The game Two Worlds, to be published by SouthPeak Interactive and being developed by Reality Pump, is looking polished indeed. The freewheeling, make-your-own-story premise was enough to catch the attention of the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows/PC gaming communities. However, they seem to be doing pretty well in the graphics department as well.

The screenshots they released are looking really good for a next-gen game. The desert-like environments have a gritty, earthy feel to it with no apparent clipping problems. What will make or break the game however is how it plays (i.e. interface, fps, gameplay balance, etc.). At least we have an idea that it will look good.

Slated to be released in May 2007. We are still awaiting it's release to see it's all that it claims to be. While we wait however, treat yourself to a few of the screenshots.

   

South Peak Interactive has just released new info on their upcoming Reality Pump-developed RPG, Two Worlds (Xbox360, PC). In addition to having the MMORPG mode which we told you about earlier, the PR says that the game will also allow you to create your own recipes for elixirs, bombs, weapon power-ups, and tons more.

However, players would be highly dependent on the availability of the ingredients needed (well duh..) in making the desired formulae work. But with vast lands for you to explore in the game, we doubt you'll have any trouble looking for those plants and herbs you're gonna need. In case you do have problems looking for ingredients (or you're too busy to do so), don't worry. You also have the option of using ready-to-drink potions in the game.

But before you get all excited, you should know that each ingredient has its own properties and composition, so you might wanna lessen the trial-and-error attempts when mixing up herbs to avoid doing something horribly awful or just plain irreparable. After that you can even save and share your concoction via the game's cookbook. All you have to do is drag and drop the selected ingredients into the pot and wait as you create your own chemical compositions.

To see how this whole Alchemy System will play out, click on the read link below and watch the teaser animation of how the interface works. Enjoy!

Unparalleled. Unprecedented. Two words for Two Worlds, appearing on two platforms, as IGN's RPG Vault exchanges words with Topware Interactive managing director James Seaman. Unprecedented freedom in story progression. Unparalleled character customization. Sound bites for a PR, but the point of the interview is for the game's premise to prove those claims.

Seaman delved into the unparalleled and the unprecedented. Character customization alone features the ability to change job classes or "careers" with minimal penalty: rather than having to back to square one as in most other games of the genre, Two Worlds allows the player to carry over some of their existing skill points from the old job into the new one. The game world lends itself to this freedom, from dynamic fighting styles and "stackable" magic system, to a living world where every decision one player makes will have an impact.

Maybe part of that "unparalleled" and "unprecedented" stems from the homework done by Reality Pump. Seaman cites "lessons from other RPGs," "what the fans want," and an extensive outreach to the community as factors in both the development of and publicity for Two Worlds. So maybe it's unprecedented because, well, Reality Pump didn't want to become an Oblivion also-ran. Explains all that extra land.

Fantasy RPG Two Worlds, developed by Reality Pump Studios and co-published by TopWare and Southpeak Interactive is set to be released this spring for both the PC and the Xbox 360.

Of course, given that other big name RPGs are out in the open at the moment -  say for example, Oblivion - we gamers are going to need ample reason to set aside a few of our resources to check this particular offering out.

An interview with the game's producer, James Seaman of Topware, reveals several of the game's selling points and gives us (at the least) reason to consider checking this game out. When asked what environments or settings Two Worlds will offer players, James Seaman had this to say:

The landscape in Two Worlds is vast, and there’s basically every kind of environment you can think of. We’ve got forests, plains, deserts, mountains, swamps, bamboo forests, arctic conditions, a vast underworld…exploring the entire world is a feat unto itself! For those that played and explored Oblivion, there is 33% more land to roam here.

Aside from the fact that the game world is significantly larger in Two Worlds, Seaman is also proud that they managed to (or so they claim) remove the feeling of monotony when you reach a certain power level within the game. Seaman explains:

We were tired of the fact that when you get more powerful, searching felled enemies and treasure troves becomes more of a practice in monotony because you already have so much good stuff. What we’ve done is incorporated a system that allows you to stack similar items and continually add new enchantments. So even though you might just find an axe, maybe you’ll be able to smith it together with another axe you already have to create something even more powerful.

It’s the same philosophy with our alchemy and magic systems. There’s never a useless ingredient or spell, you just have to figure out how to put them to the best use with what you already have.

