Reign of Fire - PS2

Tying in with the movie of the same name, Reign of Fire delivers an epic battle of humans versus dragons. Set in the near future, in a time when a race of fire-breathing dragons is taking over the world, the fight is on. Players must decide whether to fight for the sake of mankind or side with the new,erm, guys.

As a human, players take the role of a resistance fighter, controlling a variety of well-equipped vehicles. Their purpose is to defend the last remaining humans from attack and eventually to make their way to the site of the sole male dragon - a devastated London. As a dragon, the player takes the role of an infant, led by instinct to attack its foe at any opportunity and attempt to eradicate the human race. The plot follows the maturing of the dragon, gradually getting more powerful, as the game progresses.

With a game about dragons, there's bound to be a great deal of fire-breathing going on, so in order to recreate the way that fire spreads in real life, developer Kuju have created a completely unique and new 'reactive fire system'. This technology means that every single item in the game is flammable, each has its own flash point, burn rate and the ability to set alight items near it. Essentially the fire lives. It moves from object to object, heating its surroundings as it burns. For example, a small crop fire left unchecked will quickly spread, engulfing everything in its path from humans to livestock and military hardware. Scary stuff.

Crossing epic fantasy with real-life environments and physics, Reign of Fire is quite an entertaining prospect. It's fast, furious, explosive, and, whatever team you opt to fight for, you'll find yourself greatly absorbed.
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