Gauntlet Dark Legacy

"Nostalgia and power of brand is all I need."

The last Gauntlet game I played was either for the NES or the SNES, I don't remember which, it's been so long.

But the addictive game play stuck with me and so did the name, so when I went out to get my first PS2 game, I snapped Gauntlet: Dark Legacy up without giving any other game a second thought.

I've never played any of the updated games under the Gauntlet name, so you could say this is a revisiting of old times in new form. This is the view of a player unjaded by previous installments, so I hope to review in a way that the game stands on its own rather than being compared to its other incarnations.

So I guess I'll break this down into sections and give you my impressions. Please be aware that this is entirely based on a single player game; adding up to three more friends will give that added depth of play, plus all important reasons to beat up your friends when they steal your food.

Graphics: I'm a newbie to the PS2, and I don't know exactly what it's capable of, but I very much enjoy the graphics in this game. They're clean-edged and extremely detailed; in fact, the detail is so good, when a rare moment comes along that you see one of those little pesky monsters up close, they look as good as they do small, better even. This is a game with extreme visual depth. My only qualms are in the way transparency is handled, as you can see the individual polygons that make up a character. There is also a very small amount of polygons going through walls and some of the flat parts like fences feel as though they don't quite blend in.

Sound and Music: I like the sound effects well enough; there is The Gauntlet Voice, which is for me a big fat bit of nostalgia right there. ''Blue Valkyrie needs food badly!'' The voices of the characters themselves range from amusing to absolutely annoying (as is the case with the Dwarf's and Jester's table etiquette...can't they shut their yaps while they eat?)

As for the music, most of it was pretty good. There are a lot of scores that are very atmospheric and lend well to the feeling of level they are a part of. One complaint is in certain levels, the music doesn't transition well at all to the next piece, thus making the score glaringly obvious rather than part of the whole.

Game play: Gauntlet: Dark Legacy is a hack-fest in the truest sense of the term. The premise of the entire game is to go beat the snot out of a whole bunch of bad guys and monsters while collecting gold and making one's way to the exit. You have a choice of eight characters initially, all with their own peculiar strengths and weaknesses. There are nice details added to this fairly simple game of course; power ups, magic potions that can be used as an attack, a shield, or even change Junk to Gold for certain characters. There is even the opportunity to buy stats and power ups. All the characters have two of their own special Turbo Attacks and at certain levels gain the ability to use magic potions for different things. Plus there are secret characters to unlock in special stages in each realm.

There is also a minimal plot, in which the player must collect special stones and golden items in order to advance to new levels and finally finish the game.

I think the game play is pretty enjoyable: there are annoyances in the game, but they're supposed to be annoying, like the ''anklebiters'' and those stupid snipers. And, as a bonus that I always appreciate, you can start the game on Easy, Normal, or Hard, depending on your preference. This gives you replay value, if, like me, you want to enjoy the game and not be frustrated by it, and then later perhaps feel up to a bit more of a challenge.

Reply Value: I don't know why I have to even say this. Of course there's replay value! The Gauntlet series has been going on for a rather long time; that right there should tell you that people keep coming back to it. Personally, I feel it has a similar replay value of Tetris or Rogue. No, it's very unlikely anyone will play the game eight or more times through just to max out their characters; that would get tedious after a while. But, when you do put it back on your shelf to play other games with perhaps more plot or what not, there will come a time when you will get a hankerin' for some mindless bust up the bad guys fun, and then you'll take down Gauntlet: Dark Legacy and have at it.

Buy or Rent? I know myself well enough to know that I'll get my $50 investment out of this game. If what I've described sounds like something you'd enjoy or you also played Gauntlet long ago and need a fix of fun game nostalgia, maybe you should skip the rental fee and buy it. Otherwise, renting is always the safest way to find out if you'll enjoy a game or not.

So, in conclusion, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy is that special kind of game that is just plain fun. Sometimes it's hard to find games like that anymore. Rest assured, here is one with the staying power of old school gaming wrapped up in a really nice new package that doesn't in my opinion detract at all from the fun.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/22/01, Updated 06/22/01