AOL's teen site, RED, is now offering FIRECHILD: TOURNAMENT OF THE ANCIENTS, a 3D, sci-fi action, multiplayer, console-quality game available for download and online play for free exclusively at www.firechildonred.com. TOURNAMENT OF THE ANCIENTS takes place where AOL RED's original FIRECHILD series left off and will introduce gamers to a new battle arena and new characters.
The new features will include two clans of young warriors -- one led by Lona and the other by her older brother Waken -- who must train together in the ruins of a dangerous and ancient arena to prepare for any possible enemy attack.
Developed by Sarbakan, this multiplayer online game enables up to eight players from two different clans to take part simultaneously in realtime, shooter-type action. Each clan has access to four different character classes with distinctive skill sets and weapons. TOURNAMENT OF THE ANCIENTS also features three game modes: Death Match, Team Death Match and Capture the Flag Cooperative Mode. Each character can advance through five experience levels and has access to multiple weapons, including the electrifying Scorcher, and power-ups ranging from speed bursts to armor boosts.
"The animations, effects and 3D environment of this game rival the quality of retail PC games," said Jacquie Moen, vp, AOL Kids and Teens. "We are thrilled to offer RED's audience this high quality game for free on the open web."
The art direction and original design of the FIRECHILD universe has been adapted to make this multiplayer experience visually appealing and different from any other first-person shooter game offered on the Web. FIRECHILD: TOURNAMENT OF THE ANCIENTS can support up to 800 simultaneous players, with a maximum of eight players per game. The game uses a 3D engine developed by Sarbakan, using VirTools, with no plug-ins needed to play the game. A Broadband connection, 30MB of hard drive space and a PC running Windows are required to play.
RED (www.beRED.com) is AOL's all-encompassing online hot spot for teens offering a wealth of content, including viral videos, comics, anime, news, entertainment, games and music, as well as easy-to-use tools for blogging and socializing with friends.
Founded by pioneers of the interactive entertainment industry in 1998 In Quebec City, Sarbakan (www.sarbakan.com) is a creative studio supplying cross-platform interactive entertainment content for clients, such as Warner Bros, AOL, Kids' WB!, ABC, Hasbro, Viacom and Sony. In addition to providing its clients with licensed games production services, Sarbakan also offers titles based on its own roster of intellectual properties, which includes such successful products as FIRECHILD, GOOD NIGHT MR. SNOOZLEBERG, THE BLACK SQUIRREL, ARCANE and STEPPENWOLF.
