"This game is a complete waste of time."

Introduction

This game is based on the Book of the same name. It has also been made into a movie, therefore a group of game developers called Vivendi thought "Hey, it's a book made into a movie! It must be popular, so let's make a game about it!", and did so. However, they did something wrong. The book is quite awesome, with very vivid locations and characters, but the game is different. Almost half the story is cut out, and the storyline left is mostly repetetive battles and walking around.


Gameplay - 4/10

The gameplay is fairly linear, but there are some hidden passages with spells, i.e. Blunt hidden in them. Even then, the spells are easy to get to. This game, played the first time, took me about 7'45''. Pathetic. Most good games take at least 25-30 hours to complete. The controls are fairly simple, strong attack, weak attack, block, and spell cast. There are also arrows, for the cautious. The enemies themselves are very easy, save the bosses, but that is normal. Most take just one hit with a well placed spell to kill, and never get a chance to attack you back.


Story - 3/10

As I said earlier, the story is cut down to not much more than a third of what is in the book. The story in the game consists of: You go through the forest, underground, try and kill everything in the desert, into the mountains, and all through here, the bosses are pretty much the same, and all very easy. At the end, you simply defeat a dragon. Simple. The dialogue in the game is actually fairly rare, and when you do talk, it's just short conversations and you're back to battling the easy enemies.


Graphics/Sound - 5/10

The graphics are the best part of the game, and they are okay, but the sound is mostly grunts and yells. The graphics are fairly good, but the urgals could use a little more work. They look like walking rocks with weapons, and the different ones are the bosses, which have armor, giving them color. In my opinion, the best graphics are when you are using mind touch where Saphira looks like a dragon, and not a big blue log.


Play Time/Replayability - 1/10

Awful. I played the game in not even eight hours. A new gamer might take eight to eight-and-a-half hours. Good games should take around 40+ hours to complete. Just look at it, 8, and 40. A 32 hour difference! As for replayability... well, replaying it would take about 5 or 6 hours, and most optional things only seem optional, but you really have to get it.


Final Recommendation

Must I really explain? Well, since I am sure there are some out there that skip right to here, I will. "Should I buy it or rent it?", you ask. I say that you should do neither. If you're a real fan of the Inheritance Trilogy, you might, just might, want it, however, I doubt it. If you really, REALLY want it for some reason, and you can't find it at your local Toys "R" Us, don't bother to continue searching.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 09/13/07

Game Release: Eragon (US, 11/14/06)