Wheel of Time is based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling doorst... err, books, and takes place many years before the books so as to keep the timelines separate. You are an Aes Sedai, which is a pleasant change, because female leads are still drastically rare. You rely totally on ter’angreal instead of true magical power, and Legend supplies you with tons of ‘em. The game comes with a nifty poster-chart that shows all the different ter’angreal available in the game, and there are lots. Each “weapon” key lets you toggle between the various ones of that type, which is quite intuitive. In addition, a little training level shows you how to “play the game” before you play it, while also tying in with the storyline. It’s a nice addition.
The story is great, and begins with you chasing down an assassin who is heading towards the ancient city of Shadar Logoth. Most of the fun of Wheel of Time comes from watching the story unfold, with excellent voice-acting and great between-level cut-scenes. I won’t spoil it here. But suffice it to say that Wheel of Time’s storyline will engross you considerably more than any other FPS out there.
The game’s not without its flaws, however. The enemy A.I. is close to nonexistent at times, unless acting like a bunny on crack is A.I. I felt like I was watching my nephew trying to do a deathmatch in Quake, pumping the various buttons in random orders in an attempt to get away and then getting blown to bits. Err. The levels themselves, while gorgeous, are sometimes just pure annoying, and I found myself going around in circles much more than in any other game of the type that I’ve played, just because everywhere looked a lot like everywhere else. Sure, Shadar Logoth is supposed to be a mazey little place, but I found I got through there easier than most of the other places, because at least I could -see- the corners coming at me.
The multiplayer aspect, however, is excellent. It’s different enough (well, the Citadel mode is damned different, feeling more like Kagero for the PSX than anything else with its trap laying and such, but I’m talking the “standard” multiplayer here) that you’ll have to rework your old Doom and Quake strategies for it to really be playable. But it’s an enjoyable diversion for a few hours until you go back to Unreal Tournament or Quake III: Arena.
Wheel of Time really shines in the single-player mode, and it is quite good. Sure, it’s jumpy sometimes, and the levels will drive you mad occasionally, but they’re gorgeous and the plot is good enough to keep you going.
