Product description "X-Blades" offers action-packed enjoyment in fantastic Hack-and-Slash style. Using various weapons, spells and tactics, the player must fight his way through many indoor and outdoor levels, killing hordes of monsters on the way. The story, exciting and rich in variety with numerous cut scenes not only motivates the player, it also cleverly interlinks the individual levels. Besides the ‘normal’ monsters, there are also "Monster Generators", which ceaselessly create new creatures (and of course powerful Boss opponents) for the game world. Hidden Power-ups and coins ensure that the player is rewarded for exploring a level. Some locations can only be reached by bold and daring leap/jump combinations. The player will only achieve success in the game if he makes use of the extensive system for the further development of the heroine Ayumi - Experience Points earned, for example, must be converted to Skills. There are various Power-ups available to help the player as well, like combat techniques, magic, weapon enhancement and teleportation and the right mix will lead to success. Apart from that, the use of skills on the "good or bad side" also affects the finale. Depending on player actions, two different game endings await the heroine Ayumi - and that in itself is a hook for players. From Amazon.ca X-Blades invites players into a fantastic universe where the enchanting heroine Ayumi fends off innumerable monsters and imposing bosses with her power, spells, fighting tactics and her deadly Pistol Blades. The anime-style level and character designs are what give X-Blades its special flair. Nearly 40 indoor and outdoor worlds dazzle players in an enthralling rhapsody of color and detail. Nonstop action and vivid magical effects are impressively incorporated in gameplay through the use of cinema stylizing such as bullet time or motion blurring. X-Blades will prove to be a hack ‘n’ slash spectacle for fans of entertaining action games and anime. Meet our heroine, Ayumi. View larger. Hack 'n slash to your hearts content. View larger. Explore spectacular environments. View larger. Unleash hidden abilities and spells. View larger. Enjoy beautiful anime cutscenes. View larger. Story In the distant past the universe of X-Blades was ruled by two powerful beings, the Enlightened on the side of good, helping his people how and when he could and the Dark One who was quite the opposite. Both were revered by all peoples and a balanced, but never-ending battle between the two persisted for centuries. Humans suffered terribly in the constant combat between the two, combat which shook the universe to its very core. In order to ease this suffering, the Enlightened banished the divine power of the Dark One, imprisoning it in a stone, known as an Artifact, but at a price. Inseparably linked, where one of the divine beings went the other was bound to follow and so the power of the Enlightened was captured in a matching Artifact. Together the two were hidden away and peace, as well as balance was restored to the universe. But peace is a fragile thing. It is said that any human who comes in contact with the Artifacts will be cursed and the power of darkness will once again be awakened. Enter the game's heroine Ayumi. As the game begins a map which has been lost for countless years suddenly turns up and it shows the location of the artifacts. Unaware of the curse, the adventurer Ayumi searches for and finds the immensely valuable stones, releasing powerful forces in her body. Her goal and the player's is to discover what the secret of the curse is, free herself from it and at last defeat the darkness.Characters AyumiAyumi is a charismatic heroine and fearless treasure hunter. Now that the map with the Divine Artifacts has been found, she's going on the most thrilling and dangerous adventure of her life. As always, she prefers to work alone - partners just get in the way. JayJay is an adventurer like Ayumi. He rescues her from a deadly trap and attempts to support her in her fight against the Powers of Darkness. Jay is skillful in combat. He uses powerful explosions of light and his punches have to be seen to be believed. The EnlightenedA powerful being who guards the Artifact of Darkness, as a Master of Magic, he uses spells to hurl opponents to the ground and metes out massive damage, but avoids close combat. The only way to defeat him is to use black magic and/or fire magic. The Dark OneThe Dark One is the guardian of the island - he conceals the Artifact of Light. Even the most powerful spells hardly affect him and only a strong blow with a blade can break through his defenses and affect him in any way. Gameplay X-Blades offers action-packed enjoyment in fantastic Hack-and-Slash style. Using various weapons, spells and tactics, the player must fight his/her way through many indoor and outdoor levels, killing hordes of monsters on the way. The story, exciting and rich in variety with numerous cutscenes not only motivates the player, it also cleverly interlinks the individual levels. Besides the ‘normal’ monsters, there are also "Monster Generators," which ceaselessly create new creatures (and of course powerful Boss opponents) for the game world. Hidden powerups and coins ensure that the player is rewarded for exploring a level. Some locations can only be reached by bold and daring leap/jump combinations. Player achieve ultimate success in the game through use of the extensive character development system for the heroine Ayumi. For example, experience points earned, must be converted to Skills. Powerups, such as combat techniques, magic, weapon enhancement and teleportation are available as well and the right mix will lead to success. Apart from that, the use of skills on the "good or bad side" also affects the finale. Depending on player actions, two different game endings await the heroine Ayumi. Key Game Features: Gripping fantasy story with spectacular landscapes and characters.Attractive anime-style heroine.Special Alternate “Demonic Power” mode.Innovative "Pistol Blades" for shooting projectiles and close-quarter fights.Over 40 indoor and outdoor level environments.Over 30 different types of enemies.Over 20 different types of magic in different classes.Strong Boss opponents in fantastic detail and designs.Hidden powerups animate players to explore the levels.Alternate endings depending upon the player’s behavior throughout the game.System Requirements:Minimum Specifications:OS:Windows Vista/Windows XP with SP2Processor:2.0 GHz or fasterRAM:512 MB RAM or moreDisc Drive:8x DVD ROM or fasterHard Drive:5 GB free space or moreVideo Card: DirectX compatible 3D graphics card/ATI RadeonX 1650 256 MB/NVADIA GeForce 7600 256 MB Games for Windows LIVE requirements:PC to PC multiplayer play available at no charge; some features require paid membership in available games. Some LIVE services and downloads require additional hardware and fees. LIVE is not available in all countries. Features may change without notice. Subject to terms of use. Broadband Internet service (sold separately) and a Windows LIVE ID account required. Under 13 requires parental consent