Gauntlet Dark Legacy

"Gather your 3 best friends for an all night party!"

They've done it again. Midway has released yet another game in the Gauntlet Series. This time around it is a port from the PS2 entitled Dark Legacy. For those unfamiliar with the Gauntlet Series, it is basically you guiding a character through realms killing baddies, all the while building your characters experience level and stats with items included to make things interesting. The game does not have much of a storyline, but the main idea is a wizard named Sumner oversees eight magical realms. Garm, his jealous brother decides to collect special runestones which he uses to open the portal to the underworld. Unknowingly, Garm unleashes a terrible monster named Skorne, who overpowers Garm and then scatters the runestones throughout the eight realms. Now Skorne's minions are running rampant through the eight realms. Sumner is able to assemble a team of fighters, the most powerful from each realm, to eliminate the baddies unleashed by Skorne. While you explore the 60 levels scattered throughout the realms, you will be searching for the runestones as well as crystal shards, which are used to open an ancient temple where Skorne is hiding, that are possessed by Skorne's most lethal cohorts.

You will be able to pick up and play the game very easily. The Button configuration is very easy to get used to, and within minutes you will hacking and slashing with the best of 'em. People of different skill levels will be able to enjoy the game on either Easy, Normal, or Hard difficulties. There are additional options you can activate such as Team Attacks, Auto-Aim, as well as a few others. There are a few things I must gripe about in the gameplay. The camera often will neglect to show much of what is in front of your character, leading you to walk right into a hazard such as spikes, causing a reduction in health. Also, navigating your inventory system(an exclusive feature in the GC version not found in the PS2 version) searching for the right powerup to kill an enemy can be problematic when you have a huge monster breathing down your neck. It will be frustrating at first, but you should get used to it.

While venturing through the world of Gauntlet, you will be battling to some very appropriate music that is very fitting to the realms. Nothing too special that will dazzle you though. The character voices can be amusing, especially Sumner. For example, you can laugh at your buddy when Sumner warns in his booming voice ''Blue Warrior needs food(replenishes health) badly.'' During certain attacks your character may have something to say. Still, nothing to get excited about. As for graphics, they are improved over the PS2 version, but they are far from eye candy.

Now lets talk about what you really want to know; Is the game worth my money?

This is very dependent upon what kind of gamer you are, and how accessible friends are.

For Solo Players:Gauntlet is made to be a multiplayer game, but don't let that stop you from enjoying it alone. Many will find the game's formula of ''Kill Baddie. Collect items. Repeat several dozen times'' to get old very fast, while others will love it to death. Those who find enjoyment in building all their characters to level 99 will be playing for a long time, while others will lose interest in a matter of a few hours. To find out if you like the game, I would suggest renting first. The game can be beaten in one rental, so if you plan on going through the game once, then letting it collect dust on your shelf, you definitely need to rent it instead of buy. However, if you are the level building freak mentioned above, purchase is recommended(still rent it first to see if you like it).

For the gamer with plenty of friends: This game is the ultimate party game. There are so many tweakable elements that come into play when more than one person plays. Such factors as the option to make your attacks hurting teammates can really add to the challenge and fun. Good Luck actually beating the game though. Why? It is likely that your friends aren't considerate about you, and only care about keeping their own character alive. This results in a scramble for everyone to scarf up as much food as possible as well as keys and potions, leaving only the strong survive(If you have the Team Attack option turned on as mentioned above, you can get payback by causing harm to your own teammate!). Although, this is a factor that makes it so much fun and challenging. I guarentee you will have one of the greatest(if not the greatest) four-player gaming experiences of your life. Just make sure that all your friends are as Gauntlet crazy as yourself, because some people will get tired of the repetitive gameplay.

What about Replayability? After beating the game, you will probably be sick of it, or ready for another helping. It all depends on preference. Some will let it sit on their shelves, while others will get right to work on going through the game again with another character. The first time through is the most exciting, but you will find enjoyment in going through the game again(especially if you find a set of three different friends than you went through the game with the first time.) Obviously, a player going at it solo will get tired of the game before a person who has a lot of friends at easy accessability.

As I close, I cannot emphasize enough the need to rent this game before purchase. Gauntlet appeals to a select group of people, and if you aren't in that group, you will be disappointed. However, if you are in that group, you are in store for a lot of fun.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/08/02, Updated 03/08/02