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Chaos Legion
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Playstation 2 - Capcom - Action - T - 1 Player
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| Before I begin this review, I simply must ask the two following questions: Why has linearity in games suddenly become so obsolete? And what's the big deal about non-linearity nowadays? To sum it up in three predicable words: Grand Theft Auto. In one perspective, I do have to respect Rockstar's ambitions. Their goal was to develop a next-generation establishment towards a whole new precedent for the notion of "open-ended." They wanted to pit you in a vast urban city, nameless and untamed, leaving you to do anything you want, whenever you wanted to. In another perspective, however, freedom best represented in swindling vehicles and killing random pedestrians while listening to your favorite radio station simply isn't going to do enough for me in the long run. Sure, there are all those extra activities/missions, but even those come up pretty short. Rampages were killing sprees with statistics, picking up hookers was as asinine as the intimacy is static, and finding all those hidden packages was about as fun as watching paint dry. There was nothing more that could have motivated me any further. After the default missions were done, there was no real goal to be found anymore.
Apparently, that's why everyone loves this series so much. You can go on playing without ever worrying about "getting on with the game". No more scripted action sequences to take part in, and no more free-flowing paths to follow as you reach your next destination. I know that's probably the whole point of it all, but I need something more exciting to do than wander around an entire city aimlessly. In my opinion, this is what hurts an otherwise very enjoyable series. I know that babbling about this any further is purely subjective on my part, so I'll spare everyone the verbal coup de grace. Does this drawn-out rant have a point, you ask? Well, ever since Rockstar took the gaming industry by storm with the debut of Grand Theft Auto III, derivation runs amok as their everlasting success influences more and more developers to follow suit, doing away with deviation in video games as the industry goes on. |
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| I know I haven't exactly been gaming since the day the original Mario Bros. was bestowed upon us all, I've been playing games long enough to know what kind of a game can really boil your blood, causing you to become so immersed that you forget you're even holding a controller. Simply put, non-linearity can take away purpose; if the game built around that mechanic doesn't feature elements interesting enough to hold one's interest, that mechanic is pretty much broken. With too much freedom, you can go from trying to find activities to do, to simply becoming bored as you linger about the world. Being placed on a set path, on the other hand, leaves open an opportunity to propel you straight into an adventure, always making further progression and getting closer to the goal as trouble finds you instead. Hell, it doesn't matter where you go; all that matters is how you get there, what obstacles you encounter on the way, and how you deal with those situations altogether.
There's always a point to everything in a linear world. From Mario's omnifarious platforming to Sonic's uber-ecstatic thrill rides, games like those are reason enough why linearity can make for some of the greatest games one can ever experience. Since the turn of the century, games such as Viewtiful Joe and Shinobi have shown that as long as developers can turn linearity into something innovative (or engaging, at the very least), being one-dimensional doesn't have to seem so outdated anymore, does it? A game doesn't have to be non-linear in order to stand on top of the gaming spectrum. With that said, how does Chaos Legion stack up there with Devil May Cry amongst the big boys of action expertise? As Capcom's profaned black sheep of 2003, it wasn't very well received, and being called a stripped-down version of Devil May Cry would no doubt put off a lot of people. My response to that? Those people couldn't be more wrong. |
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| Chaos Legion's protagonist is Sieg Warheit, renowned Legionator and Knight of the Dark Glyphs. As an emissary in service for the Order of St. Overia, as well as having some unfinished business, Sieg is in pursuit of his former best friend-turned-nemesis, Victor Delacroix. Once a virtuous man of eminence who performed many good deeds, Victor was thought to become the next Lord of the Sacred Glyphs -- that is, until the fateful day his lover was murdered. Driven by grief and madness, Victor falls into the dark side, using his newfound powers to desecrate, destroy, and finally "purify" the world. In three year's time, Sieg and Victor still hold a bitter hostility towards one another. Torn by tragedy and bound by fate, this destined twosome prepares to settle an old score. It's not the most original plot, but face the facts; it's not exactly easy to be original anymore. Regardless of the fact that two rivals are hell-bent on killing each other, unoriginality alone shouldn't take away all the credibility of any storyline, and this game is no exception. Despite feeling admittedly sparse at times, the plot is pulled off rather well for a straight-up action game. All I can say from here on out is that the true depth of the plot lies in the cinematics. Once it really starts to take off, you might just want to keep playing until the very culmination of Sieg's ominous quest. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Like most action games, the first stage serves as an introduction to the game's mechanics, from the basis of combat to getting accustomed to the impeccable controls; once you get the configuration down, you'll know it was meant to fit like a glove. Upon starting a new game, you're asked if you want to use the tutorial option, which occasionally halts the gameplay whenever you're performing an action for the first time. I'd strongly suggest using it for the first play-through because the visual advice it gives is far more helpful than that of the game's instruction manual. In the beginning of the game, Sieg's move set starts off rather limited at first. He's obviously capable of doing standard swordplay techniques, which consist of a 4-hit combo, as well as a 360-degree air swipe or an overhead slash (you can execute the first move as you jump, or the second move as you're about to land on the ground). When it comes to his evasive and lock-on techniques, Sieg is a very mobile and resilient character. What Sieg lacks in his limited move set comes with his moves being excessively fundamental. In fact, these mechanics serve the player so well throughout the game that they're worth the honorable mention that most reviewers have left unexploited. They really are that essential to your survival, especially when there comes a time your Legions are absent from the battlefield.
