Mace: The Dark Age

"A pretty decent fighting game"

Mace: The Dark Age (Or just Mace) is actually rather enjoyable, considering most crap today. That's not to say it doesn't have problems of its own. The real problem is the fact that there is a much better Arcade version, but since you can't own one of those unless you have a couple thousand dollars, here's an alternative that cost only $50. And it's made by Midway, the same people who made Mortal Kombat, which means it has to be good. Here's the review.

Graphics: Dear God, what happened?! These are not even close to the Arcade. Characters are WAY too blocky, the transparancys suck, and the backgrounds are too discolored. But then again, who plays for graphics? 4

Music&sound: Voices are somewhat decent. Asmodeos' voice acts like referee, and Gar's one-liners are downright hilarious (I always laugh when I hear Gar say,''Now you're making me mad!''). However, the music is not close to as good as the Arcade. It seems that the once flowing tunes have been reduced to techno-sounding beats that don't match the original. However, it does fit the atmosphere pretty well, especially the music for the last fight. 7

Gameplay: Very responsive controls. In fact, a little too responsive. One move of the control stick, and your character goes flying. The characters are varied, ranging from an Arabian assassin and a witch to a mercenary and a Chinese monk. Each character has loads of moves to dice your opponent with. And, if you are able to pull off a fatality, you are rewarded with either someone's still-beating heart or a chicken dinner. However, most moves are hard to perform, and fatalities are near impossible. 8

Storyline: An evil demon named Asmodeos has the Mace of Tanis, a weapon that grants it's user eternal life and everlasting power. In order to feed it, Asmodeos has a group of evil rulers called the Covenant of Seven go take over Europe and parts of Asia, sacrificing people to Asmodeos along the way. Then one day, the Covenant of Seven turns on Asmodeos, each one wanting the mace for his or her self. Also, warriors from Europe, the middle east, China and Japan band together to destroy Asmodeos and turn the mace into a symbol of good. Sadly,this plot has been done WAY too many times to be enjoyable now. 5

Final Breakdown: If you look past the graphics and story, you have a good game. It is very deserving of your time, and can provide a good amount of fun in your spare time. Rent it at least.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 03/24/01, Updated 03/24/01