 Preview By: Jared Black |
Developer: | SOE |
| Publisher: | SOE | |
| Genre: | Action RPG | |
| ESRB: | Teen | |
| # Of Players: | 1-2 (1-4 online) | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | PS Network (online play, content DL), HDTV 720p | |
| Estimated Release: | 11/15/2006 |
Thanks to accessible gameplay and reviewers willing to forgive a launch title’s faults, Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade made an immediate impact alongside the launch of the PSP. It was really the first time a publisher had brought true action-RPG gameplay to a handheld, and as a result gamers largely forgave the game’s rather mediocre presentation and somewhat repetitive nature.
The sequel, Untold Legends: The Warrior’s Code, greatly improved upon the first game’s presentation and added a more robust storyline to go along with excellent online gameplay. However, it also suffered from being far too easy, having an extremely linear structure (a storyline doesn’t have to mean a game stuck on one path), and graphics that looked worse than the original’s in comparison to other new PSP titles at the time. So in the end, it was probably a minor step back for the franchise as a whole.
So basically, we’ve got a series here that already has an excellent online mode and time-tested gameplay in place, but needs a kick in the pants graphically and a little more variety to break up all of that hacking and slashing. Sounds like a perfect fit for the PlayStation 3, and Sony Online apparently thinks so as well as it plans to release Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom later this month alongside the launch of the system.
In this third installment, the player will be tasked with ending the oppression of a tyrannical king. The storyline will be told through the use of in-game dialog and cutscenes, much in the same style (if the movies released so far are any indication) as The Warrior’s Code. The cheese factor appears to once again be high, but oddly appropriate for fantasy-based games of this nature. Also, once again players will be able to select from one of several characters, with the choices this time around (initially at least) being the relatively typical Warrior, Mage, and Scout. Each character has his or her own abilities, with the Warrior being the strong, bruising type, the Mage being physically weak but an excellent spellcaster (obviously), and the Scout being a faster mix of the two. Armor and other equipment will also be specialized just as in previous installments, so there won’t be any silliness like a Mage equipping heavy plate mail in this game.
Gameplay promises to be the standard Untold Legends experience, which means lots of combos to beat things to a bloody pulp, as well as using a variety of different spells and abilities to destroy one or several enemies at the same time. The game certainly won’t get too fancy here, which is a good thing since it’s supposed to be all about destroying wave after wave of enemy foes. Physics will also play a larger role in this installment, with the Havoc engine providing advanced physics for the game. Among other things, the media released thus far shows the player slinging enemies into walls, and even using them as clubs against other enemies. Many things in the environment can also be destroyed as collateral damage during battle, with some truly impressive special effects as one would expect from the Havoc engine.
And while there aren’t a lot of details on the game’s online play yet, SOE promises strong multiplayer support with offline and online co-op and adversarial battles. It was fun in The Warrior’s Code (particularly the online co-op portion), and I expect no less out of this installment. More importantly, the company also has big plans for downloadable content at or soon after launch, including new items, attacks, weapons, characters, multiplayer modes, and even new storylines over time.
Graphically, some of you may remember the game’s awful first public showing back in March, when early screens were “leaked” onto the Internet. If that’s how you still see the game in your mind’s eye, you should definitely check out the latest screenshots and movies we have in our gallery as a lot has changed since then. Graphically Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom now looks outstanding, with plenty of colorful special effects, detailed character models, little details like grass swaying in the breeze, and lots of enemies on-screen at the same time. It’s hard to tell how well the game will ultimately look against the rest of the system’s launch lineup, but so far I’m impressed.
While Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom seems like one of the safer choices in the PS3’s launch lineup, it’s doubtful that the game is going to be a system seller in the way Resistance: Fall of Man may be. Still, it should almost certainly be a significant upgrade over the first two installments, which would make many action-RPG fans very happy on launch day.
Posted: 2006-11-06 18:55:23 PST