the-first-templar posts

Here's another character trailer for The First Templar. Honestly, we can't really tell much of a difference between this fellow and the previous psychotic killer, besides maybe visually. Lots of killing, both of normal people and of what appears to be a giant of some kind. This trailer is so similar to the previous one that one can probably skip it, since it doesn't really examine Celian in any appreciable detail.

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This trailer for The First Templar is what we like to see. Character banter mixed with in-game footage from the player's perspective. In this particular case, the banter is from a murderous soldier named Roland. Lots of brutal melee kills and spurting blood abound, although the normal one-two swings do seem a bit stiff. We wouldn't be surprised if he actually turns out to be the bad guy, if this trailer is any indication. Not many good characters are this ruthless!

Download the The First Templar 'Roland' trailer
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The co-op themed historical action game The First Templar now has a firm release date and its smack dab in one of the busiest time periods for PC game releases in 2011. The title from developer Haemimont Games and publisher Kalypso Media is now due for release on May 10.

As we have mentioned before, May 2011 will be a very crowded time for new games to be released. Titles like F.E.A.R. 3, Duke Nukem Forever, Red Faction Armageddon, Brink, Dungeon Siege 3, the PC port of Fable 3 and The Witcher 2 are already confirmed to be set for release that month.

When we first heard about The First Templar we were intrigued by the thought of a co-op themed historical action game. Then we heard that the game was being developed by Haemimont Games. This Bulgaria-based company had previously made historical strategy games like Grand Ages Rome and more recently revived the Tropico island dictator government sim series. Could this same team make an action game.

We got a chance to find out when we got a beta copy of The First Templar to play for ourselves. The game, to be published in March by Kalypso Media, puts you in control of one of two Templar Knights in the 13th century that are out to battle various evil forces, from rescuing ladies to taking out big lumbering beasts of men and more. You also are in the middle of uncovering a conspiracy that will lead to ... well, that would be telling at this stage.

Publisher Kalypso Media has a number of upcoming games due out in the first quarter of 2011 and today the company revealed specific release dates for two of them. One is Dungeons, the Dungeon Keeper-like strategy-RPG game from developer Realmforge. That game is due out on February 10. The other is The First Templar, the co-op themed action-adventure game from developer Haemimont Games. That game is scheduled for release on March 30.

In addition both games will be getting exclusive content if you purchase them via the Steam PC game service. There's no word yet on what specific content will be available on Steam.

Earlier this year developer Haemimont Games and publisher Kalypso Media announced plans to release the historical-themed co-op action-RPG game The First Templar. Today Kalypso announced that the developer is now taking sign-ups to beta test the PC port of the game.

There's no word yet on when the beta test will begin but the sign-up page seems fairly basic in its requirements. The game itself, which is still set for release sometime in 2011, will emphasize the co-op features as players control either a French Templar knight and a noble lady as they go on a mission in 13th century Europe.

Haemimont is better known for their revival of the Tropico franchise, but that doesn't mean they are neglecting original properties. The First Templar is one of those new properties, and from this trailer... looks suspiciously like Assassin's Creed! While we're holding off judgement, there's certainly a lot of elements that seem to reference Ubisoft's hit series. Running on roofs, the combat system, and even the dive at the end of the video are all reminiscent of Altair's (and Ezi's) adventures against the Templar. We're interested in just how The First Templar will turn out solely based on this apparent connection.

Games set in the Middle Ages are nothing new, of course, but the folks at developer Haemimont Games hope they have a new way of handling such games in their recently announced title The First Templar. Due for release in 2011 by publisher Kalypso Media, the title is a co-op themed game with a Templar knight and a lady teaming up to fight the bad guys.

Big Download got a chance to ask some questions to Nikola Ikonomov, the game's designer, and he gave us some new details on the title's background, development and why they are making an action game after so many strategy-sim titles.