Bruce Lee: Return of the Legend

"Bruce Li : Return of Medicore"

If I were to say this is probably Bruce Lee's best game I don't think i'd be lying to tell the truth. I am a avid fan of Bruce Lee and i've seen all 4 1/2 films he's been in including some Bruceploitation films. Bruceploitation films are films which were made after Bruce Lee's death which featured clever imposters who were credited as such as Bruce Li, Bruce K. Lea, Bruce Le and were done in a very corny style in order to somehow cash in on the dead stars name. This game I feel not being at Bruce Lee quality and was simply made to cash in on Bruce's name is more of a Bruce Li game than a Bruce Lee.

Gameplay 5/10
Pretty easy and generic. You have a few moves and combos but you'll be fine just punching and kicking and generally button mashing your way through the stages as the enemies are probably some of the easiest i've seen in Beat'em Up games. You go around finding keys to unlock the door then find the key to unlock the next, pretty basic. You also get weapons which have life meters meaning you can only use them after a certain amount of attacks.
You also have one or two stealth missions which prove to be not so enjoyable as you in no way can attack with the exception of the dart weapons which won't last you very long. When you are caught you have to go back to the start of the stage or at the last check point. Luckily there aren't many of these as I mentioned and you get alot of check points on the way. Also you get infinite lives so everytime you screw up you won't have anything to worry about.

Graphics 5/10
Pretty bland, and average. Nothing special, yet nothing terrible.

Sound 5/10
The BGM is pretty average as well, something you may of heard in a Chinese restaurant or in a 70's movie. Nothing stands out here either

Replay Value 4/10
This game stretches out quite a bit, there are a few things you can unlock such as new costumes and new modes but not sure if this game is enjoyable enough to go through again as the game is 1-2 hours long.

Storyline 6/10
Didn't really pay much attention to the cinemas much but something about Bruce Lee revenging a master and stopping some evil organization. I guess it is nice that they did try and put effort into this as the game would probably be knocked down by a few points if there were no cut scenes or real storyline.

Overall 5/10
Not as terrible as the other Bruce Lee games out there but nothing great either. Sadly since most American game companies would only cash in on Bruce's name and how the Japanese were presented in his films I doubt we'll ever see a great Bruce Lee game despite sadly there is alot of potential if one were to be made.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 11/29/03