WARHAMMER: DARK OMEN (PlayStation)
Published by Electronic Arts for PC, and later on the original Playstation console, Warhammer: Dark Omen is a real-time tactical wargame and the sequel to Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat, echoing the tabletop gameplay of the Warhammer universe. The world is rendered in a fully navigational 3D top-down view with fully developed terrain and textures–an impressive trick feat for the PC version at the time due to the limited technology capabilities back in 1998. Based on the Warhammer Fantasy Battle tabletop wargame rules, and immersed in the Old World of the Warhammer fantasy lore, Mindscape and Games Workshop developed Warhammer: Dark Omen gives players control over infantry, cavalry, archer-squads, support heroes, wizards, and artillery pieces to command on the battlefield–weapons and magic used holistically. The game also features both single and multiplayer modes, as players are tasked with wiping out harbingers of darkness from the world.
SAINT SEIYA: THE SANCTUARY
Also known as Saint Seiya: Chapter Sanctuary, this PS2 title is a 3D action game based on the Saint Seiya manga by Masami Kurumada. Developed by Dimps and published by Bendai, its first release was in Japan back in 2004. Saint Seiya: The Sanctuary allows players to take control of the Bronze Saints of Athena, with other unlockable characters via progression through the story. The game’s story mode follows the first arc of the manga series, while battle mode allows players to pit characters against each other in a duel–in single player or multiplayer format. The fighting game also features a number of CG cinematics to further the story. To incentivize the purchase of the title before its release, Japanese preorders via the official PlayStation website were given a memory card holder in the shape of the golden box of the Sagittarius Cloth–the ‘most powerful’ artifact in the story’s universe. The original Japanese version from 2004 inspired the development of this version, subsequently released on this day in 2005.
CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK: ASSAULT ON DARK ATHENA
A sequel to The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, Assault on Dark Athena was released on this day in 2009 for the Xbox 360 and PC, followed closely by the PS3 and OS X versions within the month. Developed by Starbreeze Studios, and published by Atari, the title featured a remake of Escape from Butcher Bay at the same time of its release, citing a desire to spread the original title to a larger audience before developing the story further. Due to this, Dark Athena has better graphics and AI over those found in Butcher Bay, as well as multiplayer mode. The game’s title is thanks to the addition of a single player mission, involving Riddick escaping into a mercenary ship called the “Dark Athena.” The game was received quite favourably, being praised for it’s voice acting and single player modes.
Some other titles released on this day in gaming history:
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Power of Chaos: Kaiba the Revenge – PC – 2004
- Overclocked: A History of Violence – PC – 2008
- Mortal Kombat X – Android/iOS – 2015
My Life, or Something Like It 