September 8, 2004

3-D and D

A couple of new fantasy games conjure up the mythic worlds of Dungeons and Dragons.

by Damon Brown

Back in the day, Dungeons and Dragons-inspired titles were a gaming staple. It’s hard to tell today, with all our Grand Theft Autos and Ninja Gaidens, but games were originally made to simulate the paper-and-dice experience enjoyed by nerds everywhere. Vivendi Universal’s The Hobbit and Square Enix’s Drakengard aren’t role-playing games, but they do use classic dungeon crawls for inspiration. The results are far from great but offer a quick walk down memory lane.

THE HOBBIT
For PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance
(Vivendi Universal/Sierra)

It has been easy to forget that the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy began with one simple book called The Hobbit. Appropriately enough, EA’s heavily promoted — and excellent — Lord of the Rings game series has overshadowed this one based on the first book. Unlike the books, the game series won’t suffer much if you skip out on this prequel.

Hobbit Bilbo Baggins leaves his idyllic shire to assist some local dwarfs. His adventure leads him to prominent characters like the wizard Gandalf, the ring-coveting Gollum and, of course, the evil Ring itself.

The game plays like a linear Zelda or, better yet, a Zelda with training wheels. The 3-D perspective is straight out of 1998’s Ocarina of Time, and the cartoon graphics are similar as well, though The Hobbit is much more detailed because of the next-generation console’s power. It also shares the lock-on targeting system pioneered by the classic title, making it possible to circle enemies while attacking them.

Each area is large, but the limitations of the story line restrict you to a list of tasks you must complete. One area may require you to fix a bridge, find lost children, collect a special weapon and talk with a village wise man. The tasks are listed on the menu and are broken up into “Required” and “Optional,” the optional ones leading to a higher score, more energy or another type of bonus.

Bilbo also has Mario-inspired goals, like collecting all the silver coins, grabbing gems and opening treasure chests. The booby-trapped chests are an original spin on a tired concept, as opening them requires solving a series of timed puzzles.

Ironically, by aping all the great titles, The Hobbit just makes itself look like less of a game. It’s too narrow to compete with Zelda, too slow-paced to play against Mario and lacking enough depth to be compared to, say, Baldur’s Gate. Nothing is specifically wrong with The Hobbit; there’s just no reason to play it. (6)

DRAKENGARD
For PlayStation 2
(Square Enix)

Square Enix, the recently created conglomerate of SquareSoft and Enix, is best-known for classic role-playing games like Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior. Drakengard takes the genre and adds some action spice to it, not unlike the Super Nintendo classic ActRaiser. Unfortunately, Drakengard can’t hold a candle to any game in Square Enix’s illustrious catalog.

Drakengard stars a medieval warrior out to save his sister, the magical protector of his village. However, he is mortally wounded in battle and must merge souls with a surly dragon to live. The story line gets stranger from there, but the gist is that the unlikely man-beast duo work together to protect the warrior’s sister and save his world.

The bulk of the game is spent on foot, battling wave after wave of soldiers. The foot missions are reminiscent of EA’s Return of the King, with a tight camera behind the hero and enough chaos to make you feel as if you’re in a Braveheart outtake. It’s easy to get the hang of the action, as surviving is mainly a lesson in not biting off more than you can chew (i.e., running away).

The flight missions, done atop the dragon, are straight from Sega’s Panzer Dragoon series. The dragon spits flames at airborne adversaries, mostly mechanical beasts such as heavily armed zeppelins, floating cannons and boxy guns. The most inventive creatures are a beautiful sight, especially the flying griffin that attacks with the grace of a dancer.

Overall, the graphics are quite crisp, though they don’t overwhelm you with emotional power like, say, Final Fantasy X. In fact, the game as a whole is somewhat underwhelming. One of the problems is the convoluted plot and dialogue, which make the movie Titanic seem unemotional by comparison. Every battle is presented as the last battle “to win things once and for all,” and every scene chokes with melodrama. It’s hard to escape groaning when a talking dragon says, “Wise men choose death before war. Wiser men choose not to be born.”

The gameplay itself is mildly addictive, a credit to the lengthy combat system. Dozens of weapons are available, most unlocked after beating a certain area, and as many as eight of them can be brought into combat. Each weapon gets stronger as you use it more — for instance, your sword will get upgraded after 112 kills — which gives you incentive to jump into battle and take out enemies by the score. Every weapon also provides a unique magic attack.

However, fun weaponry doesn’t make for a fun game. Drakengard would do well as a rental, but you’ll probably get burnt if you buy it. (6)

Damon Brown reviews a new batch of video games every week. Games are rated on a scale of 1 to 10. Contact him at citylink@citylinkmagazine.com.