Common Sense Media Review
By Chad Sapieha
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Run-of-the-mill shooter; lots of blood and gore.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
What's It About?
LEGENDARY tells the tale of a modern day man who is tricked into opening an ancient artifact known as Pandora's Box, which releases countless mythical creatures—werewolves, griffons, minotaur, and so forth.. These creatures immediately begin wreaking havoc on the world, killing its citizens in brutal, nasty ways that result in lots of spattered blood and crispy corpses. Humanity's only hope turns out to be the guy who unlocked the box, an art thief named Charles Deckard, whose hand has been branded by the box's evil magic and now has the power to suck spiritual energy from slain monsters and use it to heal himself. Predictably, the player steps into Deckard's shoes, picks up a variety of projectile and melee weaponry, and goes about the bloody business of rescuing the planet and its people.
Is It Any Good?
Legendary is average in just about every way a game can be. Its cookie cutter settings and familiar enemies are generally plain and lackluster, but not quite to the point of being ugly. The action, which has players shooting, hacking, and healing all in roughly equal measure, is competent but utterly conventional. And its narrative contains interesting concepts and characters that, unfortunately, are never fully explained or developed.
Then there are all of the little annoyances. Fallen debris creates narrow, utterly contrived paths through each environment. You can jump long and far, but seemingly only a couple of inches from the ground, which means huge gaps can be cleared easily but that you can't hop over, say, a fallen 10-inch wide column. And there are many places in which there is no end to enemies, which can prove enormously frustrating when trying to concentrate and solve one of the game's many environmental puzzles. Simply put, there are enough excellent first-person shooters vying for the dollars of mature gamers that it makes little sense to settle for a inferior experience like Legendary.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the game's mythical creatures and their sources in real world folklore. Can you identify the various cultures from which each beast originates? Does it make sense that all of these culturally diverse creatures would rise together out of the legendary Pandora's Box? Do you want to learn more about ancient, mythological monsters based on what you have seen in the game?
Game Details
- Platforms : Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , Windows
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : GameCock Media Group
- Release date : November 18, 2008
- Genre : First-Person Shooter
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : August 25, 2016
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