The Xbox
really needed a great beat-'em-up title, just like any promising first-year console.
New Legends could've easily fit the bill and garnered a fine following in the process, had the developers not graced the game with more glaring errors in judgment than Angelina Jolie's marriage. No matter what's on the screen at any given time, the action constantly skips and stutters, as if no one took the time to debug the engine before shipping. If Microsoft's hardware can deliver technically demanding material like
Wreckless and
Transworld Surf with virtually zero slowdown, Infinite Machine has no excuse to put out such a sluggish game this far into development.
Controlling Sun Soo isn't too slick, either; strafing and camera control are handled horribly with the right thumbstick, especially when trying to run in a steady path with the left stick. Weapon combos seem to link nonsensically regardless of the player's timing. Camera angles constantly become stuck at the worst positions in the heat of battle. Just about everything that could've been overlooked, well, apparently was.
A half-decent combat system backed with over a dozen really cool weapons isn't nearly enough to warrant a purchase here. If it's solid, innovative beat-'em-up goodness you're searching for, keep on looking -- New Legends does the Xbox absolutely no justice.
