Gauntlet Legends
System:
Nintendo 64
Publisher & Developer: Midway
Released: 1999
Genre: Action
Capabilities: Controller & Rumble Pak Compatible, Expansion
Pak Compatible & Required for up to 4 players to play
Review Updated: May 31, 2001
The Game
Remember the old Gauntlet games on the NES and in the Arcades? You know, the ones with millions of mazes and the game never ends, well it's back on the N64, but this one actually has an end to the game, and is in 3-D. Will it be better than the older games? Lets get onto the review and find out.
Graphics
All the heroes and villains are all completely redone in 3-D. And although the characters still may look a little bit on the simple side, you can still easily tell who from who. The terrains you battle on look marvelous, you can battle in wastelands, mountains, valleys and so forth, and they look even better when you have the Expansion Pak plugged into your Nintendo 64. The games menus are nicely laid out, and you got a cool level select screen where your character runs into the desired area he wished to battle in. The animation in this game is another thing to love in this game. The magic spells the wizards and other combatants cast look dazzling on screen. And even in some cases with up 8 to 10 villains and all 4 human characters battling at once, there isnt even one drop of slowdown. My only complaint about the visuals is that there isnt enough variety between the villains, and you keep on running into the same ones throughout the game.
Sound
Remember Gauntlet 2 for the NES? Remember how much voice it managed to pack into an NES cartridge, with that announcer calling out players deaths and power ups, and so forth? Well you get all that same commentary, with that announcer telling you even more stuff what you found such as one of the sacred stones, gold, food, etc. And this time he doesnt sound like a robot. All the sound effects are all right and brings back memories of all the old Gauntlet games with the classic sword slashes and crumbling sounds sounding a lot like they use to.
The Story
Here's the story in this game, there's 7(I believe it's 7, I'm not 100% sure) stones hidden in the wastelands of the world, and you gotta battle through all 7 worlds and find all the stones to beat the game, each level has a boss to it too.
Game play
Controls are pretty simple and are like past Gauntlet games. You just hack and slash your way through the levels, and you gather power ups which cause you to do more damage, have special items, and even gain invincibility. Characters can now carry more keys and other special items they need to unlock gates and solve other puzzles. In old Gauntlet games, your life meter would be a time meter that would tick down, as the game processes, and that same tradition has carried on into this game. Also this game borrows a little bit from the RPG genre, by adding a feature where you level up your warriors by gaining experience throughout the game, you can save your leveled up fighters on a controller pak for later use.
Replay Value
Well, the game is only 2 players, but with the use of the expansion pak, up to 4 players can play this game for an all out multi player party! The game is just a blast to play with friends, so be sure not to go through the adventure on your own, you might get bored right away. Also leveling up your character to make him stronger adds some depth to the game.
In Brief
+: The sword slashing in 3-D is the same as it always has been, Game doesnt take forever to beat like previous Gauntlets
-: Gets boring right away if you decide to play by yourself, graphics still dont shine out that much
The Final Ratings Rundown
Graphics: 7.3
Sound: 7.6
Game play: 7.8
Replay Value: 6.6
Overall: 7.3
Rounded to fit GameFAQs Score: 7
Comments
A great translation of a classic, improved so much over the last versions. There is no more overhead confusion, and best of all, this game will actually has an end to it. And with 4 players slashing at once, people will be reliving the glory days of Gauntlet on the NES right away. The game still has some short comings though, with the only major one being that this game is more aimed at multiple gamers going at once, than just one person going at it all by himself.