Robin Hood is set to make an appearance on Xbox in Cinemaware's Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown. Full details...
With more projects being announced for Xbox on what seems a weekly basis, it is almost easy to forget those titles that have been previously announced and are slowly progressing forward. Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown is one such title.
You play as Robin Hood (duh) and must restore order throughout England in the name of King Richard, who is mysteriously absent. Evil Prince John (King Richard's brother) has taken over as ruler of the land, leaving people to suffer under his tyranny.
During your adventures as Robin Hood, you will steal from the rich, and, with the help of the usual suspects (Little John, Friar Tuck, Maid Marian, etc.), set out to rescue King Richard and unite England.
Defender of the Crown will be presented more as an action/strategy title rather than a traditional real-time strategy game. RPG elements will be prevalent throughout the game, with your character's attributes improved by mini-games. Online capabilities are also planned, but details are sketchy at the moment.
These same mini-games will also affect the outcome of the strategic portion of the game. Currently, mini-games include jousting, archery competition, siege warfare, mace battle, and the ever-popular open field, two-army clash.
Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown is an update of Cinemaware's 1986 hit Defender of the Crown, origininaly developed for the Amiga. It eventually appeared on several systems, including the NES and Philips CD-i.
Cinemaware President and CEO, Lars Batista, commented, "The blend of a legendary hero such as Robin Hood and Cinemaware's hit franchise Defender of the Crown, presented using the latest in game technology on next generation platforms will make this title an incredibly compelling game for players of all ages".
While Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown is being released on the PC, the Xbox version isn't going to be a port. Cinemaware is currently in preliminary talks with several publishers, and a 2002 release is planned.
Daniel "Monk" Pelfrey
