Capcom has now become infamous for its innovative risks in action games, with the recent Onimusha series and the ever-popular Devil May Cry… Unfortunately Capcom dropped the ball when it came to its sequel. When the gaming audience was shown a first Glimpse of Chaos Legion it was hard not to think of DMC the instant you looked at it. Its gothic backgrounds and stylized characters brought back the first memories of handling Dante on his quest to save the world, it's with that same thought that many a DMC fan looked forward in anticipation for the release of CL. I myself have been following it since day one and had extremely high hopes for it. Capcom has dubbed it a Gothic Opera, and in many ways it's true, but in shameful other ways it's not.
First and foremost this is not DMC nor will it ever be DMC. I had to get that out of the way as soon as possible. This is a game that needs to be looked at on it's own merits, not with those of DMC in mind. CL is the epitome of an action game, to the point that it at times becomes tiresome. CL uses a mixed combo of straight slash and bash action, Dynasty Warriors style with a strategic edge thrown in with the inclusion of the much-talked about Legions. The game starts out with the our hero Sieg Wahrheit on the hunt of his old friend Victor Delacroix, who has gone mad with anguish over his lost love Siela, and has taken it upon himself to unite with his lost love at all costs...even if it means letting lose the darkness known as Azrail. So Sieg sets out armed with the crests of the legions while also trying to put together the missing fragments for the ultimate summon known as Thanatos. With that setup you would think this game would be full to the brim with story; but you’re wrong, oh, so dreadfully so. For the most part I gathered all of this from the manual and the various cutscenes in the game (which by the way aren’t bad, if anything they’re stellar). Capcom has made some of the gloomiest and atmospheric cutscenes I’ve witnessed in a long time. Highly detailed and full of mood that actually really makes you want to feel for these characters, and who knows… maybe I would have if I wasn’t beaten to death with the repetitive gameplay. CL plays something like this: walk through, area obliterate baddies, now move on. That's it. No ‘find this’ or even a little adventure thrown in, no it's ‘you see that monster now whupp it’. Now, by all means that's not a bad thing, but only to a certain degree. It can at times become (like I said) very tiresome, even with the nicely detailed monsters and such.
Visually CL is a mixed bag, featuring some nicely detailed characters and some awesome monster designs. This is a very stylish game and you pick that up from the first moment you press the start button, with some very nicely designed menus and an almost dream-like quality through all the cutscenes. The level design and level textures leave a lot to be desired. With a palette that I can only guess was a mix of three colors, grey, brown and darker grey, it's really ugly. It all looks basically the same, I guess the designers thought you would be to busy having to deal with the insane number of enemies on screen, because it really is just as its namesake chaos. Sieg has the option of battling it alone using a few basic sword swings and moves along with an assist move which summons a legion for an attack, or just summoning a legion to fight along side you. The legions have 2 modes: an aggressive and passive mode. Aggressive gives them free reign to attack everything that moves and passive makes them more or less body guards dealing punishment to your would-be attackers. In both modes they have a sic option, more or less you direct which enemy you want them to dogpile and make mince meat outta. With each monster defeated you gain XP that you can use at the end of each stage to level up your various legions. This is where the fun is, in that as your legions increase in power so do you and you gain new moves. Still, nowhere near the selection of the above-mentioned DMC, but cool none the less. Sieg isn't alone in his battle to stop victor, oh no… along is a lil’ lady by the name of Arcia, who may not have legion at her call and beckon but can sure handle some twin silver pistols with some devastating results. Unlucky for us she only becomes available via beating the game and only on a few levels on your first run through. CL is packed with a few extras that will add some replay value as opening up various extra movies and arcia as a playable character.
The soundtrack is pure guitar rock very similar to DMC or even Guilty Gear, but with some very operatic tunes thrown in for effect in some of those lush cutscenes. I would have liked to hear more of the orchestral music than the generic rock but for what’s there it does keep the action going. Of the bunch the worthiest track is a song by J-band Liv, which added a much-needed dramatic effect to the whole thing. All in all CL is a pretty good action game. It's no Dynasty Warriors and it's no DMC but it's something that I think if taken in the right direction by Capcom can become more a real breakout hit. For what it is now you’re getting an above average action game for the PS2 that has some great character designs and a world that needs more fleshing out. Still with all it's small faults it's still a game I keep coming back to just to witness another beatdown, and if a game can do that it's not so bad in my book. In the end I'd say rent it and find out for yourself if you feel like dropping a good 50 bills on the puppy. You just may get sucked into the chaos of Chaos Legion, then again you just may want to visit and get out some frustration. If you’re still in a fix for some gothic action, pick up the original DMC for 20 bucks or save those hard earned greenbacks for the new Castlevania, which is sure to rock your world.
