Legendary (Video Game 2009) Poster

(2009 Video Game)

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7/10
3.5 Stars out of 5 Stars
ajneeago9611 August 2021
As a 12 year old playing this game, I was actually overwhelmed by just how devastating and bleak this game was. You get to kill many cool creatures like Werewolves, Minotaurs, and a Kraken, while also seeing blood, gore, and some horrific scenes of pain, suffering, and death, which made me somewhat depressed. As great as that all sounds to people who like bleak horror games, it had a lot of problems too, a lot to do with mechanics and story. I liked the Animus energy aspect to the game, and I loved all the bloody gore, but this game is definitely a bit mediocre and very dark.

Edit: After rereading my dumb review, I had to give this game another shot. From what I remember, this game was loads of fun and intrigue, even if it was really violent and bleak. Now replaying this game in 2023 and now in my mid 20's, I've rediscovered how unique this game was for its time. While the game may be rough around the edges and feel it's age, it didn't stop me from being enveloped in the really cool levels, the creepy and mystifying vibe the game has, and the real threat of being killed by a pack of werewolves. Back when I was a kid, I always played this game on easy mode, so I never was afraid or alarmed at the enemies in this game. Playing this on hardcore mode, things were quite different. A pack of only 2 werewolves was somewhat terrifying, ammo and weapon choices mattered, and animus energy (health) is your best friend.

I really didn't have a problem with most of the levels, difficulty wise; midway through the game where they just have werewolves spawn constantly definitely made me clutch, and the final segment of the final level was a pain in the ass trying to destroy all 3 generators and overfill the machine with animus energy, but after a couple days of hammering away at this, I beat it, and got most of the achievements I was trying to get (collect all collectibles, fire all weapons, and beating game on hard). Only one I still need to get is playing the game on normal, so eventually I'll come back to this game again in the future and play it again, but for now, I'm leaving this review on a positive note. The game may be janky, and doesn't have the best writing, but the level designs and the gameplay was lots of fun to me. Recommended for fans of retro FPS. Changing my review from 3 Stars out of 5 Stars to 3.5 Stars out of 5 Stars.
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An overlooked gem with an interesting concept: A Legendary review
Wolfdemon1 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I've played many first person shooters with familiar sci-fi and military concepts. This game Legendary stands out since you won't fight any aliens in this game, you fight mythical monsters from an ancient artifact called Pandora's Box. Gaming websites like IGN and Gamespot just tore this game apart and gave Legendary low scores. I totally disagree with them about this game. While this game does have a pretty good concept, Legendary does have its share of flaws. Here's a review of Legendary.

Plot: A professional thief named Charles Deckard was hired to steal the mysterious Pandora's Box, an ancient box containing powers that could destroy the Earth. Upon putting his hand on the box, Deckard unknowingly unleashes the horrors from their confinement. Mythological creatures ranging from werewolves to gryphons start to tear apart every major city all over the world. To make matters worse, an organization called the Black Order wants to harness the powers of Pandora's Box to rule the planet and kill Deckard. Luckily for the thief, he gets help from a woman named Vivian Kane and another organization called the Council of 98. Deckard must contain these monsters before the whole world is destroyed. 4/5

Graphics: The graphics are decent but they could've use a little bit more work. Legendary has clipping issues that can get very annoying too. The creature models and the layouts of New York and London actually look pretty nice. It may not be the best looking use of the Unreal 3 engine but the graphics look good for what it is. 3/5.

Sound: The voice acting is tolerable in Legendary but the true star of the sound are the creatures. It's pretty cool to hear the werewolves growl like a rabies infected dog foaming at the mouth and the minotaurs letting out this ferocious moo. The Nari have the sounds of kids laughing and screaming and the gryphons has these monstrous chirps. Spark Unlimited did a good job on the sounds of the creatures. The game also has a pretty awesome hard rock/heavy metal soundtrack. 5/5

Gameplay: The controls are pretty solid. The weapons are pretty standard for a first person shooter. The creature AI is rather impressive. The werewolves can scale walls, pounce around, and try to scratch and bite you. I'm most satisfied with the gryphons. They got some pretty good cat-like movements and attacks. While I can tolerate those creatures, the minotaurs and the Nari are another story. They attack without mercy; the minotaurs never stand still half the time, they constantly charge at you, and will keep goring you until you are dead. Same thing with the Nari except they will peck and bite you to no end, it's ridiculous. The human AI is a bit stupid; enemy soldiers will stay in one spot just waiting for you to put a bullet in their heads and when they are behind cover, they don't duck down at all. Since there are no medkits in the game, Deckard has this ability called Animus Vitae, this power allows him to absorb energy from fallen monsters for health or stun enemies. It's a pretty unique idea. 3.5/5

Legendary may not win any awards or compete with more well known triple-AAA titles, this game is a pretty good overlooked gem. I don't know what IGN and Gamespot were thinking giving Legendary such harsh reviews and low scores but I do know they are just so biased when it comes to little guy-type games. If you are willing to give Legendary a try, I say rent it first then buy the game. Legendary is good for what it is and not some horrible and unplayable beast as IGN and Gamespot made it out to be.

Final Score: 3.5/5
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