Third person PC action game with a winter level and warrior/samurai protagonist

[mnb11]

Hello everyone,

I just found this website via reddit's tipofmyjoystick - I've tried my luck 4 times over there, but nobody was able to find my game, and, even if I'm slowly starting losing hope about ever seeing it again, I've decided to give it a shot!
So, let's start with games I already ruled out:


Tenchu
Onimusha series
PoP 3D
Ninja Gaiden
Arabian Nights
Way of the Samurai
Severance:Blade of Darkness
Rune
Dynasty Warriors


- I played it on my PC (Athlon XP, 256 MB of RAM, GeForce 4MX, either Windows 98 or XP) in early to mid 2000's, probably around 2003/04. I've got it from my uncle from Germany, along with some other games I can't remember.
- It was a third person action adventure game.

- I'm pretty sure that main hero resembled a samurai, or at least some kind of warrior. He used sword in combat, that's for sure. In a way, he always reminded me of Prince from Sands of Time trilogy. I'm also almost certain that he speaked in cutscenes.

Sadly, aside from that I don't remember much, but here is what I've managed to gather.

Things I'm almost 99% certain of:


a winter level
part of another level with small bridge and enemies on it (and possibly lava underneath)
breakable things (vases? pots?) with bonuses (health?)


Things I'm not so sure about:


on that bridge mentioned earlier streams of lava could shoot upwards onto the bridge and hurt you (or it was just some sort of enemy attack)
a possible sequence with boulders rolling at main character
game started in some place that resembled either a shrine/temple, Alladin-esque palace or a prison. Or all that mixed up.
simple puzzles (pulling levers to open things, etc.)



Is there any chance remembers this game? :(

[Smiling Spectre]

Let me make two wild guesses:

Heretic 2 (http://www.mobygames.com/game/heretic-ii)
O.D.T. (http://www.mobygames.com/game/odt-escape-or-die-trying)

Unfortunately, I cannot found anything else without extensive Moby searching...

[mnb11]

Sadly, it's neither of those games, but I really appreciate your help!

[Smiling Spectre]

Oh, two quick questions.

1. Was it the _big_ game (like, filling whole CD) or small one (like, several floppies/part of compilation/shareware)?

2. What perspective it was? I got idea somehow that it's third person 3D, but actually nothing in your text claims it...

[mnb11]

1. Definietly a bigger, commercial title (wasn't shareware or freeware, that's for sure). Can't really tell much about the way of it was distributed, as my uncle had it zipped along with some other games on his hard drive - he probably just pirated it.

2. But I wrote that it was third person :( Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear enough. It was a typical 3D third-person action game, with camera showing and following whole character like for example in PoP 3D, not over the shoulder view or something like that.

[Smiling Spectre]

1. Definietly a bigger, commercial title (wasn't shareware or freeware, that's for sure). Can't really tell much about the way of it was distributed

Well, it was mostly about visibility. While most bigger releases almost definitely are on Moby, smaller ones are mostly falls into cracks. So while big are almost surely can be found, second type are not guaranteed. Ok.
But I wrote that it was third person :( Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear enough. It was a typical 3D third-person action game, with camera showing and following whole character like for example in PoP 3D, not over the shoulder view or something like that.
Well, I taken it just that, but then understood that it can be much wider variety. Abe's Oddysee (http://www.mobygames.com/game/oddworld-abes-oddysee) is 3rd person. Diablo 2 (http://www.mobygames.com/game/diablo-ii) is 3rd person too. And Tomb Raider (http://www.mobygames.com/game/tomb-raider). And even Final Fantasy 3 (http://www.mobygames.com/game/final-fantasy-iii__)! While every one is totally different sort of "3rd person". :)

Ok, I'll check it later then.

Oh, quick question: how about Die by the sword (http://www.mobygames.com/game/die-by-the-sword) and Soul Reaver 2 (http://www.mobygames.com/game/legacy-of-kain-soul-reaver-2) (or any other Kain game)?

[mnb11]

Sadly, it's also neither of those, nor any from the Legacy of Kain series.
I feel bad that I can't give you more tips ;/

[Megaten]

Tien (http://www.gamershell.com/pc/tien/screenshots.html), maybe?
The game was in English, correct?

[mnb11]

Tien (http://www.gamershell.com/pc/tien/screenshots.html), maybe?
The game was in English, correct?
Oh man, I'm forever in your debt, I just checked this, and lo and behold - it's my game, after like, 12 years.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, CASE CLOSED! :D