Rise of the Argonauts coming later this year

Game publisher Codemasters along with developer Liquid Entertainment are hoping to offer a new generation a classic Greek story with the upcoming release of Rise of the Argonauts, due sometime 2008 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Codemasters won’t be following the original Greek story in its entirety but will borrow many of its heroes, villains, creatures and themes for its up coming role-playing game. From the looks of the first teaser trailer, Rise of the Argonauts is going to be heavy on the action and gore.

IGN has also posted the first two character shots for Rise of the Argonauts, Jason and Hercules (or Heracles as he was called by the Greeks). The images show that the art direction is defiantly taking more liberty with the design than what the classic film shown.

For those who aren’t familiar with the story, Jason was to be king of the Greek city-state, Lolkos, but, as an infant, his father was over thrown by his jealous brother. Saved by his mother, Jason grew up not knowing his true identity. Once an adult, the goddess Hera took favor on Jason and told him about his true identity. To reclaim his throne, Jason assembled a virtual Who’s Who of Greek heroes including world renowned Hercules. With more than a hundred famed heroes who would become known as the Argonauts, Jason set out in search of the mystical Golden Fleece. Of course there is a whole lot more to the story.

As a kid I recall my mother sitting me down and making me watch her VHS copy (remember those?) of Jason & the Argonauts. Of course, I didn’t want too watch the movie because it was old, but afterwards, I began a life-long love affair with classical mythology and history.

Read [IGN]