LucasArts announced Armed & Dangerous, a blast-happy action game about a smack-talking group of gun-toting rebels, a ridiculously impossible quest, and weapons that cause really, really big explosions. The game is being developed in conjunction with Planet Moon Studios and is expected to release winter 2003 for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft and PC.
Based on a true story, players take on the role of Roman, a cockney criminal mastermind and leader of a gang of accidental heroes known as the Lionhearts. Armed to the hilt with an arsenal of outrageously powerful firearms, Roman and his crew of Robin Hood wannabes - Jonesy, Q1-11, and Rexus - set out to pull off the ultimate heist and are unwittingly drawn into a rebellion against a tyrant king. In the process the Lionhearts learn some treasures aren't worth stealing and some things are more valuable than gold.
Armed & Dangerous blends an explosive storyline and over-the-top, bullet-splaying action with a twist of humor, says Liz Allen, director of marketing for LucasArts. The game is a distinctive, modern take on the kind of original titles that have played such a significant role in shaping the unique legacy of LucasArts.
Roman's sidekicks include Jonesy, a Scottish Mole Miner and demolition expert. He's acerbic, bitter, sarcastic, and loyal only to the Lionhearts. Q1-11 is an upper class, debonair eliminator droid and the group's muscle, who attained self-awareness through his deep and abiding love of tea. Rounding out the gang is Rexus, a seer and great sage who suffered a tragic head trauma that reduced him to the stinky, unpleasant wreck of the man he is today. Still possessed of incredible powers when he chooses to use them, Rexus is an important key to the Lionhearts' success. Led by a devil-may-care attitude, the Lionhearts rely on ingenuity, their unique personalities, and each other to luck their way through one disaster after another.
Armed & Dangerous is comprised of 21 action-packed missions through five diverse environments including icy and snowy regions, mountains with breathtaking vistas, deep and foreboding woods, and rain-spattered cliffs. The game is set in the rich fantastical world of Milola, which is recovering from the not-so-distant Lime-Dixon Wars and a disastrous icicle famine. Milola, comprised of three countries - Midden, Forge, and Armortia - is ruled by the hated and oppressive King Forge.
Amidst a chaotic hail of bullets and heat of enormous explosions, Roman and the Lionhearts attempt to steal the Book of Rule, Milola's most prized artifact, for it prophesizes the tyrant king's overthrow. To obtain it, they must wage battle with the evil king and his bizarre army of half-man, half-animal Grunts, psychopathic eliminator droids, wall-smashing Goliaths, evil monks and wild twiglets.
The Lionhearts are equipped with a multitude of outlandish weapons such as the Cyclops Sniper Rifle - an ultra powerful shooter capable of taking out multiple enemies in a single shot, and a Vindaloo Rocket Launcher -- which fires four missiles simultaneously resulting in humongous, world-shattering conflagrations. This unique collection of weaponry is complemented by various uber-weapons, like the Sticky and Topsy-Turvy bombs. While the Sticky Bomb adheres to enemies, walls, and any other surface (resulting in great fun), the Topsy-Turvy Bomb momentarily turns the world upside down, sending enemies hurtling into space only to land moments later with a satisfying crunch and bounce.
