Warhammer: Mark of Chaos: Final Remarks Company: BANDAI NAMCO Games America, Inc. One of the really neat things about the whole reviewer gig is getting the chance to talk to developers. There’s something about talking to the people behind a game that really makes you think about how they approached aspects of the game in relation to how you, the gamer, does. I recently had the opportunity to participate in a phone conference with Chris Wren, Senior Producer for the upcoming Warhammer: Mark of Chaos, and get his pre-release thoughts on the game. Mark of Chaos is gearing up for release later this year and is already enjoying a positive reception based on the release of the single-player demo. Wren even remarked that he, as well as the team, was surprised with just how positive the reaction has been. While only a single-player version of the demo has been released so far, multiplayer is a major component in Mark of Chaos. One of the main focuses for multiplayer is about putting the player at the center. Players can fully customize their armies, right down to the color scheme and banners. Clans can even design their own standard to bring into battle. As Wren put it, the aim is for players to identify with their armies similar to the atmosphere found in the tabletop Warhammer games. Players can also customize the composition of their armies based on either point values or the map type. The thought is that players will have more than one army setup depending on the map. The army creation system is so deep, in fact, that you can recreate armies you’ve seen online and practice against them. Five A.I. types are available to choose from, which should give you plenty of conditions to test your army against. Placing players at the center of it all is about more than fancy color schemes. Player progress will also be marked through a series of stats, including ladder rankings, favorite maps, army make-up and previous matches. Top players will even have the chance to earn medals. This should give players bragging rights and should instill competition between players. According to Wren, players on the official boards are already chomping at the bit to play each other and a few rivalries have already grown out of the online Beta tests Stats will also be used when finding players for tournaments. Clan stats will also be tracked. Multiplayer games are all about quick skirmishes. Rather than seeing who can come up with the most efficient micromanagement plan, it is about who can come up with the best strategy while in the thick of battle. During skirmish games, you are limited to a certain army with no chance of reinforcements. This goes back to the idea of creating your own army and testing it out against as many army make-ups as you can. For players looking for a more traditional RTS, Mark of Chaos also offers resource games that can sometimes last up to 2 – 3 hours. Based on the interview, it is hard not to get excited about Warhammer: Mark of Chaos. If you’re an RTS or Warhammer fan, keep your eye out for Warhammer: Mark of Chaos when it hits shelves this month. -Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker Related Links: Warhammer: Mark of Chaos -- Single-player Demo Warhammer: Mark of Chaos -- Official Site Namco Bandai Games