If the name 10tacle Studios rings a bell, it's probably because you've had a chance to play their award winning GTR racing simulation series. Sure, they have a few other semi-popular real time strategy games out as well, but the last thing we expected to see was an action role playing game. Nonetheless, 10tacle is currently working on Elveon, which is actually shaping up to look like a promising title to add to your PC or Xbox 360 collection sometime next year.

The story of Elveon revolves around an elite elvish warrior caught in a feud dating back to the origins of the elvish race. As you journey through the mythological world of Naon, a story of mythical heroes, eternal cities, and divide judges will unfold right before your eyes. The fall of the ancient city of Nimathar caused a division amongst the Elf race; and our hero will set out in order to make things right again.

You stupid, fat hobbit! I mean Elf..

Generally, when gamers see an action RPG such as Elveon they immediately think button masher. Luckily, the developers aren't following the same unwieldy route that has been beaten to death over and over again. The combat system is much more precise in that you really have to stay aware of your status and surroundings. For one thing, the warrior will get fatigued if you repeatedly perform heavy attacks, so you'll have to consistently change pace by throwing in light attacks or even hanging back and waiting for the perfect opportunity to counter. The battles aren't quite as fast paced as titles like Heavenly Sword are, but what Elveon lacks in speed it makes up for in terms of control.

In the weapons department, there are four basic ways to arm your warrior. Daggers do the least amount of damage, but because they are lightweight and can be dual wielded there will be plenty of scenarios when these will be your best friend. Bows offer the only ranged attacks in the game, which will give you a chance to pick-off plenty of minions before they even get a chance to strike back. Spears have a relatively long reach and are great for taking out multiple enemies, but their large size makes them difficult to use in tight areas. Lastly, broadswords offer the most powerful blows, but their slow attack speed and bulky weight can make them a drain to use. As the game progresses, your stats in the four classes will improve depending on your battle style, and these dynamic changes certainly won't go unnoticed.

While the single player campaign will take roughly twenty hours if you factor in time for side quests; the most anticipated aspect of Elveon lies within the multiplayer arena. Both the PC and Xbox 360 versions of the game will support an online tournament mode which will be the host of bloody one-on-one confrontations. Obviously there are some issues to work out, especially regarding cross-platform fighting. If this feature is supported, the developers might have to put some handicaps in place because 360 gamers could potentially have an edge if they use weapons or armor downloading from the Xbox Live Marketplace. 10tacle has talked about making the PC and 360 versions different in terms of depth (with more of an RPG focus on the PC version), so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Talks of an additional multiplayer add-on that will allow for epic sized battles have surfaced, but currently no such mode is planned for release.

In terms of technology, being powered by the Unreal Engine 3.0 will undoubtedly allow for some cool new features. While dynamic lighting and weather changing is being more and more commonplace in games today, Elveon doesn't plan to stop at that. Aside from the aesthetic values, rain will have an impact on how the world around you feels. For instance, cloths that get drenched in a torrential downpour will likely feel heavier, and you'll even be able to see puddles form. Swaying trees and picturesque light filtration will make the world come to life, and cleverly designed enemies and beasts will help immerse you into this mythical atmosphere.

As Elveon nears the final stages of development, nobody can say for sure what the fate of this game will be. Does this third person action RPG have what it takes to even be mentioned in the same sentence as Oblivion, or will it merely be disregarded along with tons of other tedious button mashers? While from the looks of things, the former seems more likely than the latter, but only time will tell for sure.