EOE: Eve of Extinction

"A much needed return to the world of brawling..."

When I first saw advertisements of this game, it caught my eye. It wasn't the graphics, story, game franchise, or developer that caught my eye... it was the genre. I personally believe there has been a shortage of great brawlers. For the past few years, I've come across some that I liked, but in the long run they were all short on something... and Eve of Extinction gave me a new hope.

Story - 8
As far as I know, no one has ever played a brawler for the story. Usually they all have the simple ''stop villain from achieving world domination'' plot without anything really original to throw on. While EoE keeps the plot itself, it adds a rather interesting, and in all actuality, deep story... yet while there are plot holes, and the story doesn't compare to many RPGs and Adventure games, it is more than was ever needed for a brawler.

Graphics - 8
All in all, the graphics are pretty... they aren't on par with some of the best games, but pretty none the less. One thing that caught my attention was the fact that I never saw a single blinking texture or two textures passing through each other. There are some jaggies, but still, they are only noticeable if you're looking for them in particular or you're some kind of graphical-freak.

Sound - 7
Oh the sound... it surely wasn't epic, and it surely didn't suck. All in all, the sound effects were better than many games I've played, and while most of the music didn't draw me in and get me humming, there were some compositions that I loved. Also, I haven't encountered any mismatched sounds (such as some infamous games where a guy hits the ground and a makes the sound of a girl ^_^).

Gameplay - 9
This is where the game truly shines. At first the combat system seems kinda limited with two attack variations and a maximum of a two hit combo... but you are soon able to link more attacks together, not to mention the fact that you can link together combos involving more than one weapon. Also, no two weapons (and you have ten, eleven if you include your unarmed combat) fight alike. Depending on what weapon your character is currently wielding, his fighting style varies drastically.

Besides fighting, EoE also adds a bit of platforming which is usually easy or a tad challenging, but there are parts that might make you let loose a stream of profanities. This is because of the way the weapons interact with your movement. First off, if you have a weapon equipped you can't grab onto a ledge, but you also need to use some of your weapons to get to certain places. For example, by using your rod, you can thrust yourself further into the air than a normal jump, and then switch to your bare hands in mid-air and grab onto a ledge. While it's mostly simple, there are a few times that just get on your nerves... yet, all in all, it's nowhere near enough to stand against the sheer enjoyment of the combat.

Control - 7
The control is fairly simple, but there are a few things I wish were done. Namely, the camera. The only way to adjust it is to aim it in the direction you're facing, and that can be rather painful during battles, tricky jumps, or just looking around while moving. The only other thing is a better lock-on feature. The same button that blocks will also lock onto the closest enemy, but since you're blocking, you can't run around while locked on. Other than that, everything's pretty easy (even changing weapons in the middle of a combo or movement isn't a feat at all).

Replay - 8
Another large fault of your general brawler is the replay. You beat it once, maybe twice, and you're done. The battle doesn't have enough depth to keep you interested, and there aren't really any secrets to unlock. In EoE, the combat never seems (unless to get old you're in a stage where you've been fighting and fighting and fighting without any stop, but that's understandable)to grow old and so far there seem to be a pretty good amount of things to unlock, such as bonus games, every interactive cinematic movie, and whatever else people haven't stumbled across yet.

Rent/Buy...
I bought this game the week it came out, and still no regrets. But also, I have plenty of other games to play. My advice would be if you have the extra money, really want a good brawler, or just want EoE for whatever reason, then buy it. On the other hand, if you're strapped for cash, are very picky about your games, etc., then rent it first to save yourself trouble.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/09/02, Updated 03/09/02