OK, Of Orcs & Men  is pretty much here already, so it’s all up to you out there to decide if it’s worth a buy. Tfe concept alone makes me want to drop the money on it, Yeah, yeah, orcs have been in PLENTY of RPGs and other games, but not quite like this and not with a goblin thief/assassin sidekick – and both are the main characters. If Spiders and Cyanide Studios can pull it off (they already have the great-looking visuals), it’s a surefire sleeper hit. If not, it’s a bargain bin special in a few weeks (a sad fate for a game that took a while to make and looks so solid). As always… we shall see…

With about a week to go before launch, I really haven’t seen much about this one. That may or may not be a good thing depending on who you ask. While it’s going to be buried in the juggernaut of more hyped launches this month and next, i think that if the game is good, it will no doubt find an audience over time (the way many of these RPGs do with fans who like seeing fantasy games that try to do things differently). If, on the other hand, the game is being skipped into stores like an assassin’s blade through the ribs of some unsuspecting target because it’s rough around the edges, then it’s a quick trip to the bargain bin or worse, a slow death as yet another fine game that took a lot of people a long time to do goes under appreciated. Hopefully, Focus Home Interactive’s PR folk here will be willing to let some of us interested types see what’s what and let you know, but I have no qualms about shelling out full price for a game that’s interesting enough to keep my interest for longer than some FPS or overblown titles with bigger budgets and less to do at the end of the day…

Olivier Deriviere’s game music has been pretty memorable in my book. His work on the Alone in the Dark reboot and Obscure added mood and menace in all the right spots (even when the games themselves didn’t quite match up to the music supporting them). Based on this latest trailer for the upcoming RPG from Cyanide Studios and Spiders, it looks like another aural trip worth taking. Hopefully, we’re getting an game experience that can match the tunes pace for pace – it certainly LOOKS pretty grand in scope and content.