So what can you do to fend for yourself? For one, you have an extremely useful strafe maneuver; as the camera constantly centers your frontal view, you can move in any direction. This allows you to dodge attacks given the opportunity, whether it be rolling out of the way or springing backwards. While most reviewers seem to point out how slow and worthless Sieg's dodges are in the battlefield, I've only come to see that as an exaggeration on their part. Despite the fact that you're constantly going to be surrounded, here's a huge payoff that rectifies that. If you dodge just as an enemy is about to attack you, a window between you and the enemies is created. Their attacks won't be able to be telegraphed, allowing you to escape without a scratch. You're only given a couple of seconds before you can be hit again, but that alone gives you more than enough time to stagger your surrounding enemies and make your escape. This maneuver requires precise timing, and its effect varies for each enemy (you'll have an easier time eluding smaller enemies this way than larger ones), but once you've got it down, this provides you with many opportunities to jump over to a safe area, and retaliate in numbers! I dare say Chaos Legion features some of the best evasive mechanics ever implemented in an action game. Then again, that's pretty typical coming from the guys at Capcom. |
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| So what more can you do if you come across a certain enemy who's being a real nuisance? Better yet, what if he's a wild behemoth who has you trapped in a small corner, about to thrash the living hell out of you? That's where Sieg's unique targeting technique comes in. Sieg can use his gauntlet to fire a projectile (similar to that of a bolt of lightning) and leave that assailant locked-on. As soon as you begin strafing, your frontal view will constantly be centered onto that enemy. Just as that enemy tries to deliver that final blow, you can roll to his backside and attack with an air swipe. Depending on Sieg's character growth, you can also potentially stagger that enemy, drop him on his behind, and turn the tables over in full force. If you need another option, you can learn to counterattack head-on simply by attacking just as an enemy is about to hit you. If you happen to execute it at the right moment, you'll hear a high-pitched ringing sound as the screen momentarily freezes. It can be very risky at times, but a successful counter-attack is worth four times the standard amount of experience points (used to upgrade your Legions) for killing an enemy. Pretty cool payoff for all you bolder contenders out there. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| In all 3-D action games, there is no such thing as a "perfect" camera. Many would say that's a pretty sad fact. Me? I think that's just asking for too much. The developers behind a game can try their hardest to give you the best camera view possible, but if you're expecting to see every single enemy and obstacle throughout the level, you might as well just ask for every game to sport a top-down perspective -- not the most exciting sight, if you ask me. As long as intricate care is put into the camera, 3-D action games won't ever suffer from "bad" camera angles, but people just have to accept the fact that, one way or another, there's going to be that one occasional hit you never saw coming. Chaos Legion is no different; as accessible as the game's camera may be (manually operated with use of the right analog stick, while centering the camera is used with R1), you're bound to be attacked by an unseen enemy one way or another.
So where am I going with this? Located on the upper-right during gameplay is a very reliable radar -- the remedy to your camera problems. Other than showing you any surrounding walls or pillars, the radar shows off the following: an arrow in the center represents Sieg, blue dots represent your summoned legions, red dots represent any surrounding enemies, orange dots represent "target" enemies (more on those later), and yellow dots represent nearby items. As hard as it may sound to pay attention to your actions as well as the radar, I cannot begin to say how many times it has saved me from numerous ambushes. Scouting the surrounding area becomes second nature within a few minutes, really. If you have any fraction of common sense, you'll know to move if you see a red dot advancing towards the arrow -- it's really that simple. While some are certain to find that making extensive use of all these methods is frustrating, I simply prefer to call it "multi-tasking." Having to take the initiative to such active heights adds the much needed tension and challenge a lot of of today's games are sorely lacking. You tend to feel a lot more involved in your alter ego's ass-kicking hour that way. |
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| As you may already know, your unfriendly scenarios throughout Chaos Legion, for the most part, are going to give you awfully rude reminders of that Starship Troopers movie; seemingly-infinite waves of enemies that blanket the battlefield, all out for the sole purpose of ripping you to shreds, you know the deal. Sieg alone can't overcome all these obstacles by himself, so he's bringing reinforcements. It's about time to introduce the shining stars of the gameplay -- the Legions! You'll inevitably obtain six of them throughout the course of the game, each with their own signature weaponry: Guilt, the Sword Legion; Malice, the Arrow Legion; Blasphemy, the Bomb Legion; Arrogance, the Shield Legion; Flawed, the Claw Legion; and Hatred, the Power Legion. These demonic powerhouses are more than essential to conquering this game; you'll practically entrust your life to them, for they affect Sieg's overall performance on the battlefield.
