Lupin the 3rd: Treasure of the Sorcerer King

"A great game with potential that probably others expect too much from."

Lupin the 3rd: Treasure of the Sorcerer King is based off the anime and manga of the same name Lupin The 3rd (accept for the TOTSK title). Pronounced as either 'Lupan' or 'Rupan' Lupin The 3rd is about a man named Arsene Lupin and by the '3rd' he's the 3rd generation in the line of the world renowned thief with class. Lupin aims to be the 'Greatest Thief of The Century' (and chances are he already is). Lupin of course isn't alone in this as he has the help from Daisuke Jigen master of guns or you could say his Colt 45, Goemon Ishikawa a swords expert especially with his Zantatsuken and Fujiko Mine a dangerous yet gorgeous female which has looks that can melt almost any man's heart in one minute and get them into trouble the next. Together the four travel around the world searching for priceless treasures and artifacts while being chased by the persistant hot-blooded yet funky Inspector Zenigata as he endlessly tries to catch Lupin and gang and also making it his one ultimate gold in life.

Lupin The 3rd : Treasure of the Sorcerer King is Lupin's latest adventure and installment in the Lupin gaming timeline. This time around Lupin is out to steal two royal pinchers that are both the keys into unlocking the mysteries and to the Sorcerer King's treasure. Little did they know that there were more to it then just riches once they unlocked the hidden entrance to what treasures awaited them and what twist they meet along the way.

Gameplay : It's a stealth mix action game that closely resembles Metal Gear Solid. The difference here is that it uses more of disguises and using the right disguise for the specific situation is very important unlike Metal Gear Solid's more stealthy self-defence criteria. Also unlike Metal Gear Solid's more straight foward approch by giving a more clear idea on the next place or mission you should go to plus more sneaking around and hightech comando gear Lupin leans more on puzzles and some of them does get alittle mind cracking the first time through the game. Although you are given the option to use sneak and stealth in this game (there are times you'll resort to such tactics as it'll be beneficial when given the chance) disguises play a more important role seeing as most of the times there are not really much places for you to stealth around a specific area due to the limit of areas in this game. The game is also suprisingly easy in a way until the later parts mainly because the disguises starts to have little to no effect against the later part of the game. This game unlike Metal Gear Solid also does not offer much solid battle moments as you could say it's partly the downfall of this game for most people but I feel that after a few run in with the battle moments you'll soon get much used to it though it's still not much and does not offer some spectacular battle gameplay that has never been seen before. Battle sequence is also made hard as the camera sometimes aren't that supportive and you would have to manually lock on to the screen on your own. However the battle sequence isn't all that unplayable and for those who managed to look pass this matter and add everything else the game is still on solid ground.

/Music/Sound : If you like jazz and abit of classical music this is the game for you. The music in this game is just fabulously amazing! Seriously the music in the game is just right in the atmosphere and Lupin fans will be pleased to know that they're getting what their expecting (atleast for me). Infact those who like jazz and alittle bit of classical music touch itself will find the game right at home. Also the music in this game by far makes most bgms (background music) in most other games sound like 2nd class last minute addition music that was randomly hand picked just to fit the theme of the specific game. It's been awhile since I've heard such wonderful bgms in a single game fitting it all in nearly all situations in the game. Just wonderful. Of course for those who aim at hard rock or pop-rock music might not agree to this and find the music in this game alittle dull. As for the sound effects in the game their more Animish (of course being a game based on an anime character and theme) so don't expect any close to realistic sound effects (example firing a gun etc etc).

Graphics : Only the best if you're looking for a close from anime to game transition. The characters are randered in 3D closely resembling their Anime counterpart. The backgrounds in the game are pretty simple giving you more of a 70's classic royal feel (probably it's because of the area) unlike Metal Gear Solid's more futuristic settings (more army type of course). The backgrounds also tend to be boring after awhile as most people feel that certain places in a singular stage resemble one after the other (rooms tend to look the same from one place to the other only having different item placing or start to look different once you've crossed over to the next chapter) but of course lucky thing the atmosphere fits most of the time making it feel that you'll just look pass this minor point just as I have. Just don't expect this game to have graphics like what Squaresoft's Final Fantasy series or certain detail in graphics like what Konami's Metal Gear Solid had to offer seeing as this game is suppose to have more anime feel and it's what I got (and I'm sure most felt partly the same).

Overall : People put this game down mainly for possibly 2 reasons. Graphics and Gameplay. The disguise and stealth, sneak and puzzles are just brilliant but most people tend to compared this game to MGS which shouldn't at all be compared with one another (in terms of gameplay) because I think it should be played differently amd people tend to compared the graphics with those from Final Fantasy in their newer installments. However overall this factors does not bring the game down by any means. The graphics are set perfect and room for improvement in certain while the gameplay itself is atleast alittle more original. The only thing that needs tweaking would probably be the battle sequence/battle moments of the game. People might also find a lacking in replay value after the second time through the game. In the end this game is worth the try and a definate must have for Lupin the 3rd fans. Just don't expect some totally unheard revolutionizing gameplay or feature. Enjoy the music!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/27/04