The first-person shooting market exploded, thanks to the success of such games as Halo and Doom 3. Several dozen new FPS titles will hit the shelves over the next twelve months, including a new entry from Gamecock called Legendary: The Box. This forthcoming game, produced by the same team that previously worked on Medal of Honor: Frontline and Call of Duty: Finest Hour, has more going for it than the typical first-person shooter. It has a storyline just as gripping as the action.

Players control Charles Deckard, a routine art thief hired to do a job at the local museum. He's asked to steal an artifact that looks like a huge treasure chest, mounted in the middle of a locked display. Charles has no problem gaining access to the relic, but must do the unthinkable -- open it. Indeed, he does, only to find out that inside lies Pandora's Box, the legendary source of evil. Upon opening it, an emblem burns into his hand and Hell deposits its contents onto the streets of New York. Realizing his error, Charles makes a run for it through the museum as the floor crumbles apart and the walls burst.

Once he gets outside, however, the terror really begins. As Charles frantically makes his way through the street, cars bounce up and down with earth-shaking tremors and the streets rip apart. Suddenly, large winged creatures called Gryphons fly through the air, snatching cop cars and unsuspecting people. It won't be long before they go after Charles, bursting through windows and lunging at him with all their might. The opening sequence comes to an end when, upon leaving a building, the hero looks up to see chunks of cars and street break off to form a large rock golem that shows no hesitation in trying to step on him.

Along the way, Charles learns that he was duped into opening the box on purpose by the group that employed him, known simply as the Black Order. Despite being an anti-hero and the ultimate klutz, Charles realizes what he must do. Since he was the one who inadvertently unleashed this nightmare upon the world, only he has the power to restore it and return the evil back to the Box. He receives some help from a local group of soldiers (also dedicated to stopping the Black Order), who back him up in firefights and battle against all kinds of chilling enemies, ranging from the mighty Gryphons to a group of werewolves. (If that wasn't enough, members of the Order also show up to put a halt to Charles' momentum.) The unlikely hero spin really puts a nice touch on the game, so players don't feel quite as invincible as the armor-clad Master Chief.