Azurik: Rise of Perathia

"Has many good points, but the bad points reer their ugly heads as well."

Azurik: Rise of Perathia is a game that should be held as one of the best Adventure/RPG games of all time. It has good voice acting, a decent (although, at times, corny) story line, and a semi-intuitive control system. However, it also has subpar graphics and a questionable camera control system for a system as powerful as the Xbox. There is a near entire lack of music in the game. And combat in this game is the complete opposite of exciting.

The Good

The background information for this game is presented through a typical introductory movie. All of the characters sound like they should when they speak, move, and otherwise go about their ways. This opening movie is followed by a training session, to acquaint the user to the control system used in Azurik. There is really no need to read the manual for this game, as you will use this control scheme, and ONLY this control scheme, throughout the rest of the game. You are also shown how to invoke and use your elemental powers (Earth, Air, Fire, and Water). Combat consists of jabbing at enemies with the A button, sweeping your Axion to strike multiple enemies with the B button, and rolling/dodging with the Black button. Elemental powers are used by holding down the Left Trigger, entering the corresponding button for each element, and then releasing the left trigger. Each elemental power has a specific usage or usages, and can be combined with other elements for a different effect (ie, Fire & Water can be combined to form the Steam power, which is used to melt large blocks of ice which block Azurik's progression throughout the game).

The Bad

Azurik suffers from some of the worst graphics seen to date on the Xbox. Popup is evident in far too many places, framerate dips are common. Textures are bland and grainy, are rarely mix with the textures that surround them. Animation is poorly done, as all characters move EXACTLY the same, only slower when walking. Definitely not indicative of the true power of the Xbox...or the N64 for that matter. The camera is absolutely retarded, and you will be using the center camera button (Right Trigger) more that the attack buttons throughout the game. Further, the camera frequently goes behind objects that obstruct its view of Azurik, so you'll have to use the Right Thumbstick to move the camera as well. Too much work ... or not enough on the developers' part, if you want to look at it that way. Music plays in 30 second clips that are barely audible at the highest of volume levels, and it is always the exact same music clip. Turn it off, and use your stereo. Combat consists of bashing on the A button repeatedly while facing an enemy to eventually kill him. God forbid 2 enemies come near you, you'll get to use the B button then to swing at them and knock them backwards. Rinse and repeat. Terrible. Not fun. It sucks.

Overall

Rent this game. The gameplay is basically run, kill, rinse, repeat all the way through. Not as much of a waste of money as, say, Kabuki Warriors, or maybe, a Japanese game if you don't speak Japanese, but still not worth the $50 price tag.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/02, Updated 01/02/02