In this day and age of gaming, with the current generation of consoles winding down and a new generation just over the horizon, it's hard to get away with unique and ambitious ideas. Thankful, Lara Croft creator, Toby Gard, has pushed through the trend and created and adventure that's above and beyond what many gamers will be expecting. The ambitious title is called Galleon, and it will be hitting Xbox consoles within the next few weeks.

Galleon follows the adventures of Rhama Sabrier, your typical tall, dark and handsome hero. Or is that so typical in gaming? It seems these days you get more wild and outrageous heroes than anything else. So perhaps Rhama is a change back to the norm, or more likely, another facet in the trend to bring gaming and movies together. Rhama's adventures play out more like a movie than any game we've played in the past. Almost everything about Galleon has more in common with a movie or high budget animated film, than most of today's games.

The first thing players will notice about Galleon is the very unique artistic style the title sports. At first glance, some may think Galleon is simply lacking in the graphics department, but in reality it's a very unique art style in a similar vein to Cartoon Network's Samurai Jack series. While the game certainly doesn't push the Xbox to its limits, it's nice to see a title use an art style that hasn't been done many times over in other games.

As Rhama, players will move around in a 3D world in a unique way. Instead of having to worry about nagging camera issues, players will be able to use the left analog stick to move the camera around. The direction the camera faces is the direction Rhama will face. Simply turn the camera, then push up on the left stick, and Rhama will be on his way to whatever destination you have selected. While this may take a bit a getting used to, by the end of the initial tutorial level, players should have the control scheme down pat.

Many of the tasks in the game will be handled automatically to make things a bit easier. If you need to cross a gap, walking over narrow planks, there will generally be an arrow on the other side telling you where you need to go. Simply aim the camera at the arrow and walk slowly toward it. Rhama will automatically navigate the planks and cross safely to the other side. However, it's not quite as easy as it sounds. In addition to the assortment of puzzles to be found throughout each level, if you run through an area such as the one described above, you will fall. You'll have to slowly move through certain areas in order to get through unharmed. Sometimes that will require Rhama to climb rough rocks, or jump from platform to platform with precision timing.

While you're moving Rhama around, it will soon become very apparent that Galleon features some of the best animation we've seen this generation. Rhama, his crew, and even the random people of various towns and villages all animate with unmatched fluidity. Giving a small amount of pressure to the analog stick will make Rhama move slowly, while pressing it all the way will allow him to run. No matter what you're doing, it all seems very lifelike. The only issue we saw with this was the fighting. In the preview build we played, the fighting animations still looked a bit too game-like, and not all that realistic, but it's a small deterrent from the overall quality of the animation.

Speaking of the fighting, Rhama will have access to a variety of weapons throughout his adventures. His main source of weapons will be his fists, and they work quite well thanks to his Kung Fu abilities. By pressing the X button with precision, Rhama will perform a combo attack, and his fist will start to glow. The R trigger allows Rhama to grab his enemy, and from here he can perform a number of different techniques on them. Pressing the Y button will unleash a powerful attack that will take out multiple enemies, but at the cost of some life. Blocking is handled automatically, as long as you aren't attempting to attack. However, you can only block the person you are facing. So make sure you watch your back and sides during battle. You can attack an enemy on your back side, so not all is lost if you're surrounded. As you fight, you'll also gain points that will unlock new attacks and abilities.

All of the other cool and unique features aside, one of the most impressive aspects of Galleon is the voice acting. This is the best voice acting we've ever seen in a video game... PERIOD. We simply can't say enough about the quality of the voice work in Galleon. Each character has a voice that appropriately fits them, and they deliver each line with a believability unseen in almost every other console videogame. It almost felt as if we were watching a movie instead of playing through an Xbox game. Galleon does a lot of things right, but the voice work is the one thing that really surprised us and made this one of the more enjoyable games we've played in some time.

There isn't much more to say about the preview build of Galleon. It's a title that brings you back to when gaming was filled with fun and unique ideas. It's quite apparent that the mind behind the original Tomb Raider is also behind Galleon. There aren't many gaming fans out there that won't enjoy Galleon. It's just one of those games that are a pleasure to play, and we can't wait for a final build of the game. We'll have more on Galleon in the very near future.