It would be in your best interest to note that Sieg shouldn't be your only focus; aside from his life gauge, you also have to look after his soul gauge. It supplements Sieg's Legion Assists (I'll get to that in a second), and also plays the role as the Legions' own life gauge. Before each stage, you can equip up to two Legions by selecting their Legion Crests, which are symbolized by their signature weapons (i.e. a sword represents Guilt's Crest). During gameplay, you can swap between the two crests, which will undoubtedly have to be switched from time to time; one Legion is never going to be enough for the job. It should be in your best interest to choose your Legions wisely, for the effect each Legion has on the overall game is quite dramatic, and that can either make or break your chances of succeeding. With that said, the game features two types of enemies (organic and metal) whose difficulty of defeating differs for each Legion. For example, the Guilt Legion specializes against organic enemies, while they can barely put a dent into metal enemies. The Malice Legion, on the other hand, can pierce through metal enemies with their arrows -- but as expected, they have far more trouble bringing down organic enemies. Then there are those few Legions, such as Blasphemy, who specialize against both types of enemies. Late into the game, you'll even encounter enemies who are impervious to all of Sieg's basic attacks, and only his Legions will be able to take them on. Talk about heavy compromise towards one another! It's entirely up to you to decide which of your two chosen Legions is the appropriate "leader" for every situation. Learn to take care of your Legions, and they'll assuredly take care of you. |
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| Throughout the game, you're going to have to constantly switch between two modes of combat: Assault and Force. Beginning every stage in Assault Mode, Sieg always stands alone, and is very mobile to boot (he can always run). With the Legions' power lying dormant within Sieg's gauntlet, his attack power increases. However, Sieg is far more vulnerable to attack due to the lack of forces and protection, as well as more targets to distract enemies. To compensate for that, Sieg can execute a Legion Assist; depending on the Legion Crest you currently have equipped, that particular Legion will come to your aid for a brief moment. Despite consuming a bit of your soul gauge, assists not only come in handy, but they can be awful fun to use. Need some breathing room? One assist has Sieg soccer-kick a bomb into an entire wave of enemies, clearing the area with monstrous results. Another assist even involves one Legion busting out an archer's rendition of Dante's hightime. Sold yet? Wait until you witness one Legion actually grab the sword of an enormous boss, lift him up using that very sword, and throw him back down vigorously as the whole screen starts shaking. That's one hell of a trump card, all right.
In order to activate Force Mode, you'll have to summon a Legion to fight alongside Sieg. When that Legion is released from his gauntlet, not only is Sieg's attack power decreased, but his movement is also restricted (he's now limited to walking). To compensate for this problem, Sieg can can execute a Legion Force Attack. Your summoned Legion can now provide Sieg with more forces; he now has a better chance at withstanding armies of enemies as his Legion proceeds to lay waste around the surrounding area. Depending on your situation or preference, you can alter the behavior of your Legions anytime by switching between "passive" or "active" formations in this mode. If you set your Legion to passive, they will await your instruction (they'll only attack the enemy once you give out the order), and their defense will increase. If you set your Legion to active, they will go off on their own methods of fighting (you can also persuade them to attack aggressively), and their offense will increase. In either formation, you have the option to order your Legion to focus on a specific enemy by leaving it locked-on. As I mentioned earlier, Sieg's soul gauge plays the role of the Legions' life gauge; if Legions sustain damage, the soul gauge will decrease. If it depletes completely while that Legion is still present in battle, that Legion's crest will shatter. That particular Legion will be rendered unusable, and Sieg will automatically revert back to Assault Mode. Depending on a certain point of the soul gauge (which varies for every Legion), you'll have to continuously attack enemies until you earn back enough soul to repair that broken crest, and finally revive that Legion. With that said, making a crest whole again can be a long process, so dismissing your Legion (calling them back and reverting to assault mode) at the nick of time can make all the difference. |
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| Man, with so many of these tactical options to choose from, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Considering Capcom's expertise with the action genre, however, you'll be downright surprised at just how well this whole system works. Taking command of your forces is a fun and seamless experience because your malicious nature alone will punctuate just how chaotic the battlefield will become. As you gradually upgrade your Legions more and more, you'll notice significant changes in their attributes and ranks, as well as Sieg's move set. Upgrading alone can be an arduous task since experience points are much harder to receive in the US version (i.e. one Legion requires 10,000,000 experience points to evolve in the Japanese version, while that very same Legion requires 50,000,000 in the US version). It's understandable that most people aren't going to play long enough to max out every Legion, as it can be a very frustrating and time-consuming feat. Only those with patience and commitment will have what it takes to follow through. In the end, however, those people might just find that the outcome at the end of that rocky path is worth their effort.
