Depending on your preferred style of play, you can develop your character as a generalist or a specialist in the various proficiencies mentioned previously. Skill points won't be earned just from killing stuff, but rather from completing objectives. Primarily an action game, Dark Messiah is expected to be about of standard length for single-player games of a similar form, say around 10 to 12 hours. In addition to that, though, Dark Messiah will offer what sounds like a pretty compelling multiplayer mode. We didn't actually see it at E3, but learned that the multiplayer will be going for something like a cross between Battlefield and Lord of the Rings, in terms of its style and scope. It'll be a class-based game promoting teamwork, requiring players to conquer territories to overwhelm their opponents. Honestly, though, just the thought of this type of combat in a multiplayer environment seems exciting on its own.

Dark Messiah is coming to the PC this fall. Though Ubisoft has a widely-talked-about sword fighting game on display here at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Red Steel for the Wii console, Dark Messiah is not to be discounted. We haven't seen first-person combat this good since Condemned: Criminal Origins, and Dark Messiah seems to have a lot more going for it than its brutal good looks. Look to GameSpot for further coverage on this one.