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Xena: Warrior Princess
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Graphics & Sound:
I really did like the graphics in Xena. I felt that the detail was there and the animations were smooth. For once, I can actually say that I was impressed with the 64's graphics on a fighter. No blobs, no smudges, no blurs, just good polygoned graphics. The characters were large and detailed; the backgrounds were detailed as well. Even the light blurs that trailed the attacks looked good. I really have no complaints with the graphics at all.
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Gameplay:
I was happy to be able to play the 64 version of Xena after playing the PlayStation version. I though it would be the same game, just with the 64-bit graphics. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was a 3D fighter. And really, not even a very good one at that. Why wasn't it very good? Well, the attack options were very limited. Sword attack, jump, kick, and punch - that's about it. And the controls just sucked. But, there was one redeeming quality - drum roll - four-player simultaneous action! Wow. Finally a good-looking fighter with 4-player battle. There are three modes of play: Quest mode, VS mode, and Practice mode. In quest mode, you fight each character in a different room. It's kinda like the story mode in Bushido Blade or something similar to that. The VS mode is the best. In VS mode, you can play against 1 or 3 other people. The four-player battle is great; all four people on the screen, kicking butt all over the screen. With many Xena characters to choose from, the possibilities are near endless. You can choose teams for a two on two or a one on three battles. It really is a cool feature.
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Difficulty:
I found the game to be real easy. I contribute much of that to the -too simple- controls. I also found the AI in the computer opponents to be completely artificial, yet not at all intelligent. Their moves were repetitive and predictable. I found it to be a walk through. However, the best part of the game is the four-player fighting, so the difficulty is really not applicable to that.
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Game Mechanics:
I felt that the game ran smoothly, the controls were responsive, but the controller setup just plain sucked. I guess it's a 50% on the mechanics, smooth responsive controls, but they are horrible controls. I thought that the game was enjoyable, but only when playing with three other people. Other than that, the game is pretty pointless. But, if you want a nice looking, simple, fun four-player fighter, this one is for you.
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-Storm, GameVortex Communications AKA Jeremy Kelso |
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