Gauntlet Dark Legacy

"If you buy this game, buy a MultiTap and call some friends. Without that, you won't be having any fun."

So I bought Gauntlet Dark Legacy. What is it, you ask ? Its basically the port of the great arcade game that I wasted so much money on. But, hey, its still kinda fun....kinda...

Its what you've seen before, both in previous titles and in the arcades. Its still fun if you have friends and a multitap. Without it, well, its quite boring.

I know what the major criticism of this game is : Its the same thing as the original Gauntlet. Basically, it is. You can take it for what its worth. In my opinion, thats not really a bad thing.

Gameplay : 7/10

Basically, its a hack fest. Throw in some magic and turbo powerups and its the same as the arcade game. Nothing revolutionary here, but that isnt bad. The original Gauntlet was great, and you dont mess with a good thing.

The playable characters are great, each with their own special quality. They are : Warrior, Valkyrie, Archer, Wizard (all 4 of whom have been seen before) are joined by the Jester, Knight, Sorceress, and Dwarf.

Sound : 3/10

Some grunts or whatnot. Nothing here to rate really. A voice tells you that you are low on health, but its not great. The music is quite tolerable.

Storyline : 1/10

There basically isnt a story. If there was anything near a story, I must have missed it. Basically there is a bad dude named Skorne who is sending armies at you and you have to defeat him. Wow, quite nice...

Graphics : 4/10

It does easily beat the N64 title graphic wise, but that isnt saying much. These are not PS2 graphics. It can be quite dark and difficult at points, and some of the game's levels are horrible looking. The characters look good, which is the only reason i gave this category a 4.

Lasting Appeal : 5/10

This one is easy. If you have a multitap and friends, you can play four player games and have fun (or get mad at your friends and start to hurt them, say when they take your food or run away and leave you to deal with that dragon by yourself [stupid chickens]). In any case, four player Gauntlet shines as the best part of the game.

On the opposite side, if you dont have the multitap (or the friends), this game will become quite boring very quickly.

Rent or Buy? : Rent

I debated over this one for awhile, but I say rent because the only real fun in the game is playing through the night with 3 friends. This can be done when renting it and doesnt require buying it.

In conclusion, if you liked the arcade version, this is basically the same thing, meaning that you should enjoy it. If you didn't like the arcade version, then I see no reason why you would enjoy this. Lastly, if you have the N64 version, I dont see any reason to buy this game because you are basically purchasing the same thing.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 08/13/02, Updated 08/13/02