Rise of the Argonauts

by Codemasters

Product Features

• Become a hero in a primal story based on an epic legend artfully re-imagined
• Fight alongside Hercules, Achilles and other fabled heroes, each with their own extraordinary powers
• Breakthrough real-time combat system with dynamic animations and visual damage modeling
• Develop and upgrade multiple weapons, specialized killing techniques, finishing moves and more
• Travel to dozens of unique islands filled with richly researched, intricate detailing

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001CBW18U
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.6 x 5.3 inches ; 4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: December 16, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,334 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #30 in Video Games > PlayStation 3 > Role-Playing

Product Description

Platform: PLAYSTATION 3

Amazon.com Product Description

Go back in time to an era where the Gods themselves walked the earth, and where the battles that occurred brought such fame to their heroes that their stories still resound today. With Rise of the Argonauts for the PlayStation 3, gamers can immerse themselves in one of the grandest tales to be told in the history of modern civilization.

You can immerse yourself into the grand story and mythology of Jason and the Argonauts. View larger.

Rise of the Argonauts has a look that evokes Ancient Greece. View larger.

The Story Unfolds
As the King of Iolcus, Jason had everything: a prosperous kingdom, the respect of his peers and a beautiful fiance, the princess Alceme. But when she was assassinated on their wedding day, Jason vowed to take revenge on her killers, and to restore her life. To accomplish this feat, you, as Jason, must seek out the Golden Fleece with the help of Greek mythology’s greatest

Jason gains new abilities and weapons as he progresses through the game. View larger.

heroes. An epic-scale, action role-playing game (RPG), Rise of the Argonauts immerses gamers in a gladiatorial adventure engaged in brutal combat, with warriors such as Hercules, Pan and Achilles as they traverse a world ruled by mythological gods.

Incredibly Absorbing Play
Rise of the Argonauts immerses players completely in the world of ancient Greece. One way this is accomplished is by streamlining the RPG elements in exciting new ways. For example, rather than increasing arbitrary stats like 'Intelligence plus one', items and upgrades give Jason unique, tangible abilities like the Fist of Ares, which causes shields to explode, ripping apart nearby enemies. And individual battles aren't dependant upon a hit-point and dice system. If you manage to get behind a shield and slice into your enemies' neck, their head will be cleaved from their shoulders. The developers also spent time researching the look and feel of ancient Greek artwork, crafts and architecture for a richness of surrounding that is astonishing.

As in ancient Greece, in Rise of the Argonauts players must curry the favor of the Gods. As you achieve deeds, you can dedicate them to different gods. A god's favor will also be affected by choices you make in conversations with non-player characters. As your favor, or disfavor, with a particular god rises, your abilities will be affected accordingly. But be careful, because the gods like few things better than meddling in the lives of their human subjects.

Amazing Battles are Loads of Fun
The battle system in Rise of the Argonauts is simple enough to pick up quickly, but has more finesse than your typical button masher. In battling enemies you weaken their armor, then their limbs, eventually finishing them off. Weapons can be switched mid-battle to unleash devastating combos, while using god-granted powers can also cause serious damage. Players can also choose how to defeat their enemies, and in so doing find interesting new allies. For example, in one of your battles you will fight Medusa herself. If you kill her, her brother Perseus will grieve for her but join you on your quest. If you save Medusa, however, Athena will command her to join your crew as a beginning to her penance for her misdeeds.

In Rise of the Argonauts gamers will find a deep, and enthralling story that is matched only by the fun of playing it. With a wide range of upgradeable weapons, loads of different heroes to help you, gods to entreat, and an ever-changing story that is constantly affected by the choices you make, the possibilities seem endless. Add to that stunning visuals, a musical score created by film composer Tyler Bates, and a smooth blend of action and RPG that is new to the genre, and this is a game you simply must check out.

You'll recognize characters from classic myths such as Medusa and her head of snakes.

Product Description

Rise of the Argonauts PS3

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very solid and fun game with some minor flaws., December 21, 2008

By 

J. Jones "From Here To Eternity" (Plainfield, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Rise of the Argonauts (Video Game)

[Story:]
Rise of the Argonauts takes place in Ancietn Greece, when the gods walked among humans and all manners of beasts roamed the lands. A place where the line between reality and dream seem to blur together and make anything possible. And that is, in fact, the premise of this entire game: Doing the impossible.

You play as the mythic figure, Jason. King of Iolcus and Warden of Zeus, it is Jason's task to defend his island home from all threat. But when his wife, Alceme, is assassinated by a mysterious figure, grief overwhelms him and he decides to cast his duty aside for a greater purpose: to bring his wife back from the dead.

He denies his wife her last rites, the one thing that will grant her safe passage to the sacred fields of Elysium (Ancient Greece's Heaven). After receiving the blessing of his four patron gods, (Ares, God of War; Hermes, God of Wit and Literature; Apollo, God of the Sun and Athena, Goddess of Justice and Virtue), he sets sail with his friend and son of Zeus, Hercules, aboard the Argo, a revolutionary ship made by master craftsman Argos. Through these four gods Jason draws his strength throughout the adventure.

Jason needs answers, and the one person that he can think of that deals in answers is the one and only Oracle of Delphi. After finding his way and reaching the Oracle he discovers that in order to get the Golden Fleece, he would need the blood of gods, Ares, Hermes and Athena in the mortal realm. Three islands have the mortal representatives of the gods, Mycenae (Ares), Saria (Hermes) and Kythra (Athena).

So, Jason continues the journey to the three islands and, in the meantime, discovers a plot by the dark titaness Hecate's followers, the Blacktongues, to raise their fallen queen and retake Greece back from the gods of Olympus, and Jason has to find a way to stop them, along with obtaining the Fleece.

