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Awesome power of Chaos revealed in new trailer; selected unit profiles highlighted; stunning screenshots exposed

September 1, 2006

6 Min Read

[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Game Developer and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press]

Author: Koch Media

Friday, 1st September, Basingstoke, UK Namco Bandai Games America Inc. and Deep Silver today unveiled a lengthy trailer highlighting how Chaos units run amok on the battlefield, a slew of new screenshots and details of individual unit descriptions from its forthcoming real-time strategy game, Warhammer: Mark of Chaos.

Chaos Theory

In the Northern Wastes lies the Realm of Chaos. This is the home to the four Chaos gods: Tzeentch, changer of the ways; Khorne, the blood god; Nurgle, lord of decay; and Slaanesh, the dark prince. Each of these gods can be thought of as epitomizing rage, hope, despair, and pleasure. In the Northern Wastes, Chaos seeps into the world, such great power causes the environment and inhabitants to become tainted and mutated by it. The inhabitants of the Wastes worship the Chaos gods, and thus the warriors that arise here are known as the hordes of Chaos. Generally, the northern tribes of men fight amongst themselves for their specific gods, but every so often, a champion arises and unites the tribes, spreading Chaos into the Old World, usually starting with the Empire to the south.

As the power of Chaos spreads, the Chaos army will continue to mutate and be "blessed" with new powers from the Chaos gods. Hence, units which were basic foot soldiers at the start may take on more powers and dark forms as the game progresses. Chaos offers great power with living armor and abilities not available to the men of the Empire. Chaos Armor is one of the most recognizable characteristics of the Chaos army. These suits of living armor offer unearthly protection against the enemy, often causing fear in those who stand in their way.

All this comes with a great price as the blessings from the gods often requires a painful existence of rotting and mutated flesh. The minds of such devoted warriors also fall into a black chasm of servitude that only intensifies their faith. As horrible and terrifying the common man may find this, for Chaos it is the ultimate gift.

Aspiring Champion Of Nurgle

A veteran warrior of Chaos, this champion is dedicated to the Lord of Decay, Nurgle. Nurgle's Champions, ravaged by disease, are themselves protected from such plagues, for they have become inured to the pain and discomfort, and while their bodies may corrupt, the spirit of Nurgle sustains them when lesser mortals would die. Thus, the Aspiring Champion of Nurgle can endure wounds and afflictions that would cripple others, and yet fight on in his name. They are horrific to look upon, more so even than other Champions of Chaos, for their peeling flesh, their stomachs bloated with corpse-gasses and their charnel stench is a reminder of the fate that awaits all living creatures.

Bloodletters

Bloodletters are Lesser Daemons, known variously as the Footsoldiers of Khorne, the Warriors of Blood, the Teeth of Death, or the Horned Ones. Carrying blades quenched in the blood of a generation of fallen warriors, they march behind twisted banners that flutter in no earthly breeze, accompanied by the chanting of the names of those slain in battle. They are bestial creatures, with snarling, fanged mouths, whose skin drips constantly with blood, their matted manes shaped into spines with dried gore. Like the raging god from which they are born, Bloodletters have no desire but to shed blood on the field of battle. They are clad in fragments of armour, which is sometimes melded to their skin, and wield massive swords.

Warhounds Of Chaos

Many Northmen tribes breed and train massive hounds for a variety of purposes, such as hunting and sport. Some Kurgan tribes delight in the spectacle of trained pit hounds fighting against bears, trolls and other creatures. Generations of selective breeding has created the most vicious and powerful hounds, which are more wolf than dog. These natural killers are made all the more horrifying by the warping effect of Chaos, causing them to sprout horns, tusks, and spines.

Hell Cannon

Part daemon, part War Machine, the Hellcannon of Chaos is a massive construct of iron and brass that growls and shakes with diabolic sentience. In battle, these arcane engines heave great blasts of daemonic energy that arc through the air toward their targets, incandescent explosions liquefying anything they touch and sending the survivors screaming in all directions.

Undivided Sorcerer

Those who use the raw winds of magic to cast spells are known as Sorcerers, powerful spellcasters, able to unleash black bolts of energy from their fingertips, transport themselves from shadow to shadow, or flay their foes with burning fires.

Sorcerers are seen amongst the Northmen as the oracles of the gods, and often act as advisors and counsellors to the northern tribes. They interpret the will of the Great Powers, diving with sacrifices and daemon summoning.

- ends -

About Namco Bandai Games America Inc.

Namco Bandai Games America Inc. is an interactive entertainment software publisher and developer based in Santa Clara, CA. The company is a subsidiary of the newly formed Namco Bandai Holdings (USA) Inc. based in Cypress, CA. As previous separate entities (Namco Hometek Inc. and Bandai Games Inc.) the companies were each known for creating some of the industry's top video game franchises including: Tamagotchi, Tekken, SOULCALIBUR, Dead to Rights, Pac-Man World, Digimon, Ridge Racer, Time Crisis and ACECOMBAT. For more information about Namco Bandai Games America Inc. and its products log onto www.namcobandaigames.com

About Cinergi Interactive

Cinergi Interactive is a subsidiary of Cinergi Pictures Entertainment Inc. whose backgrounds include credits in box office hits The Rambo series, Total Recall, Tombstone, Die Hard With a Vengeance, and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, among others. With the establishment of several development studios, including Black Hole Entertainment, the developer of Armies of Exigo, and Digic Pictures, Cinergi Interactive has now extended its creative power to the production of video game entertainment. www.cinergi-interactive.com

About Deep Silver

Deep Silver is Koch Media's premium games label. Deep Silver has been collaborating with international developers and publishers since 2002 to publish creative and innovative computer and video games. The multi-award-winning X2 and the daring Singles have already put Deep Silver at the top of the charts. Pipeline projects include co-publishing titles with Sunflowers (ANNO 1701, ParaWorld) and JoWooD (SpellForce 2, Gothic 3, etc). www.deepsilver.com

About Koch Media UK

Founded in 1994, Koch Media UK develops, publishes and distributes a diverse mix of titles for home console gaming systems, personal computers and the Internet. Based in Basingstoke, the company has distribution contracts with a number of software publishers, including Nintendo. For publishers not in the UK, Koch Media exclusively markets, sells and distributes titles. Under its own brands of Deep Silver and Europress, Koch Media develops and publishes its own range of gaming and educational and lifestyle software. For more information on Koch Media and its products, visit www.kochmedia.co.uk

Warhammer: Mark of Chaos & Copyright Games Workshop Ltd 2006. All Rights Reserved. Games Workshop, Warhammer, Warhammer: Mark of Chaos, and all associated races, race insignia, marks, names, characters, illustrations and images from the Warhammer: Mark of Chaos game and the Warhammer world are either , TM and/or Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2006, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world, used under license by NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. All Rights Reserved.

For further information on Warhammer: Mark of Chaos please contact:

Tom Sargent ( [email protected])

Tel: +44 (0)1462 456780

BHPR Troopers Yard, Bancroft, Hitchin, Herts SG5 1JW

Fax: +44 (0)1462 456781

For further information on Namco-Bandai Games America please contact:

Kristin Calcagno ( [email protected])

Tel: (408) 235-2132

Namco Bandai Games America Inc.

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