WWHP? (What Would Homer Play)

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We've got a sweet spot for Greek mythology, and we're like a lot of people, judging by the success of mythical stories like the Harry Potter series and the recent film adaptation of the Percy Jackson series from Rick Riordan. There's something about these stories that never gets old, and the characters can still be visualized in their allure and terror hundreds of years later. Warriors: Legends of Troy taps into our cultural fascination with Greek legends, and lets us play the events leading up to Battle of Troy, in a videogame. It's an awesome idea that I expect other publishers to copy, so don't be surprised when you see the videogame version of "Moby Dick" at next year's E3. Luckily, we'll only have to wait until this Fall for Warriors: Legends of Troy

We had some time with the game's director, who walked us through the playable level where Achilles is cutting a bloody swathe through ranks of peon soldiers. Other playable characters include Paris, Hector, Ajax, and Odysseus, plus we were told that various gods feature in the story at some point. The game plays from a third-person perspective, and features great scenery that resembles an open-world adventure title. There is a defined track for you to follow, but Warriors: Legends of Troy at least provides the illusion of endless depth that makes you feel as if you're exploring the Greek countryside. Encounters with enemies expose the game's combat engine, which allows a number of combos and rewards skilled players with cool attack animations. The character actions are lively, to say the least, and far beyond the relatively lackluster enemy A.I. This was the first piece that gave us pause, because the overall experience of this game will depend on having solid opposition.

There's no co-op play or multiplayer, which seems a bit strange considering the game's combat engine feels ready-made for this type of thing. The idea is to not go the route of large, strategic combat or a Dynasty Warriors squad-type combat, but to send the player into battle as one warrior against all foes. The controls seemed simple enough, and there are some contextual attacks that can be used to mix things up and adapt to each unique type of enemy. We love the idea of Warriors: Legends of Troy, and if the mission variety and A.I. comes together enough to really do Homer's story justice, we'll have an awesome game on our hands.

STAT BOX
Product
Warriors: Legends of Troy
Company
KOEI TECMO America Corp.
Date
06/22/2010