The very last game I saw at E3 - though not the last one I'm writing up, in case you're worried about that - was Rise of the Argonauts which is being published by Codemasters. As the final music blared, one of Codemasters' guys walked me through the background, discussion modes, and combat of Rise of the Argonauts.

The basics of the game are simple: you play as Jason. Your wife has been killed. She needs a rez. Unfortunately, that's not so easy in ancient lands, so it's off through the world built off Greek myths, following one of four patron gods, in order to be able to bring her back to the land of the living.

The four gods that you follow are part of what makes the game neat. You don't just say "I want to follow Athena" or "I like Ares!" Instead, it's based off what you say to people and how you fight. Each conversational response is on a radial display that will tell you which god you favor by the way that you respond. Athena, for instance, tends to be wiser and more tactical, while Ares would be more of the "kill kill kill" kind of guy.

And it comes down to weapons, too. Ares is all about the mace, while you also have Athena, Apollo, and Hermes for the spear, shield, and sword. It's important that you're good with the weapons you fight with because while Daedulus, the smith, will make you quality gear, the combat system is very deadly.

There's no health bar or anything like that. Instead, combat is more cinematic, especially with lethal combos that you can do, and damage is indicated on the enemies and on you by how you move and react. Smack an enemy in the arm with your mace and he won't be using it anymore.

The example I saw was a brutal gladiatorial combat in an arena. Jason was saddled with a combat-deficient merchant and had to fight off waves of bad guys. Following one of the more sympathetic gods, he told the merchant basically to hide and that he'd handle them. While the merchant ran from the enemies, Jason engaged them one after the other, using brutal force to break limbs, sever heads, and generally be a big tough guy.

The game looks pretty cool. You don't get XP (or favor) for just doing anything, but rather by the deeds that you accomplish. It'll be interesting to see how the game looks in its final build on the 360, PS3, and PC, but I'm always in favor of another action RPG.