"The dry months before the
huge spring releases, and E3; there are few games
to choose for either rent or purchase. With a unique
concept and intriguing combat system, I was hopeful for
a solid game."
Intro
The minds behind the game are super-giant THQ and
little known Infinite Machine. Everyone knows THQ
for producing a plethora of games, but I all but forgot
about Infinite Machine. Headed by Justin Chin (creator
of Jedi Knight on the PC), the game actually was
being developed for the PC. Halfway through the process,
the company switched gears and converted it to the XBOX
(what a nice feature, eh?).
While the storyline isn't your next Final Fantasy,
it does compliment the game nicely. The lead character,
Sun Soo, is set in charge of protecting his homeland
against the evil forces of Xao Gon. The story takes
place in China but generations away. Combining bits of
the past, present and future; the setting is well
developed. After Soo fights off hordes of enemies, he is
finally overpowered and imprisoned. In a prison camp he
meets up with an odd ally named Boo. Boo is a cross
between a monster and a human, but provides to be a
trustworthy friend.
After the friendship develops the two devise a way to
escape, and then regain their homeland. Along the way
you will encounter various other characters that can
assist you.
It's a fighter... no it's a platformer... no it's an
RPG
Truth is, New Legends is a cross between many
various types of games. The first that comes to mind is Onimushu
Warlords for the PS2. Luckily, it is a bit better
than that game and should provide action-hungry
adventures for a fun (but short) ride.
Much of the interaction in levels is dependant on the
mission objectives and communication between characters.
The levels are for the most part linear, but the
missions are well laid out and massive. Since the levels
are so big, THQ has taken the "magic
arrow" approach as many other new games have
incorporated. This arrow points to your next objective,
and is vitally important because if you ignore it you
will surely get lost. As much as the arrow can help you,
it can however hinder you as well. The arrow will change
from red to blue indicating that you are on the right
path and direction. This works well during
outdoor missions, but indoor missions can become
frustrating.
What makes New Legends successful on any platform
is the addictively fun combat. The gameplay is a cross
between Soul Reaver and Onimushu Warlords.
Sun has a variety of combos and weapons at his disposal
and all are wonderfully animated. The weapons are great,
and can range from a one handed sword to a small
handgun. Larger weapons like cannons and heavy swords
require two hands and are superbly detailed.
To execute a combo is simply a matter of pressing an
attack button repeatedly. The secondary attack performs
a new combo as well. Pressing both buttons together
produce a "special" attack that is
devastating. Each weapon has a particular set of combos
and special moves, which keeps the combat fresh and fun.
To add even more to the combat system, Sun also
has "chi" at his disposal.
"Chi" is more-or-less a super power-up that is
rechargeable as the game goes on. Using chi in
combination with weapon combinations provide yet another
combination which is even more effective.
New Legends is a fun romp, but is plagued with a
variety of problems. The first noticeable feature (aside
from the graphics) is the quirky camera angles.
Indoors the camera gets stuck, and makes the game almost
unplayable. Outside the camera is fine, but I found the
camera to get in between me and a tree far too often. My
second complaint is the wack AI that the enemy brings
on. It seems no matter what the odds are, you never feel
like you would lose. Lastly the game is incredibly short
and short lived. With only six levels with nice end
bosses, the game can easily be completed between
five and eight hours.
Even if the game kept its short length, there are no
hidden extras or options from start to finish. I was
disappointed not to find any multiplayer, even though
the NPC fought by your side. Aside from no unlockables
or hidden areas the game is totally linear and as deep
as a dry riverbed.
Is this my N64 or XBOX? I can't tell...
No really, I kid you not. The graphics are dismal at
best. The environmental features and ambience were
horrible for the XBOX. I see where THQ was going with
this, but they failed miserably. If you can get past the
let down by making your XBOX look bad, there are a few
glimmers of hope in the graphics area. There are some
nice animations when it comes to weapons, and some of
the effects are superb. The main characters are also
top-notch, but overall the games visuals will leave you
shaking your head in disappointment.
If the bland and dreary graphics weren't enough (aside
from nice sky effects), the framerate and
performance is terrible. I found during intense battle
scenes, the game would choke, sputter and flicker like
there was no tomorrow. Ok, well it wasn't that
bad, but a game with this visual level should not
choke on the XBOX. To add salt in the wound, the load
times were the worst yet I've experienced on the
XBOX....
The music and sound effects were a mixed bag. The
background music complimented the game well, but many
times the music would simply stop in the middle of the
action. A few minutes later it would start back up, and
left me wondering what the heck was going on. Sound
effects were XBOX quality, along with the amazing
voice-overs... but for the most part the audio was
forgettable and frustrating.
66 Says:
I have to admit something... I've never been a big fan
of THQ and after this one, I'm still not a
fan of them. While Justin Chin is an amazing developer,
and I can see where the game had a ton of possibilities
it came far from hitting the mark. As much time that
actually went into the game (almost an embarrassing
amount of time), the game felt unpolished like you
were playing a beta version of it.
The only saving grace of New Legends was the
super duper fun of the battle system. As soon as the fun
starts to diminish, it ends; so don't worry. Many people
will shove the game after an hour, simply because the
combat is a bit repetitive. However, I found it
to be refreshingly light and a great stress reliever.
But, when it's said and done, the game is way to
be short to be fully recommended.
Thank God for rentals, because this is all the game
deserves. A weekend renter is all you need here to
experience everything New Legends has to offer. I
highly doubt... no I promise you will never pick
up the game once you beat it. Anyway, the game is a
perfect rental and is well worth the four clams I laid
down on it. I advise you do to the same....
5.4
