Titan Quest
| Titan Quest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Iron Lore Entertainment Demiurge Studios[1] (memory optimization & mod tools) |
| Publisher(s) | THQ |
| Designer(s) | Brian Sullivan |
| Engine | PathEngine (pathfinding) |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Action role-playing (hack and slash) |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Distribution | Optical disc, download |
Titan Quest is an action role playing hack and slash video game developed by Iron Lore Entertainment. It was released worldwide by THQ on June 26, 2006.[2] The game was released on Steam, along with the expansion Titan Quest: Immortal Throne, on July 17, 2007.[3] The game is also available via Impulse, GamersGate, GameTap, Direct2Drive and OnLive. In 2013, the IP for Titan Quest, along with most of THQ's other games was purchased by Nordic Games.
A Limited Edition version was also released at roughly the same time as the original and featuring a premium Steelbook tin case. A Deluxe Edition was released containing the original game with all the patches included. Finally a Gold Edition was later published in 2007, containing copies of both Titan Quest and its expansion pack.
Gameplay
Players take on the role of a hero, fighting monsters in three ancient, classical world settings including Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt and the Silk Road/Asia. The game was conceived by Age of Empires co-creator Brian Sullivan and uses ragdoll physics, full lighting effects, day-night cycles and 3D graphics. There is also a world editor for players to create custom worlds, mods, and quests.
Titan Quest's multiplayer feature allows 2-6 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.
Plot
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 world has been overrun by beasts and creatures (drawn largely from mythology) that are terrorizing the countryside wrecking harvests, burning temples, invading villages and cemeteries, besieging cities etc. After being sent on a mission to Delphi by the Spartan general Leonidas, the story revolves around the fictional order of Prometheus and their efforts to restore balance to the world. The hero finds centaurs, harpies, automatons, spiders and scorpions, yetis, undead soldiers and other such monsters derived from myth, relentlessly guarding the way and trying to prevent him from reaching the next village or town. The hero must occasionally face stronger 'miniboss' monsters, usually as part of a side quest. Bosses also appear at intervals generally guarding a main quest item, transportation device, quest NPC etc. The player faces a boss enemy (called telkines) at the end of each 'act' (Greece, Egypt and The Orient) and faces a final boss enemy at Mount Olympus, the Titan Typhon.
Immortal Throne
THQ released Titan Quest: Immortal Throne as an expansion pack in March 2007. It features the continuation of the story. Zeus sends the character to the underworld, where he must battle Hades, the Greek god of the dead.
Reception
As of July 2010 the initial release of the game scores 77 on Metacritic. The primary criticisms in the initial reviews were of the inventory system, sluggish performance on some types of systems, and the game's perceived excessive similarity to Diablo II. The expansion pack Immortal Throne fixed a number of these issues, including performance speed and inventory management. Immortal Throne was well received and praised for its high level of polish - as of July 2010 Immortal Throne has a score of 80 on Metacritic.
References
- ↑ Demiurge Studios, Demiurge Studios, retrieved 2012-07-05
- ↑ "IGN: Titan Quest". Pc.ign.com. 2006-06-24. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
- ↑ "THQ Brings All-Star Line-up to Steam". Steam News (Valve). 2007-07-17. Retrieved 2007-07-19.