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Xena: Warrior Princess - Talisman of Fate is not going to win any awards as the deepest fighting game on the market, but it certainly ranks up there with Super Smash Bros. as a fun four player fisticuffs festival.
Even though I've been playing games for about a year and a half straight with nary a break, I sat down to play Xena with an open mind. Right off the bat you have to know that this game isn't targeted to everyone. I doubt the Soul Caliber/Tekken/Virtua Fighter crowd will be lining up for this, based on the license alone. That aside, I sat down and had some fun with this game.
The game pits Xena (or any other character) against nine other characters from the show in wide open 3D environments that allow you to move in any direction. Okay, so that was a redundant statement...These include Gabrielle, Joxer, Caesar, Callisto, Autolycus, Ares, Ephiny, Lao Ma and Velasca. You can also unlock Despair, the 11th character and end boss, if you beat the game on any difficulty. Each character has a strong punch, weak punch, strong kick and weak kick that are assigned to the c buttons. In addition to these, each character can also perform combinations of punches and kicks either jumping, crouching or crouching combined with jumping. If you get close enough to your opponent you can also initiate a throw move. In addition to these basic moves each player can perform a small number of special moves, a taunt, lying strong kick and punch and a jump offwall move that will put them near the center of the arena. Generally the special moves feature the characters chosen weapon or power. For example Xena can throw her Chakram, breathe fire (???) and use her flying bicycle kick from the show, while Gabrielle can use her staff as a projectile.
Most of you know I'm not a fan of the N64 controller - especially for fighting games - but once I became accustomed to the layout (which is completely configurable) I became much more adept at kicking ass. The game also features a target button which doesn't become truly necessary until you've got 3 or 4 players going at it; more on that aspect in a minute. All in all the control in Xena was quite good. For a game that lets you move around as much as Xena (its not limited to a 2D space like Smash Bros.) the camera performed very well. Even when the camera wasn't in the perfect place I was able to quickly position myself to remedy the situation. There was no lag time between button press and animation allowing the fighting to become fast and furious, and best of all no slowdown with 4 players on screen.
Due to the multiplayer nature of the game, Xena brings some innovation to the usual modes of play. Quest mode allows either one or two players to take on all-comers for the ultimate prize, the Talisman of Fate (and you thought I just made that part of the title up). Unfortunately, you can't assign the computer to play as Player 2 in Quest mode, but rest assured you can in all of the other modes. If you unlock Titan mode, then three friends can team up in Quest mode. Versus mode allows up to four players to duke it out, either against each other like in a battle royal or on different teams. You and a friend could team up against another player and the computer or 3 of your pals could try and take you down; any combination is possible. Roster mode is a lot like Versus mode except that you can select more than one character to play as. When your first choice is sent packing, your new selection takes over. Xena also has a decent Practice mode where you can hone your skills for when you are ready for the real deal. For a real he-man challenge, try taking on 3 opponents in the Versus or Roster mode.
Looking for a party game for Saturday night? Xena's four player fighting kicks! Depending on where the players move to, the camera pulls back so that you can see all of the action. Unlike Smash Bros., the players never get too small in Xena, which makes four player games easier to control in my opinion. The target button, which is oddly overlooked in the manual, is useful when playing the multiplayer games. You'll need this button to choose an opponent to beat on when there are 4 characters on screen.
Graphically Xena looks sweet. There is absolutely no polygon clipping or texture glitching to be found at all, unlike a game like WWF Attitude which was rife with it. The characters skin stretch across their bodies making them look solid and human and their animations are realistic. The faces are as close as they are going to get on the N64. The arenas aren't the most visually stimulating environments you've ever seen, but I imagine that is due to allow 4 players on screen at once. Some special moves use various graphic tricks and are visually impressive.
The music in this game is based upon the characters stage in which you are battling. For example, Joxer's level features whimsical fare that compliments his bumbling nature while Despair's soundtrack is decidedly darker. The sound effects are a tad weak with watered-down thuds for kicks and punches. However, the clink of swords adds some realism while the flashier special moves receive the most interesting effects. There isn't much voice over work and what is included has been done by voice actors and not the real mccoys.
The true test of a games mettle is truly not what some jaded game reviewer thinks, so I tried the game out on what I considered to be the target audience; 12 years and up (even though the game is rated Teen which is for ages 13+). The younger players loved it. I left them to play the game while I went in to teach my music class, and when I came out they were still playing it, even though they had their choice of any N64 game in my collection. The comments ranged from 'It's great" to "Hey that games not bad at all" to "It's boring." The person who said it was boring perked up when I showed him how to perform the special moves. After that he said the game was fun. The oldest player (17) to test out Xena said he would buy the game if he owned a N64. He is a big time PlayStation player, so that has to tell you something. All of the testees enjoyed the four-player mode and many begged me to loan them the game this weekend, but as usual I barked, "Do I have Blockbuster tattooed on my forehead? Go buy the %$#@ game yourself you bunch of %$#$@#$." Okay so I didn't say that, but man, I'm tempted sometimes. Oh yeah. Definitely.
Complaint Dept. One thing that could have made Xena extra special is interactive environments. If the characters could have jumped onto platforms, climbed stairs or used items from the environments as weapons that would have gave Xena a big boost in the playability factor. Having more moves to choose from would have been nice, but in the end I think it would have mucked up the game. Using the N64 controller to pull off special d-pad sweeps and whatnot is difficult at the best of times, and when a game is this fast paced I think more would have been less if you get what I'm saying. This isn't a slow moving wrestling game, this is fast paced action. You have to be on your toes or you are going to lose. Fumbling around trying to pull off a difficult command would have definitely blown your chances for survival. My last gripe would have to be the overuse of the crouch button. Crouching and jumping are the only ways to avoid projectiles, however jumping is riskier while crouching works 100 percent of the time. You'll eventually notice that every battle begins with the computer firing something at you, which means the first thing you'll probably do is crouch and then move. When you are up against a computer opponent that uses a lot of cheap projectile moves you'll spend almost the entire match crouching and trying to get in your shots. This should have been remedied. However, if you are playing against friends, this complaint is null and void.
If you are a fan of the show and are looking for some 4 player fighting action, then I think you should check this game out. Sapphire should be commended for making this game work as well as it does with 4 players (real or computer). Again, if you are looking for a game that will allow 12 hit combos and special moves up the ying yang, you won't find it here. What you get is a good fighting game that although short on moves is long on fun, especially with 3 other people playing. The one player game has limited replay value but once you start taking on 2-4 computer-controlled opponents, you'll discover what this game is all about. Whatever you do, don't judge the game by picking up the box and looking at it. Play it! Get your hands on it and don't worry about what this review or any other review says. Make up your own mind. That's why you have one. Now go and exercise your God given right to form your own opinions.
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