Maximo vs. Army of Zin

Written by John Scalzo  on March 12, 2004

Full Review: My underwear can find the greatest treasure in all the land and that pesky the that should be in the title

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The 3D remake is a delicate proposition. C: The Contra Adventure was an absolute disaster. Sonic Heroes was considered by most to be mediocre at best. But Maximo: Ghosts to Glory was something special. Like Super Mario 64, it was a completely perfect transformation from 2D sidescroller to 3D adventure goodness. So naturally, after an agonizingly long two year wait, Capcom has graced the gaming world with a sequel, Maximo vs Army of Zin.

Maximo is still looking for his lost love Sophia and is still hanging with the Grim Reaper. Once again, Death is confused by the lack of new souls in the underworld. It seems the great Army of Zin, robots that are powered by souls, have been released from their prison in the Great Vault of Hawkmoor (which we are shown in all it's CGI glory to open the game). So the man with the boxers and his pal the Grim Reaper set out to save the world once more.

Right away you can tell the differences between this Maximo and his first adventure. Gone are the hub levels, continues, item pedestals and elemental sword powerups. They have been replaced by a completely linear world map, a save anytime system, peddlers and multiple weapons respectively. The battle system has also been revamped, with Maximo now able to whip off combination attacks combined with special moves on the evil hordes. Maximo has also been charged with protecting roving bands of villagers from said evil hordes. His majesty's boxers also play a bigger role in the sequel, as different pairs will sport special abilities like being able to find treasure. And to top it all off, the Grim Reaper is now a playable character and can be called whenever Maximo has filled the Grim Meter.

Even with all of these changes, Maximo 2 feels very close to it's predecessor. The combination attacks and multiple weapons add some variety to the fighting (the "machine gun" sword attack is particularly cool). And the special moves give value to koins, since this time special moves have to be purchased, they cannot be found. One major difference to the series though is the new feel of the double jump. Maximo's double jump has been slightly wussified, to make his new ability to hang from ledges by his sword all that much more important. It's somewhat frustrating to think "I could have made that jump in the first game" and then not make it here.

Having to rescue villagers also changes the tempo of the game a bit, as failing to save one can result in lost gold, keys or the opportunity to buy some new swag. It's a different play mechanic for the series, and when it's not overused in a level it works. But adding Grim as a playable character was a stroke of genius, allowing him only five seconds of screen time before you revert back to Maximo is limiting though.

While the double jump and the time you spend with Grim are just little things that someone who played the original game religiously noted, Army of Zin's biggest crime is the fact that the beginning of the game just isn't very good. The sense of wonder that the opening of Maximo: Ghosts to Glory had is missing here. The first few levels of Army of Zin just feel very bland. The game picks up around the first quarter and by the second half, particularly the Great Vault level, Maximo will have double jumped back into your heart as the star of a fantastic game.

Some things never change though as Army of Zin features a lot of the same pesky little problems as the original Maximo. Slowdown is a rampant problem when too much is going on on screen. Thankfully, "too much" is limited to one big battle every couple of levels and will never rise above a minor annoyance. What's worse is that the camera problems of the original, which were gladly overlooked because I was having so much fun, return with a vengeance. In those first few levels, when you're not having much fun, that camera is a pain.

The difficulty of the original Maximo was a sore spot for many people. For me, it was perfect. A devilishly hard game that preyed on your skills, or lack thereof, and not cheap tricks to be difficult is just what I want. Maximo 2 changes this up a bit by making things a tad easier overall (like by not taking away special moves you've purchased after you die this time for example) and by including a save anytime system. I liked the unforgiving difficulty. Thankfully Capcom has found a way to make everyone happy. They've included a Hard mode that adds more Zin robots, makes them more aggressive on offense and defense and makes villagers die easier. A true Maximo experience.

Graphically, Army of Zin feels very similar to its predecessor. Several new environments, including the underground tunnels and the countryside give Maximo 2 a look of it's own. The new enemies are detailed and sharp looking, but the game manages to throw the same several bots at you level after level. And while we've seen Grim many times before, his in game character is just bursting with life (so to speak), good job Capcom. Add a few more colors, a few more background and lighting effects and you have your "enhanced" graphical engine. Since the graphics in the original Maximo were always impressive, the fact that the sequel uses that solid base to build off of doesn't bother me in the least.

The cut scenes this go around are very impressive though. Funny stuff and the voice acting is spot on. As are the musical score and the in game sound effects. Pretty much recycled wholesale from the original (except for the new robot sounds and some slightly different background music), but again, if it works already, go with it.