Witnessing your enemies deliver their swan song has never been so gratifying. Sending dozens of bodies flying in every direction, ripping waves of enemies asunder, listening to all those painful screams in unison along the clashing of weapon and sinew; you feel as if you're THE harbinger of destruction. Even with every slash dealt by Sieg alone, you feel raw vigor put in every one of his swings. Rarely in any game do you feel such a maddening surge of power flow through your controller. Just watching your maxed out Legions tear through those dangerous waves of demons effortlessly as Sieg himself brushes through his hair in boredom is a sight to marvel at. You really can't help but feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment. |
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| It should already be apparent that in the world of Chaos Legion, there's not one quiescent moment to be had. There are no abrupt puzzles, escort missions, or fetch quests here to slow things down. You constantly move from area to area, eliminating any obstacles that stand in your way. You stay on this set path with no deviation, picking up any must-have items while taking a further glance at the environment. Beyond this, you must formulate the best possible method for defeating enemies and bosses. You could say that's Chaos Legion at its core, but then you'd be describing just about every brawler/hack-and-slash game in a nutshell. Would all that have to be considered repetitive? Or short? Too linear, perhaps? Yes, games of that genre would most likely be guilty of that, but is that supposed to mean they're a lost cause? Are we truly entitled to say that they have such wasted potential, that they deserve to be declared outdated or mediocre? Allow me to be frank: Hell no.
Because of those aforementioned misconceptions, games of this type/genre are nowhere near as flawed as they are misunderstood. At their core, they can be deceptively simple games, but that alone doesn't make them as deep as a puddle. If you're going to have fun with a game, why nitpick at the most unnecessary things? Chaos Legion is no different. While your main objective throughout the game is to kick amazing amounts of ass, it's all about how you look and feel when you subdue your foes. If you take that into account, as well as learn the subtleties of each Legion, you might just end up loving the game. All you have to remember is not to let first impressions get the best of you. The first hour or two may undoubtedly leave you thinking that the pacing is somewhat slow, or that the following levels may be nothing more than battles of attrition. That's to be expected due to Sieg's severe lack of skills in the beginning of the game, but mark my words; the difference between Sieg's character growth in the beginning and end of the game is a substantial one. What I've also come to appreciate about this game is the sense of progression. You always have something to look forward to at the end of each level, whether it be a new Legion, a new move set, or even a titanic pulse-pounding boss fight that tests your wits as well as your dexterity. So the gameplay can become repetitive, but you can't help but feel ravenous for more. There's that special feeling of allure when it comes to being a single man who can kill waves and waves of enemies. That's exactly what compelled us to play the likes of Final Fight and Super Ghouls & Ghosts all those years ago. So honestly, why worry about repetition when the game has heart? |
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| It really is a shame that reviewers can't be a little more lenient on games that may not be perfect, but are still highly enjoyable nonetheless. Gamers tend to take review scores much too seriously nowadays, and ultimately end up missing out on quite a few gems as a result. When it all comes down to it, you shouldn't care about whether or not a game is going to be the next big thing. You don't buy games so you can make a name for yourself at the message boards. You don't buy games for a graphical showcase. You don't buy games only to demand a refund because of how short it was -- then that's just missing the point altogether. People often drown themselves in having to make comparisons to other games, or point out every flaw. Today, those are the people who worry about whether or not the game is going to live up to the hype when they simply forget why they started playing in the first place. Is it because the industry is evolving so quickly that the innovators of the past have suddenly become obsolete in the eyes of today's gamers? Regardless of how much may change, I play for nothing more than unadulterated fun. Chaos Legion delivers, as it does an impeccable job at living up to its title. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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