THE GAME OF THE WEEK IS LEGION:LEGEND OF EXACALIBUR


Legion: Legend of Excalibur
Publisher: Midway Games Inc. Genre: Action

Developer: 7-Studios Release: Q2 2001



The real-time strategy (RTS) genre has carved out a popular niche for itself in PC gaming circles, with titles such as Starcraft and Command & Conquer leading the way with millions of copies sold. Attempts at kindling the same kind of magic with console gamers, namely in the form of Starcraft, Command & Conquer, and Civilization, have been adequate, but have resulted in titles lacking in both features and ease of use. With the hardware constraints and limited control systems of consoles, what's a developer to do? 7-Studios and Midway think they have found the solution in the form of their upcoming PS2 release, Legion: Legend of Excalibur.
Set in the time of Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, Legion: Legend of Excalibur seeks to combine traditional console RPG gameplay with an equal measure of RTS simulation. On the RPG front, the game promises to be steeped in both story and character development. You'll begin as a soldier in Arthur's army, commanding small squad of inexperienced troops. While you hone your team into shape, you'll witness the growing bond between Arthur and Lancelot, the love-hate rapport between Arthur and Morgan LeFay, and the magical antics of the stoic sorcerer Merlin. Since the game uses the Arthurian legend as a base, you can be sure that trickery, revenge, and loyalty swapping will play major roles in the game's storyline.

Though the game will offer a number of alternate branching points and a variety of side quests, the major factor in strengthening your team and progressing the story lies not with one-on-one fighting, but cool, calculated real-time strategy battle. At times, you'll be asked to defend a castle or possibly attack a wandering enemy squad. At other times, you may be taking part in a major battle, fighting alongside entire divisions of troops, or simply sending your men out on patrol. Depending on the situation, you'll need to decide how and when to will your soldiers to fight. In a twist, however, you don't have total control over your entire division, but instead command four knights to distribute your orders down through the chain of command. At first, they'll lead poorly and battles will be difficult. However, as time marches on, your ability to command, as well as your knights' ability to lead, will improve. Because of this focus on leadership, resource management takes a backseat to planning in Legion. Your knights will take care of keeping troops fed and clothed, but it's your job to make sure they take up the right battles or engage in the proper attack plan. Fail and your men will be cut to ribbons. Succeed and you'll forge an unstoppable fighting force.

Because of the power of the PS2, this aforementioned fighting force will be visually realized via frantic, bloody battles and violent, bone-jarring confrontation. Heads will roll, literally. Taking a page from Koei's book, in-game action will vaguely resemble Kessen in appearance, albeit with 100 times the gore factor. If spurting limbs and cracking bones are your idea of a good time, Legion: Legend of Excalibur might be just what the doctor ordered. For FMV fans out there, rest assured that Legion will contain plenty of the requisite plot-advancement cinematics. This is the PS2 after all, and 7-Studios promises to assault the senses as much as the system will allow.

Designed by Command & Conquer's Eric Yeo and produced by veteran producer Lewis Peterson, Legion: Legend of Excalibur has been in development for nearly a year now. In contrast to its usual behavior, Midway is keeping information about the game at a measured minimum and is not rushing to give the game a specific release date. Simply slated for release sometime in 2001, the half-RPG, half-RTS Legion looks like it is being given the "we'll release it when it's done" red-carpet treatment

the most impressive PlayStation 2 game revealed to date.
Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty was, without a doubt, the most exciting game at this year’s E3. Shown once every hour on a massive TV wall, the video trailer for the game was, quite literally, a show-stopper. Every time the demo was shown, a large segment of the South Hall ground to a complete halt. And for good reason. Metal Gear Solid 2 appears to be the most impressive PlayStation 2 game revealed to date.

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MGS 2 will be set in New York, an interesting change from the wilderness of Alaska. With the developers putting emphasis on the need for realistic lighting and air effects, this could be one of the most impressive action games ever released on a home console. It certainly grabbed everyone’s attention at E3 – let’s hope the final game lives up to the hype!

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