Bojack
November 29th, 2004, 19:32
My suite mate rented the much talked about X-Men Legends and tried it out for a while as I sat there and watched.
Based on the special I had seen on Tech TV, Raven Software appeared to have done a HUGE amound of research and work to the make the game a spectaculer success. The CG models were high resolution with an insane polygon count and amazing texture. The game also promiced the ability to form your own team for your own personal best results.
Then came the comercials, featuring narration by the super-talented Patrick Stuart (Captain Picard of Star Trek fame) and AWSOME CG animation.
Reality proved to be a cruel mistress indeed, as I watched in total dissapointment at the final product.
...All real time action is from a "plane view" that is so restriction that it is impossible to tell if a flight og stairs is infront of you or abouve you. This proves dissapointing in fight scenes and especially boss fights. It made the game reak of "Gauntlet Legend", except GL did it better in its day and age. The point could be made when Cyclops shot his beam straight through Wolverine (revealing the weakness of the X,Y axess game lay out).
Tragically, the levels present a lot of environtmental obstacles, like fire and caved in streets. This would not be a problem if it were not that you must start as Wolverine! The Tough-talking mutant can't jump over a wall of flame as he should be able to, and the pre-scripted level won't let you call on another mutant for help (Storm could have put out all of the level's fires, Raven chose to forgue obvious convenience for annoying, winding level design.
...Additionally, the scenes that comprise the remainder of the game- such as down time and totorials are often done an extremely zoomed out overhead view. The totorial proved comical as you can run for an unlimited amount of time in the mansion- forcing the little Prof. X sprite to zip after you like a kid in a little go-kart!
...And then there are the Game sprites. The X-Men and the other characters were- for as long as I watched- rendered in a noticably low polygon count. The design looks pretty good as long as the camera keeps you at what is the equivelent of 10+ meters, and the x-men were made with this in mind. Close up, they look insultingly low res.
The X-Men appear to have been made with what looks like an overtaxed 64 bit engine- not the powerful 128 bit X-Box engine they were destined for. So, basically, the game features a lot of blocky cell-shaded little sprites that seem more apropriate for one of those late 90s RPGs.
The sprites from Metal Gear Solid were from 1999 and they could still be better then what I saw. The X-Men look like they were made back in 1997!
Final Thought: The game is horribly under done and obviously pre-scripted to the max so that the storyline can work. The game came up with a new (and boring) mutant to bring everyone out of the woodwork and a plot device for useless exposition. The 4 man team feature was pointless for as long as I watched- since most of the time pitted Wolferine alone against levels that didn't favor a mutant that couldn't fly or have superstrength. The Only good thing was the voice acting- pitch perfect for Prof. X and the others. But that can't save it in the end.
Definately a fans-only title (2 out of 5)
-Bojack
Based on the special I had seen on Tech TV, Raven Software appeared to have done a HUGE amound of research and work to the make the game a spectaculer success. The CG models were high resolution with an insane polygon count and amazing texture. The game also promiced the ability to form your own team for your own personal best results.
Then came the comercials, featuring narration by the super-talented Patrick Stuart (Captain Picard of Star Trek fame) and AWSOME CG animation.
Reality proved to be a cruel mistress indeed, as I watched in total dissapointment at the final product.
...All real time action is from a "plane view" that is so restriction that it is impossible to tell if a flight og stairs is infront of you or abouve you. This proves dissapointing in fight scenes and especially boss fights. It made the game reak of "Gauntlet Legend", except GL did it better in its day and age. The point could be made when Cyclops shot his beam straight through Wolverine (revealing the weakness of the X,Y axess game lay out).
Tragically, the levels present a lot of environtmental obstacles, like fire and caved in streets. This would not be a problem if it were not that you must start as Wolverine! The Tough-talking mutant can't jump over a wall of flame as he should be able to, and the pre-scripted level won't let you call on another mutant for help (Storm could have put out all of the level's fires, Raven chose to forgue obvious convenience for annoying, winding level design.
...Additionally, the scenes that comprise the remainder of the game- such as down time and totorials are often done an extremely zoomed out overhead view. The totorial proved comical as you can run for an unlimited amount of time in the mansion- forcing the little Prof. X sprite to zip after you like a kid in a little go-kart!
...And then there are the Game sprites. The X-Men and the other characters were- for as long as I watched- rendered in a noticably low polygon count. The design looks pretty good as long as the camera keeps you at what is the equivelent of 10+ meters, and the x-men were made with this in mind. Close up, they look insultingly low res.
The X-Men appear to have been made with what looks like an overtaxed 64 bit engine- not the powerful 128 bit X-Box engine they were destined for. So, basically, the game features a lot of blocky cell-shaded little sprites that seem more apropriate for one of those late 90s RPGs.
The sprites from Metal Gear Solid were from 1999 and they could still be better then what I saw. The X-Men look like they were made back in 1997!
Final Thought: The game is horribly under done and obviously pre-scripted to the max so that the storyline can work. The game came up with a new (and boring) mutant to bring everyone out of the woodwork and a plot device for useless exposition. The 4 man team feature was pointless for as long as I watched- since most of the time pitted Wolferine alone against levels that didn't favor a mutant that couldn't fly or have superstrength. The Only good thing was the voice acting- pitch perfect for Prof. X and the others. But that can't save it in the end.
Definately a fans-only title (2 out of 5)
-Bojack