Bruce Lee: Return of the Legend

"A real review from a real gamer and a real Bruce Lee fan"

I just finished playing this game through 1.2 times, but I stopped from finishing it the second time in Director's Cut mode to write a review.

First off, I wanted to do this as I promised in my C64 Bruce Lee review that I would eventually play this game.

Second, I wanted to do this because of all the reviews that are posted for this game, zero of them have entirely accurate information. I found several statements made about this game, and Bruce Lee, that are untrue.

A major point of this game is that it is not a "new" fake Bruce Lee movie. Obviously none of the other reviewers realize is that this game takes elements FROM the Bruce Lee movies, the storyline is just a simple way to tie it in. YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY, IF YOU WERE A REAL BRUCE LEE FAN YOU'D UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS A JOKE. You fight bosses that resemble Jim Kelly/C.A.J., Chuck Norris, etc. The levels are spin offs of areas in his movies, such as the martial arts school from The Chinese Connection and the drug factory from Enter the Dragon.

The graphics are good, albeit grainy. So what? It looks every bit as good as the old-school Shinobis and such on Game Gear and I still play those games. Big deal, Bruce isn't cel-shaded or polygonal... stop whining, noob lamers.

The sound is superb, many tracks are spin-offs of tracks from the movie scores. The first stealth level has a Mission Impossible rip-off song with an asian twist, but I guess only INTELLIGENT people would get the joke. The sound effects are well sampled and clear as day. Enemies say the same thing over and over again but hell, they didn't have to say anything at all, and then no one would complain, right? I'm guessing that it's an homage to the old C64 game, because once again the enemies almost do their "battle cry" before fighting you, even though the lines, "hey", "c'mon", and "let's go" are a bit trite.
Oh yeah, some stereo music or effects would be nice (I always play GB games with headphones when at home).

The fighting is difficult at first, but the academy level will help you figure it out. There are some moves that are VERY IMPORTANT that just bashing the buttons will not do. Holding up and pushing an attack will knock the enemy upwards and back, thus allowing you to fight another close attacker. A double tap lets you run, and following it with a kick sends you into a dragon kick, and a punch rips out a flying elbow. The elbow is important because you can follow it with a combo and widdle down an enemy. Finally, holding the block button and pressing punch does a backwards punch, useful for fighting an enemy on either side, and pressing punch does a split kick that knocks enemies down on BOTH sides of you. With these moves, the game gets much more enjoyable.

No other reviews bothered to mention that health bonuses are very important, if you decide to run through the level and don't get hit, you're fine. If you start with an enemy, your best bet is to finish him off and possibly get a small health bonus or weapon.

The key collecting reminds me of the old Apogee and ID games I played on PC, kinda like Commander Keen. A neat element, especially because playing on the harder difficulty relocates the keys and makes parts of stages that were not utilized before actually vital to visit.

The stealth missions are awesome. Enemies appear in the same fashion and position all the time (except on the harder difficulty where they are simply in alternate locations), so I don't know what one reviewer is talking about. The stealth isn't exactly DIFFICULT, since the enemies are all near-sighted (you can be 20 feet away and they do not see you). A couple are frustrating, but the fact that you can retry as many times as you like (just like Shenmue, but without having to repeat cut-scenes!). One quote he has stated is that to avoid an enemy is sometimes just as important as defeating an enemy. I guess the other reviewers are completely ignorant of Bruce Lee movies and the facts about his martial art. They complain that the stealth feels out of place in something involving Bruce Lee. He hid from guards in the darkness in about half of Enter the Dragon! C'mon, people!!!

All-in-all, this game is well done. 2-d beat-em-ups usually leave a bad taste in my mouth but this one is well above average. The game is not super deep, but it need not be. It's a simple, almost arcade-like experience. It's not Treasure, Capcom, or Konami quality, but that's not what I was expecting. I was expecting pure trash from yet another American company.

Indeed, the Japanese love to put Bruce Lee rip-offs in every fighting game in existance. Ever notice how the Jeet-Kune-Do fighter isn't necessarily very good though? Guess the Japanese will never admit that Kung Fu is the best... dah well. I guess American game companies will continue to put out Bruce Lee games, but after playing this one, I no longer have any bad thoughts about it.

If you are a Bruce Lee fan, get this game. Don't bother spending too much good money on it, pick it up if you can actually find it cheap (or get the rom). If not, you should still run through the game once at least. That way, you can tell your friends that indeed, there is another decent Bruce Lee game.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/17/04