Xena: Warrior Princess

"Tedious action/adventure game for fans of the series only."

Introduction

Xena: Warrior Princess is a vaguely playable action adventure style game that is really best left to fans of the series. In this case, I have awarded a score based on its interest level to fans, primarily because there is not an awful lot else going for the game.

Story - 5/10

The story is very generic, and relatively inaccessible to those who do not watch the series. Gabrielle, Xena's sidekick, is missing and you must locate her. I won't give the story away here, but expect to see other characters from the series along your way. Story segments are voice acted, but they are not convincing. Xena herself sounds either flat and monotonous or over-emotional depending on the scene. The animation style of these cut-scenes is exactly the same as the game itself - but more about that in the graphics review.
I think that the game developers assumed that all players of this game would be regular viewers of the series. As a semi-fan myself, I was familiar with all the characters and the story made sense to me. However, upon lending this game to a friend of mine who had never seen the series, I discovered that being a fan is a requirement to understanding the story. The friend in question still played through the game, but did not really grasp the story until reaching the end. Even then, the characters who appear from the series are never really explained. This is the main reason why I would strongly advise those who have never watched Xena: Warrior Princess on television NOT to get this game. You don't need to be an avid fan to play, but you will need to know who all the characters are to appreciate it.

Gameplay - 4/10

Imagine Tomb Raider with a chakram. Then add sluggish, unresponsive controls and bingo - that's how you vanquish enemies in this game. Ambitious puzzle elements, mostly involving shooting a far away target with a crossbow while trying to not die, provide the best moments of game play here.

Fighting enemies is really sporadic in its high points. Hitting a far away target with the chakram takes some practice, but conveniently there is a practice mode which you can use before playing the game in order to get the hang of the controls. Close-range fighting is a little trickier. You start the game with the basic kick moves, with more complex moves being awarded to you as you progress. It isn't difficult to kill enemies, but your real opponent here is the control system. The game is very slow to respond to your commands, and occasionally will refuse to respond at all.

You need to progress through set levels, and in those levels you will have targets to achieve, such as freeing hostages and collecting key items. Potions are available to replenish your health. The levels are easy, overall. As you progress, they become longer and the puzzle elements become harder, but the actual crux of the game - the fighting - just stays at the same difficulty level, but with enemies requiring more hits to die. Occasional platform elements will leave you swearing with frustration as the shocking control system leaves you unable to jump as required, occasionally leading to your untimely death as you plummet to your doom.

Unfortunately, the bad aspects of game play outweigh the good. The game has a good length though - around twenty hours if you take your time.

Graphics - 4/10

I am at a loss for words. This does not look like a Playstation game at all - it looks like a much earlier system game. Backgrounds appear nicely detailed at first, until you realize that the same backgrounds have been repeated very obviously throughout the entire game with the characters added later. I appreciate that this is a typical feature of gaming, but this really does detract from the quality of this game, as the main difference is that in other games it is not quite so obvious as it is here. The main saving grace is the good camera control allowed, including the ability to zoom in and out, which really helps with the game play aspect.

Characters are not convincingly animated. Even in cut scenes, there is no variation in the overall mediocre quality. The game is trying to be realistic, but failing. There is really nothing else to say.

Sound - 2/10

Dismal quality. Xena's sporadic screaming is highly irritating. In most levels there appears to be some unseen drummer in the background providing the sounds. Effects are varied according to the background involved, but the sound is of such low quality that it's difficult to really notice.

The voice acting is some of the worst I've ever heard in a game.

Replay Value - 4/10

This depends whether you're a fan, mainly. If you are a fan, you will want to play it again. In fact you may actually enjoy this game. If you are not a fan, you are unlikely to make it through to the end, based on the opinions of those who I know who have played this having never watched Xena on television.

The Bottom Line

Mediocre quality largely over-looked by developers eager to cash in on what is known in marketing terms as ''the Xena phenomenon''. Fans will like it. Casual Xena viewers and non-fans will hate it.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 04/02/03, Updated 04/02/03