The beauty of the game is only topped by the best camera system ever implemented in a third person game...if more studios were to take this approach to the camera, the third person game would make a comeback to bury the first-person shooter.

I have to hand it to Human Head though...one of the biggest problems with third-person games--camera angle and control--is handled beautifully in Rune. The camera never gets lost in the environment, and if Ragnar gets too close to a wall, his figure simply fades out, leaving you with a psuedo first-person view. While you can play the game in a first-person mode, it's not very helpful since you can't see your weapons, an important feature in a game that focuses on melee combat. Third-person game developers take note: Rune is a shining example of how the camera work in third-person gaming should be done.

The weapons that you'll wield during the course of the game are first-rate. Everything from a Goblin ax to a short Viking sword to an awesome two-handed sword is at your disposal. And as you journey through the game, you'll pick up Rune power-ups, which offer weapon-specific benefits when activated, like Vampire (which gives you health based upon the damage you cause to an enemy), Flaming Sword, and Unlimited Throw.

Defeating the game's obligatory collection of goblins, zombies and dwarves is a simple matter of circle strafing and clicking on the mouse button. And things are made even worse by some truly poor AI. Those pesky enemies will run in a direct line for Ragnar, oblivious to anything in their path, often getting stuck on the corner of a table or an overturned oxcart. That wouldn't be so bad if the game overwhelmed its players with wave after wave of enemies, but we never got into the kind of berserker battle that we were always hoping for.

The cinematics are really nice. If you notice amoung a lot of the Rune screenshots released, not only on CTE, but also many other sites the Rune screenshots are taking from the cinematics. This is because Human Head Studios did a great job setting up the angles and the atmosphere of the cinematics. Cinematics were used just enough to give you the storyline, yet not to much to drowned out gameplay.

All the hard work Human Head Studios has put into this game certainly shows. Any fan of games like Drakan and Tomb Raider will instantly fall in love with this title. With it's stunning visuals, tight gameplay, and 43 huge levels to explore there's lots of fun to be had.

Now that I have tried Rune, I am thoroughly convinced that the other reviewers simply had too many other games to play, because I can't imagine how anyone could turn down such a cool game. Stated simply…Rune rocks…and let me tell you why…

Here's a depressing rundown of the levels you'll death-march through: Nali village, cave, cave, cave, cave, dark castle, lava cave, lava dungeon, lava waterfall, lava sewer, cave, dungeon, sewer, Nali village, dungeon, cave, sewer, cave, Nali cave, tall cave with the ceiling removed, cave, dungeon, cave. I think I forgot a sewer in the middle there. If I wanted to visit a dank, lightless cave, I could go explore my own edgy basement right now. For free. I have no explanation for the tedious, sewer-centric art direction in virtually every game. Maybe publishers have convinced developers that the game buying public is composed entirely of homesick C.H.U.D.S.

The level design is fantastic with an eye not just on good looks, but good gameplay as well. There will be many areas that are designed to mislead you, though the developers wisely avoided abusing this ability. You will never be led on for long before realizing that your path is a dead end.

Rune is an impressive game in all aspects. The plot of this third-person action game is capturing despite the slow beginning. The Unreal Tournament suits the game's needs extremely well, and the visual are appealing. Human Head has carefully planned and researched the Viking history and game's features to design great characters and environments to compliment the easy controls. All in all, Rune is a great game for those looking for a simplistic game with a good storyline.

Humanhead has really pushed the limits of gamer’s loves with this title. No longer are super railguns and rocket launchers the norm. We are coming of an age where the sword, mace, club, and hammer are being used more and more. With the burnout on the guns and lasers I think developers are seeing more and more that gamers are dying for a melee sword game and Humanhead delivers! Not only was the single player engrossing and fulfilling, but the multiplayer was so addictive it halted the progress of this review!

Advancing through the game also consists of much hacking and much slashing. However, you can't let all this fighting get in the way of your alcoholism. Apparently Ragnar is a big time drunk, and the only way he can maintain his health is to consume goblet after potent goblet of intoxicating mead. A lizard crawling on a wall or a leg of meat will also do the trick, but why eat a reptile when a liquid lunch will suffice?

If you're a fan of the Oscar winning film Braveheart, you're sure to like Rune. It's a testosterone-loaded game filled with all that goodness that endeared the film to many of us. Plot, action, blood, guts, glory, and an ending worthy of its sum. Go grab your sword, and let the bloodletting commence.

Rune has successfully delivered one of the most enjoyable gameplay experiences I've had the priviledge to review in the history of 3D Rage. Integrating a phenomenal hand-to-hand combat system, impressive puzzles, superb level design, and graphics that will astonish the player at every turn, Rune is a title that no gamer should be without, so quit reading and grab a copy.

The best platform action games introduce a series of player skills and then gradually force the player to combine them in a long sequence of increasingly complex tasks. Rune introduces a simple skill, puts that skill to a simple test, and then keeps repeating the test for 20 straight hours. It's an undeniably beautiful-looking experience created by a team of skilled technicians. And that makes Rune's failings, as a game, even more disappointing.

The Viking era was covered with blood and romance. A time of ice and fire; long, dark winter nights and bright, beautiful, Icelandic summer days. These contrasts echoed in the surroundings and created an atmosphere that is nowhere to be found but in Iceland, woven of Icelandic mountains with the wilderness of the high plateau, where the paganism greets each day with unique tranquility. Long forgotten voices of the Vikings still reverberatem, thus the Icelanders remember their origin. The souls of the great Vikings live everywhere in Iceland.

Human Head Studios today announced that Rune, its upcoming 3D game of intense action and adventure steeped in a blend of Norse mythology and high-fantasy, has gone gold. The PC version will be available at the end of October with a Mac version shipping to stores in November. Rune is being published by developer-driven computer and video game publisher Gathering of Developers.

Rune transports gamers into the Dark Ages, when the Vikings were the conquerors of a cold, dismal world, and stark religion ruled all of the northern lands. Taking on the role of Ragnar, a rugged young Viking warrior, players are challenged to fight off creatures from Nordic mythology and uncover an evil perpetrator who is annihilating the Viking population. Rune utilizes an enhanced version of Epic Games' Unreal Tournament game engine and features amazingly life-like animations, in-game cinema sequences, a detailed weapon system, custom Artificial Intelligence and a unique combat system. In addition, the game features the RuneEd editor, an enhanced version of 'Unreal Editor' which allows players to create their own enhanced levels and modifications for multiplayer and single player.

Rune's features include:

- 43 Single Player Levels
- 15 unique weapons including swords, axes and bashing weapons each with their own unique magic power that can be unlocked in play
- Multiplayer DeathMatch and Team DeathMatch modes
- 21 different multiplayer characters to choose from
- Seven custom-built multiplayer levels
- Five multiplayer mutator modes, including Low Gravity, No PowerUps, Fatboy, reduced Damage, and Left-Handed
- Customizable maplists and rule settings
- 12 Classes of enemies with multiple variations for over 30 different enemy types in the game
- Five Distinctly different settings from a Mountain Fortress, to the Deepest Cavern to the pits of Hel's domain
- Combat system lets players take weapons from their defeated opponents.
- Visual inventory that allows the character to see available weapons at a glance.