Capcom to publish Without Warning @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on February 04, 2005

News: I guess this is our warning that Capcom will publish Without Warning.

Capcom has reached into Europe for the first time by signing an agreement to publish Circle Studio's first effort, Without Warning. Circle Studio was created by former members of the Tomb Raider team at Core Design.

The game is currently scheduled for a Fall release on the PS2 and Xbox.

"This global deal marks the first time Capcom has published a title from a European developer," said Hiroshi Tobisawa, president of Capcom Entertainment, Inc. and president, CE Europe. "As CiRCLE Studio's first title, Without Warning is momentous for both parties and compliments Capcom's own internally developed product line. The staff at CiRCLE Studio has a successful track record and will deliver again with a new title that provides an innovative and intense gameplay experience."

Capcom also included a story outline and feature list:

In Without Warning, a radical terrorist group has targeted and seized the Peterson-Daniels Chemical Facility, a vulnerable location that jeopardizes millions of people from the devastating ecological hazard it imposes if destroyed. Pleas are useless and any direct military assault would be too great a risk. As terrified hostages fear for their lives, their only hope lies with a covert operations team, whose goal is to infiltrate the plant and eliminate the merciless enemy.

The harrowing events unfold over a 12 hour period, featuring a unique gameplay dynamic which enables the six central characters to experience events across the same timeline but from their own distinct viewpoints. The player controls each character individually, with the focus automatically shifting to a new character at key moments which are unfolded through cut scenes. By switching between the characters, their individual tales are woven together to create an overall picture of the events that happened during the crisis. The player will also retrospectively view events through the eyes of another character and is therefore not only a participant in the events, but a spectator as well. Furthermore, actions performed as one character affect the progress of others and players must successfully utilize the strengths of each in order to advance.

Without Warning includes the following features:

Play as six different characters and experience the game from each of their perspectives:

Three members of the covert operations team:

Kyle Rivers Ц the leader of the squad with an experienced combat background

Jack Hooper Ц the youngest and most inexperienced member of the team for whom this is the first combat mission

Ed Reagan Ц the squad's bomb disposal specialist who is also formidable in close combat situations

Three civilians with distinct agendas and views on the events:

Tanya Shaw Ц a terrified secretary whose only desire is to escape safely

Dave Wilson Ц a security guard who was overlooked by the terrorists; his fierce determination drives him as he fights to rescue his co-workers

Ben Harrison Ц a news cameraman who is grounded when his helicopter is shot down by the terrorists; his quest is to obtain breaking news coverage, however dangerous it may be.

Diverse gameplay Ц exploration, puzzle-solving, dynamic environmental interaction, and a variety of sub missions including bomb diffusion and hostage rescue

Objective based gameplay progression

Sophisticated graphics Ц realistic and highly interactive environments, advanced character animations with well defined emotions, and gripping cut scenes that link the storylines together

Progressive tutorial Ц instructs players on how to utilize the vast arsenal of weaponry and equipment

Fully controllable camera Ц moves fluidly around characters to rapidly survey surroundings and enable them to change tactics accordingly