THQ Delves Into International Intrigue With 'Broken Sword'
 CALABASAS, CALIF. (March 24) BUSINESS WIRE - March 24, 1998 - THQ
 Inc. Tuesday announced that the company has shipped "Broken Sword:
 Shadow of the Templars" to retailers across North America. The new
 cloak-and-sword graphic adventure game was developed by Revolution
 Software Limited and licensed by THQ from Sony Computer Entertainment
 Europe, for use with the PlayStation game console. The story line of
 "Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars" casts the player as George
 Stobbart, a young American vacationing in Paris. When a mysterious
 clown swaps a suspicious accordion for a distinguished man's
 briefcase in a Paris sidewalk bistro, the ensuing explosion catapults
 George into a labyrinth of sinister intrigue and danger. "THQ is
 proud to bring a quality product like 'Broken Sword: Shadow of the
 Templars' to the many gamers looking for a graphic adventure on their
 PlayStation," said Steve Ryno, vice president, product development,
 THQ. "The in-depth story line, hand-drawn graphics and unique
 characters give players of 'Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars' a
 rich and fulfilling game experience."
 The game features more than 60 hours of game play and hand-drawn,
 fluid animation sequences in full 3-D perspective. Environments with
 rich depth-of-field, and a smooth, multi-layer parallax, scroll at 30
 frames per second. Several characteristics uncommon to video games
 are showcased in "Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars." A senior BBC
 scriptwriter/editor penned the complex and enthralling story line,
 and the intense original score was written by one of Great Britain's
 premier composers, Barrington Pheloung. Designed for both novice and
 expert game fans, "Broken Sword:  Shadow of the Templars" has a
 simple yet powerful interface, and is compatible with the PlayStation
 mouse, as well as the standard controller.  Point-and-click commands
 control the action, and players will soon discover that all complex
 activity and conversations can be accomplished with a minimum of
 effort.
 The bistro explosion propels George into the recovery of a mysterious
 ancient manuscript that was apparently written by the Knights
 Templar, a 14th century order of warrior monks sworn to protect and
 defend the Holy Land from the Saracens. Also guardians of the Holy
 Grail, the Knights Templar were a secret society that was allegedly
 disbanded, although many historians debate whether they still operate
 today.
 Hints and suggestions abound that megalomaniacal fascists may have
 stolen the manuscript, which allegedly possesses some "great secret,"
 as part of a mad plot to undermine our fundamental societal values,
 and reshape the world as we know it. Throughout the course of the
 game, George hops the globe in search of the stolen manuscript. Along
 the way, he meets and interacts with a large and colorful cast of
 interesting characters, including the suspicious Inspector Rosso,
 sexy French photojournalist Nicole Collard, aristocrat Lady Piermont,
 Irish rogue McGuire, and more. "Broken Sword:  Shadow of the
 Templars" is available at retail outlets where video games are sold
 for a suggested retail price of $49.95.
 
From STReport 1412
... "We'll never survive!" / "Nonsense! You only say that because no one ever 
has."
--- JetMail 0.99beta22
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