Gaming Target - Xbox: Gauntlet: Dark Legacy

Written by Ryan Smotherman on March 22, 2002

First Impressions: Monster generators, oh how I hate thee.

Not to be shown up by the other 2 super systems, Microsoft's Xbox will also be receiving a version of Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, a modern day update to the classic series, courtesy of Midway. Unfortunately, I just can't seem to get excited about this title. Gauntlet is looking to follow the steps of Spy Hunter and OO7: Agent Under Fire as decent PS2 titles that have merely been thrown on to the system without even a second thought going into taking advantage of the systems strengths. Folks, this isn't what the Xbox is all about.

While what I said might be a tad unfair at this point, let us look at the facts. Midway announced that the game would be hitting the Xbox just early this month (March 4th to be precise), and the game is currently scheduled for release late March or early April. And in this announcement no comments of enhanced visuals or added features were made. So, my guess is that they took the code from the recently ported Gamecube version, since it fixed some of the PS2 version's probs already, and then slapped it onto the Xbox. While it probably isn't as cut and dry as that, I think my point is made. And yes, as a proud Xbox owner, the way these companies are throwing cookie-cutter PS2 ports onto the Xbox system to make a quick buck is really starting to offend me. But then again, this is really nothing new.

Okay, hopefully I didn't scare you away with my little rant, but I'm sure you guys understand and more than likely agree with me. Now since this is a game preview, let us get to those details.

Dark Legacy itself, regardless of what platform it is on, is sort of an update to an update of the Gauntlet series. I'm sure you all remember Gauntlet Legends, first released as a quarter-munching arcade game and then soon after ported to the Dreamcast. The game pulled the classic action series from that time long ago that we refer to as the 80's, and threw it into the modern day with flashy, 3D visuals. Surprisingly, and with much debate, the title followed that classic dungeon crawling formula to a tee. I'm sure you remember it Ц kill enemies, find food to live, kill more enemies, avoid deadly traps, kill even more enemies, and eventually escape to the next level. While this is all fine and dandy for the old school fans, it left a lot to be desired in this world full of complicated games, with deep, thought provoking gameplay. In this day and age button-mashers are a bit taboo.

While Gauntlet Legend's gameplay wasn't quite up to the stuff, at least not $50 worth, it did offer a few nice tidbits that made it worth a play, including a nice level-up system, monstrous boss characters, and some cool looking spells that cleared screens of baddies. The game was also quite successful, thus we have Dark Legacy Ц an enhanced version of Legends that hit the PS2 many months ago, was just released for the Gamecube, and will be hitting our favorite black box in a matter of weeks.

In general, Dark Legacy will simply offer much more than the previous installment. Along with the original levels there will be many new ones thrown in, all culminating into a combined total of 60+ levels that span 8 different worlds. If that's not enough, 4 new character classes have also been thrown into the mix. Joining along side the Valkyrie, Wizard, Archer, and Warrior, will be the Dwarf, Sorceress, Knight, and Jester. And each of these characters will offer their own unique attacks, weapons, and spells/abilities.

For the most part, gameplay will remain unchanged. You'll take one of your 8 warriors on a story driven adventure, slaying countless enemies of varying race, collecting a slew of treasure and items, and doing your best to just plain stay alive. The combat system seems to have undergone a bit of tweaking. You still will have your projectile attacks, to hits enemies from afar, and your standard slash to kill the ones up close, but this time around you will have the added luxury of pulling off a diverse arrange of combos and the so called УTurbo AttacksФ, hopefully this will add a bit of depth to the pretty basic hack-n-slash gameplay. The level-up system is also in place, allowing your character to get more powerful as you progress through the game. And with 60 levels, expect to get buffed.

One of the major problem that plagued Legends and the other versions of Dark Legacy is that the single player experience is lacking, so expect that with the Xbox incarnation. Of course, even dating back to the 80's, this was a major problem. Going at it alone just can't compare to the experience that the 4-player multiplayer mode brings to the table. Dark Legacy will no doubt please Xbox owners with 4 controllers and 3 other buddies willing to give it a shot.

As it stands right now, the Xbox version is going to be a straight port, so don't expect anything amazing in the graphics department. Both the PS2 and Gamecube versions weren't exactly what I'd call pleasing to the eyes. Though, hopefully they will at least fix the slowdown that showed up in the other versions.