Looking at UTV/Ignition’s upcoming El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron in screenshots, concept art and wallpapers these past months has been like walking through a museum made of dreams (and a few wicked nightmares), but seeing the game in motion makes things click a bit more into reality. Of course, I’m one of those cranky, crusty old-schoolers that doesn’t believe EVERY game needs to be 110% innovative in EVERY area to be pure fun. Therefore, even if it turns out to be a straightforward third-person experience, the outstandingly bizarre visuals go a long way in carrying the rest of the game. Granted, the overall narrative is certainly groundbreaking in terms of subject matter and how it’s been translated from a “That might not be a good game idea” chunk of religious text to “Holy Hell on a stick, I really NEED to play this just to see how the story turns out!” slice of current-gen awesomeness. July 26, 2011 is the release date – let’s just call this an instant classic in the making for now and leave it at that.