Gameplay 8.3
Graphics 8.6
Sound 8.0
Value 8.3
Distributor: Atari
Classification: M15+
Review Date: December 2008
Reviewer: John Ficca

8.3


Legendary

Legendary may not be the most original game to date and does not offer the first person genre anything new in terms of gameplay, however it's an apt title that will give lovers of this genre a genuine interesting experience.

The story of Legendary revolves an art thief who has been tricked in opening the legendary Pandora's Box with extremely dangerous consequences for mankind as the creatures of myth have been unleashed into the modern world.

Immediately from the opening scenes, all hell breaks lose in the gaming environment as pillars fall in the museum that you are located in, chaos reigns supreme as beasts attacks innocents and Hollywood style explosions blast their way around your character. It's definitely one of the better introductions of the year.

Features:
  • Modern military firepower meets the tooth and claw of legend; A massive, block-buster experience; spectacular battles, run and gun fire-fights;
     
  • Dynamic environments crumble, skyscrapers fall; the collapse of modern society in the face of the beasts of myth is realized in breath-taking detail;
     
  • See London burn to the ground and witness New York torn apart in spectacular supernatural destruction;
     
  • Incredible and unnerving AI: watch in fascination as werewolves scale vertical walls to find a path to the player and use objects in the environment to their advantage;
     
  • Encounter three-way fire-fights: take on the beasts of the box and those who would seek to control them for their own evil ends;
     
  • Take on enemies from the size of a small animal all the way through to spectacular titan creatures tens of storeys tall.

From your first contact with Pandora's Box, your character has been branded by this legendary artifact which allows him to consume animus that in laymen's terms allows him to absorb the energy of the dead. This power also allows you to heal and use magics, however the main crux of the game is the weaponry which is quite ample in this title.

Although magic is good fun, nothing is more entertaining than using modern weaponry to dispatch these legendary creatures. The enemies in Legendary are quite diverse and add to the atmosphere of the gaming environment , however the combat engine is sometimes a little buggy, especially with collision detection.

The game also involves a health dose of objectives and missions, ensuring that nothing becomes bored or to contrived as you make your way to the mystery of this title. With the odd boss battle here and there, Legendary will challenge novice gamers, however more experienced players should have no problem in competing this title within a week.

Graphically, the title is rather impressive on the XBox 360 with great looking gaming environments. All the characters in the game are well animated and have some really good texture details that when matched with the variety of special effects and realistic lighting, makes this quite a decent looking game.

The musical score is quite ambient and changes with the action of the title, however my only grip about the sound department is the overthetop voice acting which is clichéd and at times forced. Then again, considering the "horror" genre, it's actually quite fitting... just a little cheesy.

In conclusion, Legendary is an apt first person shooter that features a sturdy game engine and some decent gaming moments. It may not be the most original game of 2008, however it's a well made game that has a good story and some great action moments.

Definitely one to consider!