Windows

Legendary

Mit meiner Wertung erntete ich unter Kollegen skeptische Blicke. „Das ist doch von Spark, oder? Das kann doch unmöglich so gut sein?" Sicher, Legendary ist nicht perfekt. Und innovativ ist es schon einmal überhaupt nicht. Aber es liefert knackige, komprimierte Unterhaltung, macht über zwölf Stunden durchgängig Spaß - und das zählt schließlich. Wer einen geradlinigen, actionreichen Shooter zu schätzen weiß, sollte Legendary eine Chance geben.

Legendary is a nice distraction from the predictable run-and-gun titles so prevalent at the moment, and its focus on the ancient past as a source for modern mayhem is commendable. It's a solid title that will appeal to many casual games, however ultimately will be unlikely to scoop many awards due to the relatively shallow combat mechanics and simple environmental interaction. It's a novel concept for a new IP, and one we hope Atari are keen to pursue with a sequel.

Für eine Runde zwischendurch macht mir Legendary immer mal wieder Spaß. Das liegt daran, dass ich das Szenario, das Gegnerdesign und die Atmosphäre des Spiels gelungen finde. Einige Stellen, wie z.B. der Kampf gegen den Riesengolem aus Schrott sind einfach klasse gemacht. Leider überwiegen bei dem Spiel aber die eher einfallslosen 08/15-Abschnitte, in denen ich durch feuchte Keller latsche und dutzendweise Ventile aufdrehe oder Schalttafeln kurzschließe, damit die Tür daneben aufgeht, während nachwachsende Gegner an mir rumknabbern. Die übersensible Maussteuerung und der eher schwache Multiplayer tun ihr Übriges. So ist Legendary nur ein solider Shooter mit originellem Szenario und ein paar starken Momenten, aber auch nicht mehr.

Legendary had echt wel de potentie om een (sub)topper te worden, maar mist als typische console-port elke diepgang.

Legendary’s problems would be easily forgivable if the rest of the package came together well enough but it doesn’t. With only four different enemies to fight for most of the game (one is a second breed of Werewolf), a mostly useless selection of guns and annoying bosses paired up with a story that doesn’t go anywhere the game fumbles its execution totally. It’s even more infuriating to receive an ending that’s essentially a “to be continued” message. Luckily the price has dropped to make it a bargain bin title which is more of a comfortable fit for this game. You could do worse but you could also do much better in a year that’s seen a large number of excellent titles released in short order.

Legendary é, como prevíamos, um FPS competente quanto baste, com um original cenário de catástrofe mas com bases de jogo perfeitamente estabelecidas. A atmosfera e as criaturas são o seu ponto forte, a jogabilidade flutua entre o agradável e a decepção, e no final temos algo que poderá merecer uma espreitadela por parte dos apreciadores. Não traz nenhuma revolução ao género mas nunca foi essa a intenção, pelo que terá de ser visto como é - um tiro-neles simpático, ocasionalmente frustrante, que entretém. Mas depois é altura de passar a coisas sérias, como um Left 4 Dead ou um Crysis Warhead.

There is a multi-player mode, but I have yet to play it, because no one’s on. Seriously. So, really, what you’re getting is a single-player game that’s ten hours long, and that is approximately 8 hours too long. If I was forced to choose between Legendary and a bad game, I wouldn’t know what I’d go with. On one hand, a bad game will at least provide me with something to remember, while Legendary is just so boring that it completely disappears as an existing product. Whatever the case, just forget about this game. I know I did and I didn’t even need to do anything. That’s nice, I guess.

As I noted before, in the genre of FPS you’ve got to bring your A-game to be noticed. And apparently this team’s A-game was off flitting about in the land of make believe and fairies, receiving a warm consoling hug from the mythical creatures they envisioned for this game. The Minotaur says with his sad cow eyes glistening “Don’t worry guys, everything will be alright”, but the Minotaur knows it’s not going to be alright… it’s not going to be alright at all.

This is a game that could have been much more. The game’s linearity really hampers immersion, and there are some odd animation elements that also distract from the game. The game has a decent backstory, but the way it unravels is a bit on the predictable side. This is a game with potential that didn’t quite live up to it.

Legendary aurait pu sortir du lot si le background d'origine avait été correctement utilisé. Malheureusement il n'en est rien et hormis quelques affrontements sortant des sentiers battus, la progression dirigiste et la faible durée auront tôt fait de réduire le soft de Spark au rang de petit FPS assez quelconque.

I had such high hopes for this game as a whole. There are a few good pieces to mention. The art looked good. The premise drew me in enough to look forward to the game. The creature A.I. could be unpredictable, making for more interesting battles. When I died, unfortunately more due to lag than difficulty, I never felt like I was having the same fight over again. These few pieces were not enough to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. I think there is a design rule that says don't make the player physically ill. There were too many graphical glitches to forgive, even above the lag. It is a hard formula for gaming success sometimes and it hurts when there are so many decent things about the design to see the basics left out. I hope they put the dice in and roll them again, but I can't see myself enduring playing the game any more than I did.

Unfortunately, some good monsters and a decent multiplayer mode don’t really save the game from being mired down in its own mediocrity. B-grade shooters are common enough, and Legendary ends up being better than the truly awful Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, but not nearly as good as Timeshift. Sure to be doomed to the bargain bin, it might end up being worth a look for bored, cheap bastards, but can’t hope to compete with any of the other full-priced releases of the season.

Perhaps the game's most fascinating aspect is that it prepares you for a sequel, which in this case is less of a tantalizing tease than it is a full-on threat. Not that the idea of Legendary is bad, but all that potential has been wasted in a shooter that isn't pleasant to look at and isn't fun to play.

En oikein tiedä, mitä vastaväitteisiin pitäisi sanoa, kun kyseessä on mielestäni näin ilmiselvästi tolkuttoman hirveän huonosti tehty peli. Hyvä, että vähällä pääsee pitkälle? Mene ja tiedä. Viime kädessä synkkä tosiasia kuitenkin on, että alan tämänhetkiseen tasoon suhteutettuna Legendary alittaa riman oikeastaan jokaisella osa-alueella. Ei tämmöistä viitsi katsella, eikä sen puolesta nyt ainakaan pidä pyydellä anteeksi.

All things told, the game reeks of derivation. It lacks a brilliant streak, and while the odd set-piece is mildly entertaining, we’ve come to expect more in 2008. Even the most hardened fan of mystical mythos should search for their fix elsewhere, and FPS aficionados should resist the urge of a rental. Legendary is a poor first-person shooter; one that doesn’t even deserve a joke at its title’s expense.

Inevitably, I think that's the reaction most gamers will have to Legendary, especially with so many fantastic alternatives available on every platform in the last two months alone. Aside from a couple of fun scenarios -- such as a hectic battle to take down a gigantic scrap golem in the ruins of New York -- nothing stands out as worth playing or even genuinely enjoyable. The slightly depressing moral of the story may be that big-action first-person shooters -- like blockbuster summer action films -- are simply no longer feasible without a gargantuan budget from a deep-pocketed publisher. Developers can try with everything they have to create something legendary, but without the cash to match, their project's bound to end up like this one: an obscure footnote to a truly epic season of impressive releases.