[Combat:]
Rise of the Argonauts' combat varies. The system itself is solid. You have four weapons to use: Mace, Sword, Spear and Shield and each weapon corresponds with a certain god. Mace - Ares, Sword - Hermes, Spear - Athena and Shield - Apollo. Each weapon, excluding the Shield, has a set of both standard moves and special moves. The mace can smash the ground and create a shockwave to knock back enemies, the sword can perform a dash attack where you close the distance between an enemy instantly, and the spear can be thrown for ranged kills. Those are only an example of the special moves.

But the system's execution is somewhat flawed. It might not be as elegant as the new Prince of Persia's system, but it is in no means a button-masher. You can string together wounding attacks and execution attacks to varying effects, as well as being able to swap between weapons mid-combo for extra damage.

(Ex. You're fighting an opponent with a spear and shield. You draw your mace and begin hammering away at his shield. The shield holds for the first two attacks, then the enemy seizes the opening and attacks with his spear. You block with your shield, then bash it forward into him, knocking him back. You swing your mace once more and the shield breaks, then, with the push of a button, switch to your sword, where you take advantage of the enemy not having a shield and decapitate him with a single spinning stroke.)

It takes some time to learn to string together attacks, but once you learn, it becomes pretty fun. But, in the beginning, it is a button-masher.

[Deed System:]
The major draw of Rise of the Argonauts, aside from the new take on a classic myth and the action fighting, is the new 'Deed System.' When traveling on your journey and speaking with different people, you will be able to respond any of four ways that follow the paths of the gods that watch over you. You can respond aggressive and head-strong for Ares, sly and witty for Hermes, compassionate and caring for Apollo, and virtuous and just for Athena.

Every response directed in the gods' path give you a little more favor with them and every thing you do can be dedicated to each of the gods for different skills and powers. Let's say you kill 25 men/soldiers, you might see something to the effect of 'Manslayer II' run across the bottom left of the screen. Then, when at a shrine, you can take that deed and give it to any of the gods, no matter the type of deed, in exchange of favor for new skills and powers.

One of the good things about this system is that it doesn't restrict you to choosing one way if you only want to follow a single god. Like answering a question in the response of Ares when you try to mainly follow Hermes. The only thing that happens is that you get points for Ares instead of Hermes for that response, no harm done. I would actually encourage responding how you actually would to the situation. Back-talking mercenaries getting on your nerves? Choose Ares and punch them in the face. Or, choose against your nature and go with Apollo and try to solve the problem without hostility.

All the system wants from you is to choose, and be comforted in the fact that no choice is the wrong choice.

[Overview:]
Rise of the Argonauts, though flawed in minor ways, is still a solid and fun experience that I would recommend to anyone that loves: a)Ancient Greece and Greek Mythology, b)a good action-RPG, c)a harrowing tale of love and heroism, or d) all of the above.

Enjoy.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's like God of War, Nintendo style, March 27, 2009

By 

Siege (Virginia) - See all my reviews

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Rise of the Argonauts (Video Game)

Ever wonder what God of War would have been like if Nintendo made it?
You'd get something like Rise of the Argonauts. This game feels like 70 percent The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and 30 percent is a PG-13-rated version of God of War. There is some blood and dismemberment. This is not a bad thing. It is just how I perceive the overall feeling of this game.
I was very excited to play this game when screen captures started showing up in gaming magazines in the months leading up to its release. Those pics prove the art design is great. But, seeing the game in motion is another story. The game lacks a lot of polish. Animations are clunky and frequent slow downs give the game a "still in beta testing" vibe. This sucks some of the life out of what should have been a "can't miss" adventure game.
The back of the box claims the game is an RPG adventure. It would be more accurate to say it is an RPG lite adventure. You earn experience through how you react to various situations. Your reactions will earn you favor with one of four different gods to power up your character. Each area in the game is divided into combat and a bunch of RPG-style fetch quests. I found myself running around doing said fetch quests, more often than fighting off monsters. The story is interesting enough to tie it all together.
The game takes rather uncreative liberties with Greece myths. The basic framework of the myths you are familiar with is there. It is just that the designers flattened out the details to make the background myths feel bland.
None the less. If you like greek mythology, then give Rise of the Argonauts a try. It is easy to overlook the game's shortcomings. It is a great game with some sub-par production value issues. I suggest renting this game more than buying it.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping adventure!, February 21, 2009

By 

Mr. Incredible "Live for the Pump!" (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Rise of the Argonauts (Video Game)

Before I say anything about the game, I must warn everyone.. If you don't like a long story, and lots of reading, than this game will seem tedious to you. As for me, I thought the story and the game as a whole was extremely well done and very refreshing.

Rise of the Argonauts is based on the story of King Jason and his quest for the Golden Fleece. His kingdom of Iolcus is infiltrated, and his wife is assassinated. With this, he sets out for the Golden Fleece with his friend Hercules, to try and bring his wife back from the dead. With many plot twists and choice options, I found this game to be captivating and engaging. You get to make choices, and depending on which choice you make, you are aligned with a certain God: Ares, Apollo, Hermes, and Athena. Codemasters has put in a lot of work in researchging the background story, making a few changes here and there, making it hard to put the controller down. The game itself is about 15-20 hours, and although the action is sparse, I thought it was a lot of fun.

This game is a MUST have for greek mythology lovers, but once again, if you don't like reading, because you will have to run around and talk to many villagers etc., then this game is not for you. But they usually all tie into the story so you get the whole picture, so that's the way I played it. But in the end, I gave it a 5.... out of 5.

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