Other details revealed in the interview include the fact that the Seaman thinks that it isn't right for them to "unfairly try to encapsulate it with a demo" (no demo folks, we repeat, no demo), that the developers have a target date of May for the game's release, and that they're extremely proud of the graphical features of the game. But then again, who isn't proud of the graphics in their game?

To read the full interview, feel free to use our "Read" link below.

Reality Pump's explanation for Two Worlds' magic system sounds more like a convention of Magic: The Gathering players than the usual explanations of tapping into the Twisted Nether, sucking up Lifestream, or if your last name is Blaine or Copperfield. It's tied to a card system, organized in the Magic Book, and divided into five elementals or "schools": fire, water, air, earth, and necromancy.

Each school's name sounds descriptive enough, so we can move on to levelling up magic. Every player always begins with a clean slate devoid of any magic and must seek a master of a school of magic (except Necromancy) who will take him on as a Padawan and teach him the ways of the Force (... you get what we mean). Necromancer wannabes gotta find and gain the trust of certain NPC characters in order to learn the black arts. There is a reason why it is called the black arts, after all.

Once he has mastered the basics of a school, the player should be able to access first-level skills, or "magic of the first circle." There are five circles of increasingly powerful magic per school, and to advance to the next circle, the player must collect skill points.

Now as to the magical skills themselves... as we said. it's Magic. They come in cards that can be bought and found anywhere in Antaloor. Aside from the magics themselves, there are also "booster cards" that can be used to augment active magic spells. Three boosters max per active magic spell. "Booster cards"... how Magic: The Gathering (Somehow, we wonder if the Xbox 360 version will take advantage of Marketplace to offer cards for cold hard cash).

To use these cards, simply drag a selected card from the Book into the Hotkey bar, where it will be readied for use. To activate, simply right-click on the desired card. Again with the Magic: The Gathering. Undeniably it's one very easy gameplay way to access and use magic in such an RPG as Two Worlds. Now if you will excuse me, I have a Booster Pack to purchase...

"Oblivion killer". Those two words alone pretty much sum up the hype that surrounds Reality Pump's Two Worlds, and so far, everything seems to be indicating that the hype is for real. With its beautiful graphics and enormous and diverse world, this free-form RPG for both PC and Xbox 360 really does seem to have what it takes to push the RPG genre to the next level.

So it's got beautiful pictures. We all know that's not enough reason for a game to become successful. The correct balance should be struck between gameplay and visuals. For a taste of what's to come in Two Worlds, we turn to Reality Pump Technical director Miroslaw Dymek.

In a recent interview with Gaming Target, Dymek outlines Two Worlds' combat system, the magical forces that players will be able to harness in-game, and the impact of accountability and player choices have in Two Worlds. Regarding accountability, Dymek says that "whatever you choose, the decision will resound with serious consequences later in the game," showing just how much depth there is in this game.

Dymek also talked a bit about the game's multiplayer features, something that has been regarded as uncommon in an RPG that has such a deep single player experience. Here's what he had to say:

"The multiplayer sessions differ from single-player campaign in several ways. First of all, the sessions take place on special maps. Side quest and monsters are generated in accordance to the level of the participants with main theme of the map unchanged. There are up to 8 players in the same session and it is their decisions to they cooperate, change sides or fight each other.

"The second serious difference from single-player mode is the complete freedom to customize your character. There is a wide range of races, classes, and skills to be chosen as well as powerful tool to customize the look of the hero. What does not change is the openness of the character development process, freedom in dealing with tasks and simply huge load of fun."

Sounds pretty darn good to us. For the full interview, click on the 'read' link below.

As the wait for further news on Two World's release date, you gotta remember that being a mercenary, honor isn't necessarily part of your vocabulary. Being a merc takes smarts, guts, and most of all, stealth.

Speaking of stealth, we'll be talking about one of the aspects to this game we're sure the sicker minds out there will be sure to love: traps.

Two Worlds will be implementing a comprehensive traps system, and while of the traps we've seen in RPG's and MMO's alike are built more as a support tool, Two World's brand of mischief is a more stand-alone package. This will allow any wannabe rogue out there the option of killing their enemies with a well-placed bear trap, as easily as a warrior with a Broadsword, or archer with a long bow would.

With regards to this, we've also enclosed videos of some of the traps players can expect to find (or step on) in-game. From what we've seen, they look like they belong in some old tomb the next time some Lara Croft or Indiana Jones character comes-a-raidin'. Well, enough of the bad reference jokes. Enjoy the vids!

Download: [Two Worlds trap videos]