The element of seems to be a prime-focus in the game; what are the improvements of this over previous games, and how does it effect the balance of gameplay?

Chris Taylor: In many ways much of what our combat system offers is founded in the technology we employed to create it. We use a state-of-the-art bone-skin character deformation system. We use blending to accurately aim weapons. And to solidify the visual realism, we use real physics so that the ranged combat is more exciting and dynamic, and not pre-determined through formulas.

The game promises an epic 'seamless story' for the single-player experience; what is the premise of this plot? Please give us some detail on how you plan to improve upon what has gone before.

Chris Taylor: The area we wanted to improve upon, was the simplicity in which the traditional epic story is presented. There have been some amazing games that have done a great job of telling some very deep and compelling stories. Our goal was not to create something that takes the complexity of that story-telling deeper, but rather to preserve that sense of "epic" while finding ways to streamline it... to keep the action moving forward, and not let the story get between the player and the action. We also have found ways to provide additional back story in such a way that it is almost transparent to players who are not interested in that sort of thing.