In a Shinobi style, SEGA’s remake of their Altered Beast classic from days of yore will put the shape-shifting beastman into a three dimensional form. For the 2005 version, the main playable character will have seven zoological guises to exploit. As players of the Megadrive version may remember, the first four are wolf, dragon, tiger and bear. In addition to these there are now mythical forms to embrace, with the merman, garuda and yeti on show as part of the demo.
It will be interesting to see if these new touches are enough to meet the hopes of former fans. If Altered Beast was to be shunned as just another 3D action beat ‘em up, it would be a shameful waste, and one that would probably send the franchise to the knacker's yard once and for all.