BattleBorne unveils mystery project
Oh so it's a World War II game!
Having already announced their courtship, Acclaim and developer BattleBorne have now announced the latter's next-generation console project due out in June - Combat Elite: World War II Paratroopers.
Yes, it's another World War II game... (A top-down tactical shoot-'em-up sort of World War II game, by the looks of it.) And by now we all know the drill: authentic weapons and equipment, Nazis shouting "Ach, mein stereotype!", and more than 40 levels that, you've guessed it, recreate the most important battles of WWII (that's Operation Market Garden and the winter defence of Bastogne amongst others), dragging players through the hills, plains, farms and cities of France, Holland and Belgium.
Rather like the Medal of Honor series, Combat Elite focuses on the plight of more than 17,000 US and British paratroopers dropped behind enemy lines prior to the infamous D-Day assault on Normandy, and sees players rising through the ranks from lowly Privates to god knows what, with promotions tied into character customisation and new skills.
Set to launch during the 60th anniversary of D-Day (Woohoo! Free publicity!), Combat Elite has been in development for more than two years by a team with a broad resume, including touches of Fallout 2, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. Screenshots of the game, which is powered by Snowblind Studios' game engine, can be found here, and certainly demonstrate some impressive environmental detail, bump mapping and lighting effects.