly guard the way to prevent him from reaching the next village or town. Battling from one rebirth fountain to the next through miles of infested countryside and caves, the hero earns a brief reprieve in the fictional historic recreations of Delphi, Athens, and Knossos. In each town or village the hero passes through, the storyline is expounded through interaction with non-player characters. The cause of the havoc is eventually gleaned from the representatives of an organization called "The Order of Prometheus." A lesser Titan called a Telkine (see Telchines) has apparently destroyed the communication "conduit" used by the ancient priests and oracles to contact the gods. After defeating the first telkine, the player heads to Egypt to look for Imhotep, the man who knows more about the contact between humans and gods than any other mortal. After finding two objects, the player and Imhotep perform a ceremony to reconnect the contact, but the ritual fails. Fighting hyenas, mummies, jackal men, and scarabs, the player finds the second telkine inside the Tomb of Ramses in the Valley of the Kings. The player kills the telkine, but finds a tablet telling of the Sickle of Kronos.

The search for the third (and final) Telkine takes the hero to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, where the Hero must stop the Telkine from obtaining an item called the "Sickle of Kronos". The hero is too late and the Telkine escapes with the sickle, so the hero heads along the Silk Road to the Orient, battling yetis, Myrmidons and the Terracotta Army along the way with stops in the Himalayas, Mongolia, and the Great Wall of China. Chasing down the final Telkine proves difficult as the enemies grow significantly more powerful. Reaching the Jade Palace in China, the Yellow Emperor warns the hero that the Telkine has made its way to release the Titan Typhon from his earthly prison. At the Wusao Mountains the hero discovers that Typhon has made his way to Olympus. After killing the final Telkine, the hero must travel through a portal to reach Olympus and battle the Titan Typhon himself. Upon defeating Typhon, Zeus, the king of the Greek Gods, thanks the hero for their courage and talks about the break in connection with the gods. Zeus also informs the hero that it is time that mankind forge its own destiny.

The game then adds an "Epic" level (and later a "Legendary" level) in which the monsters and battles in the storyline become significantly more difficult, gaining levels and certain special abilities. In addition, the players' resistances are lowered with each successive difficulty level.

Features

*The ability to specialize in up to two of 8 different skill sets, resulting in up to 28 different classes
*Randomly generated equipment, with some "unique" and "set" quality equipment that is largely static.
*Creatures and beasts based on myths and tales.
*Four acts with real world locations.
*Three difficulty levels: Normal, Epic and Legendary. Each grows harder, but more rewards are found with a higher difficulty.
*On-Line play where one can trade, compete, and play together.
*Thousands of items dropped by enemies.
*Powerful map editing tools.

Multiplayer

Titan Quest's multiplayer feature allows 2-7 players to play on the same server. To connect to a server, one can create a server on a LAN, or the Internet. The Internet option announces the server to a centralized pairing system run by Gamespy, which then displays the available servers to other players in a browser-type window, as long as the server and client's game versions are the same. The game does not have a direct IP feature, but players can play via the LAN interface (and thereby also via Hamachi) after establishing a VPN connection.

Immortal Throne

THQ released Titan Quest: Immortal Throne as an expansion pack in March 2007.

References

External links

* [http://www.titanquestgame.com The "Titan Quest" website]
* [http://www.ironlore.com/ Iron Lore Entertainment - Developer Website]